Christina of Saxony
| Christina of Saxony | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Queen consort of Denmark | |
| Tenure | 21 May 1481 – 20 February 1513 |
| Coronation |
18 May 1483 Copenhagen Cathedral |
| Queen consort of Norway | |
| Tenure | 1483 – 20 February 1513 |
| Queen consort of Sweden | |
| Tenure | 6 October 1497 – August 1501 |
| Born |
25 December 1461 Torgau, Saxony |
| Died |
8 December 1521 (aged 59) Odense, Denmark |
| Burial | St. Canute's Cathedral, Odense (from 1807) |
| Spouse | John of Denmark |
| Issue among others |
Christian II Elizabeth, Electress of Brandenburg Francis Jacob the Dacian (disputed) |
| House | Wettin |
| Father | Ernst, Elector of Saxony |
| Mother | Elisabeth of Bavaria |
| Religion | Roman Catholic |
Christina of Saxony (b. Torgau, 25 December 1461 – d. Odense, 8 December 1521), was a Saxon princess who became Queen consort of Denmark, Norway, and Sweden. She was born a granddaughter of Frederick the Gentle of Saxony, and daughter of Ernest, Elector of Saxony and Elisabeth of Bavaria. She was the grandmother of Christina of Denmark through her son Christian II.
Life
Christina was engaged to John, King of Denmark, Norway and Sweden, in 1477. The year after, she traveled from Saxony to Warnemunde, where she was met by a Danish retinue who brought her Copenhagen Castle, where she was married to John on 6 September 1478.
In 1481, she became queen of Denmark. She was however not crowned until 1483, when John had become king of Norway also. On 18 May 1483, she and John were crowned king and queen of Denmark and Norway in the Frue Kirke in Copenhagen.
During the first twenty years of her marriage, there is not much information about Christina, and she seem to have lived a life devoted to her family. She was the mother of Christian II, Franciscus, Knud and Elizabeth, who later married Joachim I Nestor, Elector of Brandenburg, and (probably) also of Jacob the Dacian. Christina is described as pious, and were said to weep every time she was unable to attend mass.
In 1497, John was elected king of Sweden. Two years later, Christina followed him to Sweden, and on 4 February 1499, they were crowned king and queen of Sweden in Uppsala. She accompanied John on his second visit to Sweden in 1500, and his third in January 1501. During the 1501 visit, John entered into his love affair with one of her ladies-in-waiting, Edel Jernskjæg, which attracted a scandal and caused a de facto termination of her marriage.
When the Dano-Swedish War (1501–1512) took place later that same year, John left Sweden for Denmark in August 1501 in the company of Edel Jernskjæg. He left Christina in charge of the garrison of the Castle of Tre Kronor in Stockholm as regent and as moral support for his followers. From September 1501 until 6 May 1502, queen Christina was besieged by the Swedish rebels. This was one of the hardest sieges known during the Kalmar Union, during which a garrison of 1000 men was reduced to 70 out of plague and starvation.
On 9 May 1502, queen Christina surrendered to the Swedish Regent Sten Sture the Elder. According to the peace settlement, was to be kept at a convent in Stockholm until she could travel back to Denmark. When she surrendered her position, she turned herself over to lady Ingeborg Tott, who met her at the castle and followed her to a convent. She was kept first at the Black Friars' Monastery of Stockholm and then at the Grey Friar's Abbey, Stockholm. However, the treaty was broken by Sten Sture: when John had a ship sent to Stockholm to collect her, the regent had her taken from Stockholm to the Vadstena Abbey in a form of captivity. In October 1503, she was finally released and escorted to the Danish border by Sten Sture, where she was met by her son Christian in Halmstad.
In 1504, she made a pilgrimage to Wilsnack and Sternberg in Brandenburg, where she also met her daughter Elizabeth. Upon her return to Denmark, she founded a convent for Poor Clares in Copenhagen. From her return to Denmark after her release onward, queen Christina lived the rest of her life separated from king John. She had her own separate court, headed by Anne Meinstrup, and resided on her dower lands at Næsbyhoved Slot and in Odense with her son Frans. Christina was interested in art and music and acted as the benefactor of musicians, writers and painters. She commissioned the famous altar piece of Claus Berg, who depicted the royal Danish family and was placed in the Odense cathedral. She was a critical Catholic, who wished for a reformation of the Catholic church, and the benefactor of the order of Saint Clare and known for her philanthropy. In 1513, she was widowed.
Christina of Saxony died on 8 December 1521, aged 59.
Issue
Christina and John had five or six children:
| Name | Birth | Death | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hans | 1479 | 1480 | died as a child |
| Ernst | 1480 | 1500 | died as a child |
| Christian II | 1 July 1481 | 25 January 1559 | King of Denmark, Norway and Sweden. Had issue. |
| Jacob | 1484 | 1566 | Disputed; Possibly identical to Jacob the Dacian |
| Elizabeth | 24 June 1485 | 10 June 1555 | Married Joachim I Nestor, Elector of Brandenburg in 1502. Had issue. |
| Francis | 15 July 1497 | 1 April 1511 |
Ancestry
References
Media related to Christina of Saxony, Queen of Denmark at Wikimedia Commons
- Åke Ohlmarks: Alla Sveriges drottningar (All the queens of Sweden)
- Herman Lindquist: Historien om alla Sveriges drottningar (History of the queens of Sweden) (Swedish)
- Dansk Kvindebiografisk Leksikon (in Danish)
- Dansk biografisk Lexikon / III. Bind. Brandt - Clavus
| Christina of Saxony Born: 25 December 1461 Died: 8 December 1521 | ||
| Royal titles | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by Dorothea of Brandenburg |
Queen consort of Denmark 1481–1513 |
Vacant Title next held by Isabella of Austria |
| Vacant Title last held by Dorothea of Brandenburg |
Queen consort of Norway 1483–1513 | |
| Vacant Title last held by Christina Abrahamsdotter |
Queen consort of Sweden 1497–1501 | |
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