Source:
Eccentric Biography; or, Memoirs of Remarkable Female Characters, Ancient and Modern, pages 89 to 90, by anonymous author, 1803; original at The British Library
The biography:
... An accident happened in the beginning of her reign [sic], which gave her a remarkable opportunity of displaying the strength and equanimity of her mind. As she was at the chapel of the castle of Stockholm, assisting at divine service with the principal lords of her court, a poor wretch who was disordered in his mind, came to the place with a design to assassinate her. This man, who was preceptor of the college, and in the full vigour of his age, chose for the execution of his design, the moment in which the assembly was performing what in the Swedish church is called 'an act of recollection', a silent and separate act of devotion performed by each individual kneeling, and hiding the face with the hand. Taking this opportunity, he rushed through the crowd, and mounted a balustrade, within which the queen was upon her knees. The baron Brahi [sic], chief justice of Sweden, was alarmed and cried out; and the guards crossed their partisans, to prevent his coming further; but he struck them furiously on one side, leaped over the barrier, and, being then close to the queen, made a blow at her with a knife that he had concealed, without a sheath, in his sleeve. The queen avoided the blow, and pushed the captain of her guards, who instantly threw himself upon the assassin and seized him by the hair. All this happened in less than a moment of time. The man was known to be mad, and therefore nobody supposed he had any accomplices; they therefore contented themselves with locking him up, and the queen returned to her devotion, without the least emotion that could be perceived by the people, who were much more frighted than herself. ...
Above: Kristina.
Above: Per Brahe.
Notes: The man who tried to assassinate Kristina was Christoffer Presbeckius.
frighted = frightened.
No comments:
Post a Comment