Charlotte Slottsberg
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Charlotte (Gustava Charlotta) Slottsberg (29 May 1760 – 29 May 1800) was a Swedish
ballerina A ballet dancer is a person who practices the art of classical ballet. Both females and males can practice ballet. They rely on years of extensive training and proper technique to become a part of a professional ballet company. Ballet dancer ...
. She was one of the first native members of the
Royal Swedish Ballet The Royal Swedish Ballet is one of the oldest ballet companies in Europe. Based in Stockholm, Sweden, Gustav III of Sweden, King Gustav III founded the ballet in 1773 as a part of his national cultural project in response to the French and Italian ...
. She was also known as a courtesan and as the controversial mistress of the future
Charles XIII of Sweden Charles XIII or Carl XIII (; 7 October 1748 – 5 February 1818) was King of Sweden from 1809 and King of Norway from 1814 to his death. He was the second son (and younger brother to King Gustav III) of King Adolf Frederick of Sweden and Louisa ...
. She was the first native star of the Royal Swedish Ballet.Forsstrand, Carl, Sophie Hagman och hennes samtida: några anteckningar från det gustavianska Stockholm Sophie Hagman and her contemporaries. Notes from Stockholm during the Gustavian age' Wahlström & Widstrand, Stockholm, 1911


Life

Charlotte Slottsberg was born in Stockholm as the daughter and only child of the
wig A wig is a head covering made from human or animal hair, or a synthetic imitation thereof. The word is short for "periwig". Wigs may be worn to disguise baldness, to alter the wearer's appearance, or as part of certain professional uniforms. H ...
maker Andreas Slottsberg and the dancer Lovisa Charlotta Schumbardt. The home was described as poor. Her mother and maternal aunts were both active as dancers, and she was likely given her first training by them, and reportedly also performed with them during her childhood, though it is not confirmed where. Her father occasionally worked for the French theatre, where she came to know
Louis Gallodier Louis Gallodier (c. 1734 – 6 June 1803) was a French ballet dancer and choreographer who spent the majority of his career in Sweden, where he was to have a great importance for the development of the ballet in Sweden as the ballet master of ...
, and she was enrolled as a student of the French ballet during her childhood, and made her debut in a ballet at the age of eight at the
Confidencen Confidencen, or Ulriksdal Palace Theatre (), is a theatre in the park of Ulriksdal Palace in Solna, in the Swedish capital Stockholm. Built in the 1750s and restored from the late 20th century, it is the oldest Rococo theatre in Sweden. History ...
on
Ulriksdal Palace Ulriksdal Palace () is a royal palace situated on the banks of the Edsviken in the Royal National City Park in Solna Municipality, 6 km north of Stockholm. It was originally called ''Jakobsdal'' for its owner Jacob De la Gardie, who had it ...
in 1768.Gunilla Roempke (1994). Gunilla Roempke. red. Vristens makt – dansös i mätressernas tidevarv. Stockholm: Stockholm Fischer & company. In October 1771, her mother "Madame Slottsberg" and her two aunts are both registered as members of the Ballet of the French theatre.


