Kristina's letter to King Louis XIV of France, dated December 21, 1665

Source:

Mémoires concernant Christine, reine de Suède, volume 3, page 268, compiled and edited by Johan Arckenholtz, 1759

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The letter:

Au Roi, [le 21. Décembre 1665.]

Monsieur mon Frére, j'étois sur le point de vous remercier du soin que vous vous êtes donné de parler à l'Ambassadeur de Suède pour mes intérêts, lorsque j'appris l'honneur que V. M. a fait à mon Cousin le Cardinal Azzolino, par la Lettre que vous lui avez écrite de votre propre main, de laquelle je me trouve quasi autant obligée à V. M. que de toutes les autres amitiés que vous m'avez voulu témoigner; & comme il est très-digne de toutes les bontés de V. M. je prendrai toujours ma part à toutes les obligations qu'il vous plaîra de lui imposer, à condition que V. M. me fera la justice de croire le témoignage qu'il me rendra auprès de vous; que ses offices si puissans d'ailleurs auprès de moi, ne sont pas nécessaires pour soutenir l'amitié que je porte à V. M. étant fondée sur une forte sympathie & inclination qui me rend à jamais

Mon Frére &c.

English translation (my own):

To the King, December 21, 1665.

Monsieur my brother,

I was about to thank you for the care you have taken to speak to the Ambassador of Sweden for my interests when I learned of the honour that Your Majesty has done to my cousin Cardinal Azzolino by the letter that you wrote to him with your own hand, to which I feel almost as much obliged to Your Majesty as to all the other friendships that you have wanted to testify to me; and as he is very worthy of all the bounties of Your Majesty, I shall always take my part in all the obligations which you please to impose on him, on the condition that Your Majesty will do me justice to believe the testimony which he will give me with you: that his offices, so powerful besides by me, are not necessary to support the friendship which I bear for Your Majesty, being founded on a strong sympathy and inclination which makes me forever,

My brother, etc.

Above: Kristina.

Above: King Louis XIV of France.

Note: In accordance with the nobility's ideals in the early modern era, kings and queens considered themselves siblings; when talking to someone of a lower rank than their own, they would refer to that person as "my cousin", regardless of whether or not they were related.