Castinian Vasa (1584-1638) – Speedy Spelling

Caterina Vasa (Nyköping, 10 November 1584 – Västerås, 13 December 1638) was a Swedish princess as well as the “adoptive mother” of Queen Cristina of Sweden.

He was the daughter of King Charles IX of Sweden, and his first wife, Anna Maria of Wittelsbach-Simmern. Mother orphaned in 1589 and was entrusted to the care of the German Euphrosina Heldina von Dieffenau. In 1592, his father remarried with Cristina of Holstein-Gottorp. It is said that he got along with the stepmother and was close to his brother -in -law, in particular his older brother, the future king Gustavo Adolfo. His father became regent in 1598 and was crowned king in 1607.

In 1611, his brother succeeded his father as King Gustavo Adolfo. Her brother found her sensible and wise, and it is said that he acted as his confidant and adviser on several occasions.

Caterina married late for a princess of her period. Although he was a great heiress, his status on the market of international real weddings was uncertain because of the political situation in Sweden after his father had conquered the throne from his nephew Sigismondo. The marriage of his parents had been an alliance with the Anti-Asburg Party in Germany, which in turn was ally with King Henry IV of France and French Huguenots, and in 1599-1600, there were plans to organize a wedding Between her and Prince Enrico, Duke of Rohan, head of the French Huguenots. Enrico married Marguerite de Béthune in 1603. After the Knäred treaty in 1613, his status became safer. With the support of his stepmother, Archbishop John Frederik, organized the marriage between Caterina and his relative Giovanni Casimiro of the Palatinato-Zwebrücken-Kleeburg. Although relatively poor, he had contacts who were considered precious for Sweden, even if Count Axel Oxenstierna opposed the wedding.

The wedding took place on 11 June 1615 in Stockholm. Caterina was, at the behest of both her parents, as well as for the law concerning the dowry of the Swedish princesses, one of the richest heirs in Sweden. Since the economic situation at that moment was tense, he remained in Sweden the first years after his marriage to protect his interests. In January 1618, he left for Germany. There, the couple received the Kleeburg Castle as a residence in northern Alsace. The following year, Giovanni Casimiro began to build a new residence, the Renaissance Palace Katharinenburg near Kleeburg. In 1620, the thirty -year war forced them to escape from Strasbourg.

He gave birth to eight children:

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In 1622 his brother the king, taking care of their safety because of the war, asked that they returned to Sweden. Caterina accepted the invitation and arrived in Sweden with her family in June 1622. In Sweden, she and Giovanni Casimiro obtained the Castle of Stegeborg and a county in the Östergötland as their fiefdom and residence and as a payment of her dowry: Caterina has been appointed Contessa di Stegeborg . Caterina and Giovanni Casimiro settled well in Stegeborg, where they maintained a real life standard ^[first] . Caterina actively committed to the management of the properties, and in 1626 she was assigned the real estate of Skenas as her personal fiefdom. Caterina was in excellent relations with her brother. During his travels, he often asked her to try to console and control her consort, Queen Maria Eleonora. Caterina was exposed to certain intrigues at court with the aim of obscuring her name in the eyes of the royal couple, but managed to avoid them. He was on good relations with Pfalz and Brandenburg dynasties, with which he corresponded, and which he considered it wise and with a good judgment.

In 1631, Caterina received the custody of her granddaughter, Princess Cristina, the heir to the throne, when the king had to go to Germany accompanied by his wife Maria Eleonora, where he participated in the thirty -year war. After the death of King Gustavo Adolfo, the couple came into conflict with the government of Queen Cristina for their position and rights on Stegeborg. When Giovanni Casimiro broke up with the Royal Council in 1633, the couple retired from the court to Stegeborg. Caterina did not show any interest in participation in state affairs. In 1636, however, the widowed queen Maria Eleonora was considered an unsuitable and private guardian of the custody of the young monarch, and Caterina was appointed official guardian and adoptive mother with the responsibility of the education of the young queen. The appointment was made on the recommendation of Count Axel Oxenstierna and, as reported, accepted the task with reluctance. This destroyed his relationship with Maria Eleonora.

Princess Caterina personally enjoyed great respect and popularity in Sweden as a member of the royal house and as a guardian of the monarch: however, this respect did not include his wife, to whom no task or position had been given to court. Giovanni Casimiro was exposed to some humiliation due to the difference in grade between them ^[first] . An example was at the opening of Parliament in 1633, when Caterina, in agreement with the will of the Royal Council, followed the Queen Cristina in the procession, while Giovanni Casimiro was given the choice to be watching the ceremony from a window or not being present .

Caterina died on 13 December 1638 in Västerås, where the royal court had fled from an outbreak of plague in Stockholm. After his death, the Royal Council appointed two tutors for the Queen: the Countess Ebba Leijonhufvud and Christina Natt Och Dag ^[2] .

The Kadarina Kyrka of Stockholm takes its name from her.

• Marie-Louise Rodén: Queen Christina (Queen Cristina) (2008) (in Swedish)