Christina, Queen of Sweden by Veronica Buckley

She continued as a prominent patron of arts, sponsoring music, theatre and cultural life in Rome. During her exile from Sweden Christina travelled around Europe and set up a permanent residence in Rome.

She shocked the whole of Christendom by abdicating the Swedish throne in 1654, and by converting from Lutheranism to Catholicism later the same year. As was fitting for a daughter of the warrior-king Gustavus Adolphus, Christina was also educated in horse riding, fencing, political theory, and military strategy. She mastered several foreign languages apart from Swedish she spoke Latin, German, French, Italian, and Spanish. Christina was highly educated and interested in a wide range of topics from philosophy to alchemy. The acquisition of new books and notable artworks, 1 and the founding of scientific and cultural institutions such as the first Academy of Sweden and a Royal Academy in Turku that would become the first university in Finland, 2were a lasting legacy in the intellectual history of the Swedish Empire.

She supported the arts and sciences and invited prominent intellectuals, most notably the French philosopher René Descartes, to Stockholm.

During her reign, she attempted to make Stockholm “the Athens of the North” by developing its cultural life and scientific institutions. KEYWORDS: Christina of Sweden, Patronage, Sweden, Rome, 17 th Century, queerĬhristina reigned as Queen of Sweden from 1632 until her abdication in 1654.

Christina, Queen of Sweden by Veronica Buckley