Source:
Christina, Queen of Sweden, pages 37 to 46, by Francis William Bain, 1890; original at the University of Connecticut Library
The account:
CHAPTER II.
IN July, 1633, the widowed queen returned to Stockholm [sic] with the body of Gustavus. It was her nature to rush into extremes, and she showed her grief for his loss to an excessive degree. She had his heart enclosed in a gold box, which she kept by her bedside, and visited every day with mourning and lamentation. Though the bigotry of the Senate and the clergy afterwards compelled her to place this box in his coffin with his body, she found other ways of commemorating his death; she instituted an Order, with a badge in the shape of a heart, on which was engraven a coffin with the letters G. A. R. S. (Gustavus Adolphus Rex Succiæ [sic]), and a Latin motto, to this effect, "In death I conquer."
New complications between her and the Regents soon ensued. As has been related, Gustavus Adolphus had left particular directions that the queen-mother was not to have any part in the education or up-bringing of her daughter. But whenever the Regents tried to approach the subject Maria Eleanora burst into such a storm of sobbing and crying, that they had to abandon the attempt. They accordingly determined to wait till the Chancellor returned from Germany. He did so in 1636, and it was then decided, though not without considerable discussion, to remove Christina from her superintendence, and entrust her to the Princess Catharine, her aunt. This may seem harsh on the part of the Regents, yet it would certainly have been a bad thing for Christina to have remained with her mother. The gloomy effect of her room, hung with black from ceiling to floor, into which no light was ever allowed to penetrate; the wax tapers always burning, and the unceasing wailings of the queen began to work seriously on Christina's spirits; not that there was now any want of affection for her; on the contrary, the death of Gustavus had changed her mother's aversion into immoderate affection. "By dint of loving me she drove me to despair", writes Christina; "she said I was the living image of my father, and would never let me out of her sight;" hardly would she let her go on with her studies, and more than this, "she began to find fault with the education I had hitherto received, and had several quarrels with the Regents on that point." Though they might have overlooked much else, the Regents felt this was going too far; and accordingly in 1636 Christina was removed from the charge of her mother. This worst and last affront brought the quarrel between Maria Eleanora and the Regents to a climax: at all times hostile to the Swedes, whom she abhorred, and especially to the Regents, whom she was perpetually bothering for money, at a time when the financial condition of the State made such appeals particularly obnoxious, she now openly broke with them and retired to Gripsholm in Sudermania in disgust. We shall see further on how her conduct was the immediate occasion of the war with Denmark. Christina returned to the house of Princess Catharine, with whom she remained till her death in 1639 [sic].
The important matter of the education of their young queen was considered by the nobles and clergy in a document drawn up in the diet of 1635. In this they recommend that, in view of the fact that she is one day to reign over them, she shall be brought up in a careful understanding of the reciprocal duties and relations between herself and her subjects; that she shall be instructed in the manners and customs of other nations, but more particularly those of Sweden; to this end great care is to be used in the selection of her tutors, who are to pay special attention to the formation of her character and morals; above all, she is to be well grounded in the articles of her faith and the Christian virtues; the art of government, and, as the groundwork thereof, history, especially that of the Bible, are to be carefully studied, as well as foreign languages, mathematics, and other branches of learning; great caution is to be used that she be not imbued by the reading of improper books, or the hearing of improper conversation, with the opposite errors of Popery or Calvinism.
Her tutors have already been described; they began her education as soon as they were appointed in 1631, with the exception of Matthiæ, who was away till 1633.
There is still preserved a little statement written by her in Latin when she was ten, and entitled "Obligatory Letter." It runs as follows: —
"We, the undersigned, promise and bind ourselves by this one bond that in future we will speak Latin with our tutors. We promised before, but did not keep our promise. Henceforth, with God's help, we will do what we promise. Next Monday, God willing, we will begin this our task. For future certainty we have written this letter with our own hand and signed it.
"CHRISTINA.
"Given at Stockholm, October 28, 1636."
