Ulrika Eleanor is the Queen of Sweden who ruled from 1718-1720. Accounted for by younger sister Karl XII. And her parents are Ulrika Eleanor of Denmark and Karl XI. In this article, we describe a brief biography of the Swedish ruler.
Potential regent
Ulrika Eleanor was born at Stockholm Castle in 1688. In childhood, the girl was not very spoiled by attention. Her elder sister Gedwiga Sofia was considered the parents' favorite daughter.
In 1690, Ulrika Eleanor of Denmark was named by Carl as a possible regent in the event of his death, provided that their son does not reach adulthood. But due to frequent childbirth, the health of the king’s wife deteriorated greatly. After the winter of 1693 she was gone.
The legend of the death of the queen
There is a legend on this subject. It says that when Karl’s wife died in the palace, Maria Stenbock (her favorite maid of honor) lay sick in Stockholm. On the night that Ulrika Eleanor retreated to another world, Countess Stenbock arrived at the palace and was allowed into the room of the deceased. One of the officers peered through the keyhole. In the room, the guard saw the countess and queen talking by the window. The shock of the soldier was so great that he began to cough up blood. At about the same time, Maria, along with her crew, seemed to evaporate. An investigation began, during which it turned out that that night the countess was seriously ill and did not leave her house. The officer died of shock, and Stenbock died a little later. Karl personally gave the order never to tell about what happened anywhere.
Marriage and authority
In 1714, the daughter of King Ulric Eleanor was engaged to Friedrich of Hesse of Kassel. A year later, their wedding took place. The authority of the princess has grown significantly, and close associates of Charles XII had to reckon with her opinion. The sister of the girl - Gedwig Sofia - died in 1708. Therefore, in fact, Ulrika and Karl's mother were the only representatives of the Swedish royal family.
In early 1713, the monarch already wanted to make his daughter a temporary regent of the country. But he did not carry out this plan. On the other hand, the royal council had a desire to enlist the support of the princess, so he persuaded her to attend all his meetings. At the very first meeting, where Ulrika was present, they decided to convene a Riksdag (parliament).
Some participants spoke in favor of appointing Eleanor as regent. But the Royal Council and Arvid Horn were opposed. They feared that with the change of government there would be new difficulties. Later, Charles XII allowed the princess to sign all documents emanating from the council, except those sent personally to him.
Fight for the throne
In December 1718, Ulrika Eleanor found out about the death of her brother. She took this news in cold blood and forced everyone to call themselves the queen. The Council did not oppose this. Soon, the girl gave the order for the arrest of supporters of Georg Goertz and canceled all the decisions that came from his pen. At the end of 1718, at the convocation of the Riksdag, Ulrika expressed a desire to abolish the autocracy and return the country to its former form of government.
The highest military command of Sweden voted to abolish absolutism, the non-recognition of inheritance law and the award of the title of Queen to Eleanor. The members of the Riksdag had a similar position. But in order to gain the support of the royal council, the girl announced that she had no right to the throne.
Swedish Queen Ulrika Eleanor
At the beginning of 1719, the princess renounced the inheritance rights to the throne. After that, she was proclaimed queen, but with one nuance. Ulrika approved the form of government drawn up by the estates. According to this document, most of its power passed into the hands of the Riksdag. In March 1719, the coronation of Eleanor in Uppsala took place.
The new ruler could not cope with the difficulties that arose during her assumption of a new position. Ulrika’s influence fell significantly after a disagreement with the head of the Chancellery A. Gorn. Also, she did not have a relationship with his successors - Krunelm and Sparre.
Upon accession to the throne, the Swedish Queen Ulrika Eleanor wanted to share power with her husband. But in the end, she was forced to abandon this venture because of the persistent resistance of the nobility. The inability to adapt to the new constitution, the autocracy of the ruler, as well as the influence of the spouse on her decisions gradually pushed government officials to the desire to change the monarch.
New king
The husband of Ulrika Friedrich of Hesse began to actively work in this direction. To begin with, he became close to A. Gorn. Due to this, in 1720 he was elected to the Riksdag as Land Marshal. Soon, Queen Ulrika Eleanor filed a petition to the estates for joint rule with her husband. This time her proposal was met with disapproval. On February 29, 1720, the heroine of this article abdicated in favor of her husband, Friedrich of Hesse-Kassel. There was a single reservation - in the event of his death, the crown returned again to Ulrike. March 24, 1720, the husband of Eleanor became the monarch of Sweden under the name Frederick I.
Far from power
Ulrika until the last days was interested in public affairs. But after 1720, she pulled away from them, preferring to engage in charity and reading. Although periodically, the former ruler replaced her husband on the throne. For example, in 1731 during his trip abroad or in 1738, when Frederick became seriously ill. It is worth noting that, replacing the spouse on the throne, she showed only her best qualities. November 24, 1741 - this is the date when Ulrik Eleanor died in Stockholm. The Queen of Sweden did not leave any descendants.