The king had enjoined them to give her the education of a man. "He declared very positively he would not have them instil any feminine sentiments into me, except those of honour and virtue; in all other respects he would have me a prince, and instructed in all that a young prince ought to know: in this my inclinations marvellously seconded his designs, for I had an invincible antipathy to all that women do or say. I was utterly unable to learn their handiwork: never could any one teach me anything of it. To make up for this I learned with marvellous facility all the tongues, sciences, and exercises they would teach me. These I knew at fourteen; since which time I have learned many others without a master; certain it is I never had a master either for German, French, Italian, Spanish, or my own native Swedish. It was the same with physical exercises. I learned to dance and ride; I know besides, however, all other exercices, and can use arms well enough, though I was never taught their management. ... I was further indefatigable. I often lay without grumbling on the hard ground. I ate little, and slept less. I went often two or three days without drinking, as they would not give me water, and I had an invincible repugnance to beer or wine. My mother whipped me one day when she caught me secretly drinking the dew water in which she used to wash her face: as to eating, all was indifferent to me, except ham or pork, which I could never touch. I could endure heat and cold, walk long distances on foot, ride without getting tired; the life I led was extraordinary, but, though they did what they could to prevent it, they had to let me have my own way. I was passionately fond of study, but no less of hunting, running, or sport. I loved dogs and horses, yet all this never drew me away from my studies for a moment; the men and women who attended me were tired out. I gave them no rest, night or day; if they attempted to turn me from so wearisome a method of life, I would say, 'Away! go and sleep, I have no use for you.' Though I loved hunting, I was not cruel; I never killed an animal without feeling pity for it."
With Matthiæ, her tutor, she applied herself eagerly to her studies; she read with him Justinus, Livy, Curtius, Sallust, Terence; and combined the study of languages with a special attention to the political and moral lessons conveyed. A very rapid advance in learning was not attended in her case with any want of judgment, for which two instances may suffice. We have a quantity of letters written by her at this time in Latin. In 1639, referring to the eagerness which the various parties showed in Germany to gain possession of Brisach, left ownerless by the death of Bernard of Weimar, she writes to her uncle: —
"MOST SERENE AND ILLUSTRIOUS PRINCE, AND DEAR COUSIN, — I received from your lovingness two letters yesterday, to which I think it worth while to send an answer. I understood from ordinary letters that the Count Palatine is to take Weimar's army (an excellent plan). Mr. Treasurer wrote to me yesterday, and told me amongst other things this — in a word, that Brisach has many lovers. Kings and princes are quite mad for love of her; the King of England wants her to be set aside not for himself, but his nephews the late Frederic's sons, and to that end has handed over large sums to the officers of Weimar's army. The French king is promising them likewise mountains of gold, provided they give him Brisach, who like a bride has lured them all on to love her, so that it is doubtful which of all these rival princes will enjoy the nuptial couch. I couldn't refrain from letting your lovingness know this, to let you see how fond they all are of that city."
A strange letter from a girl of thirteen!
In another she tells him in a postscript: "Mistress Beata Oxenstiern and her daughter have just arrived, quo plures, eo pejus."
She spent six hours in the morning and six in the evening at her studies, taking holidays on Saturdays and festivals. With this application it is no wonder she made progress. From time to time two senators examined her. Before she was eighteen she could read Thucydides, Polybius (She did not read Greek at this time, though it is often stated in her biographies that she did: she learned it later, when she knew Vossius.), and Tacitus with ease in Latin. After the Chancellor returned from Germany he used to pass three or four hours every day with her, instructing her "in her duty." — "'Twas from him that I learned whatever I know of the art of government. I took extreme pleasure in listening to him; there was not a study, game, or diversion of any kind I would not gladly quit to come to him. He on his part took great pleasure in instructing me, and if I may say so, this great man had often occasion to wonder at the talents and capacity of such a child as me."
Under such conditions as these, the precocious intellect of Christina, "a tender plant in a moral hothouse", speedily developed. Gradually as the Regents began to discern her astonishing aptitude and predisposition for politics, they admitted her to a closer familiarity with State affairs. In May, 1643, Oxenstiern introduced her to the Senate with a speech; since then she attended regularly at all its meetings, and immediately showed, girl as she was, that in administrative capacity she was inferior to none of them, not even the veteran Chancellor himself; that she was moreover fully conscious of her own powers, and determined to be Queen not only in name[,] but in fact. Circumstances soon afforded her an opportunity of proving her tact and independent judgment.
These are well illustrated in two letters she wrote to her uncle the Prince Palatine, in 1641, when she was fifteen, expressing her concern for the death of Baner. In the first she says: —
"I cannot keep your lovingness in ignorance of the sad news lately arrived, that Baner is dangerously ill, and in all human probability will die .... People here don't bother much about it; they suppose they can easily get somebody else, but such men are not shaken out of one's sleeve. If Baner dies, all will go ill there. Salvius is eager for peace, but that is not what the C— has at heart."
And again, a few days afterwards, she writes that the King of Denmark has sent a ship to fetch her mother away, though the news is not quite certain; the officers of the army have written for a sum of money, which unless they get, they will take their departure; demanding in addition that the general appointed in place of Baner shall not, like him, take his own counsel, but command according to the advice of all; she hears that the French are trying to debauch the Swedish army, "a thing easy enough."
Above: Kristina.
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Above: Maria Eleonora.
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Above: Johan Kasimir.
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