Career in the Royal Swedish ballet

When the French Du Londel theatre was dissolved by king
Gustav III of Sweden Gustav III (29 March 1792), also called ''Gustavus III'', was King of Sweden from 1771 until his assassination in 1792. He was the eldest son of King Adolf Frederick and Queen Louisa Ulrika of Sweden. Gustav was a vocal opponent of what he s ...
after his succession to the throne in 1771, many of its ballet dancers were transferred to the newly founded Royal Swedish Ballet, as was Charlotte Slottsberg, her mother and aunts. At the foundation of the Royal Swedish Ballet and the Royal Swedish Opera, there were initially few trained native performers, particularly in the ballet, and foreign artists mainly from France and Italy were engaged to educate the first generation of Swedish ballet dancers, often consisting of the children of musicians and members of the domestic staff of the royal court: in the first ballet of 1773, Charlotte Slottsberg and Magdalena Lundblad are noted to have belonged to the minority of already trained native dancers. On 18 January 1773, she participated in the famous opera '' Thetis och Pélée'' by
Francesco Uttini Francesco Antonio Baldassare Uttini (1723, Bologna – 25 October 1795) was an Italian composer and conductor who was active mostly in Sweden. He is best remembered today as a composer of operas in both the Italian and Swedish languages and f ...
at the
inauguration In government and politics, inauguration is the process of swearing a person into office and thus making that person the incumbent. Such an inauguration commonly occurs through a formal ceremony or special event, which may also include an inau ...
performance of the
Royal Swedish Opera Royal Swedish Opera () is an opera and ballet company based in Stockholm, Sweden. Location and environment The building is located in the centre of Sweden's capital, Stockholm, in the borough of Norrmalm (borough), Norrmalm, on the eastern si ...
(as well as the Royal Swedish Ballet) in the role of Virtue opposite her personal friend Betty Olin (daughter of
Elisabeth Olin Elisabeth Olin née ''Lillström'' (December 1740 – 26 March 1828) was a Swedish opera singer and a music composer. She performed the leading female role in the inauguration performance of the Royal Swedish Opera in 1773, and is referred to ...
) as Love.
Carl Christoffer Gjörwell Carl Christoffer Gjörwell (the younger; 19 January 1766 – 14 November 1837) was a Swedish architect. He was a city architect in Stockholm, Sweden, between 1804 and 1837. Biography Gjörwell was born in Stockholm, Sweden. He was the son of ar ...
called her "as beautiful as a spring day" and noted: "Our new M.lle Slottsberg will become one of the greatest dancers in Europe, and never set foot in the theatre without the most constant applause from the Royal box." Charlotte Slottsberg arguably became the first native ballet celebrity in Sweden, during a time when the Swedish ballet was otherwise dominated by foreign dancers such as
Elisabeth Soligny Elizabeth or Elisabeth may refer to: People * Elizabeth (given name), a female given name (including people with that name) * Empress Elisabeth (disambiguation), lists various empresses named ''Elisabeth'' or ''Elizabeth'' * Princess Elizabeth (d ...
and
Giovanna Bassi Giovanna Bassi (1762–1834) was an Italian ballerina who spent the majority of her career in Sweden. She was regarded as the prima donna of the Swedish Ballet during the Gustav III of Sweden, Gustavian age. Biography Giovanna Bassi was born i ...
, and was a celebrated star of the Ballet. She was a favourite partner of the male star ballet dancer
Antoine Bournonville Antoine Bournonville (19 May 1760 – 11 January 1843) was a French ballet dancer and choreographer, active in the Royal Swedish Ballet and the Royal Danish Ballet and eventually ballet master in the latter. He is considered to have played a g ...
, was appointed premier ballerina in the 1786–87 season. Among the parts she danced was Aurora in the ''Procris och Cephal'' by Grétry with Carl Stenborg and
Lovisa Augusti Lovisa Sofia Augusti (born Ester Salomon; 1751– 25 June 1790) was a Swedish opera singer (soprano). She was regarded as one of the most noted opera singers of the Royal Swedish Opera during the Gustavian era. She was appointed ''Hovsångare'' ...
the season of 1777–78, Lucile in the
pantomime Pantomime (; informally panto) is a type of musical comedy stage production designed for family entertainment, generally combining gender-crossing actors and topical humour with a story more or less based on a well-known fairy tale, fable or ...
ballet ''La Rosiére de Salency'' by Jean Marcadet with Antoine Bournonville and Carlo Uttini (1786–87), as Bellona opposite
Giovanna Bassi Giovanna Bassi (1762–1834) was an Italian ballerina who spent the majority of her career in Sweden. She was regarded as the prima donna of the Swedish Ballet during the Gustav III of Sweden, Gustavian age. Biography Giovanna Bassi was born i ...
as Pallas in the ballet made by
Louis Gallodier Louis Gallodier (c. 1734 – 6 June 1803) was a French ballet dancer and choreographer who spent the majority of his career in Sweden, where he was to have a great importance for the development of the ballet in Sweden as the ballet master of ...
to the opera ''Gustav Adolf och Ebba Brahe'' by Gustav III (1787–88). "The undeniable girl" Slottsberg's performance in the opera ''Acis och Galathea'' by Lars Lalin after Händel the 1773–74 season was one of the few individual performances to receive unanimous admiration in that opera. On 22 September 1789 she played Elmira in ''Soliman och de tre sultaninnorna'' (Soliman and the three sultanesses) by
Joseph Martin Kraus Joseph Martin Kraus (20 June 1756 – 15 December 1792), was a German-Swedish composer in the Classical era who was born in Miltenberg am Main, Holy Roman Empire. He moved to Sweden at age 21, and died at the age of 36 in Stockholm. He has been ...
in the
Royal Dramatic Theatre The Royal Dramatic Theatre (, colloquially ''Dramaten'') is Sweden's national stage for "spoken drama", founded in 1788. Around one thousand shows are put on annually on the theatre's five running stages. The theatre has been at its present lo ...
in Bollhuset.


Courtesan

Charlotte Slottberg was widely regarded as a high class
courtesan A courtesan is a prostitute with a courtly, wealthy, or upper-class clientele. Historically, the term referred to a courtier, a person who attended the court of a monarch or other powerful person. History In European feudal society, the co ...
in parallel to her career in the ballet, and she is known to have several rich lovers from whom she benefited financially. Her mother and her two maternal aunts were reportedly also prostitutes. Already in 1774, at the age of fourteen, she was reported to be the mistress of "the nasty old" Austrian ambassador count Joseph Clemens von Kaunitz-Rietberg, and she reportedly made her debut as prostitute to help her father out of a debt. Among her other known lovers were the statesmen count Fredrik Sparre and Carl Wilhelm Seele and several other men from the aristocracy and political and diplomatic world. From 1777, she is known to have been the mistress of Prince Charles, Duke of Södermanland, brother to king Gustav III, who became the most known of all her lovers. Their affair continued on an on-an-off basis for about twenty years, was regarded a scandal and attracted much negative publicity to Duke Charles. Unlike her colleague in the Ballet, Sophie Hagman, who was the mistress of Charles' brother Prince Frederick, Charlotte Slottberg was never allowed to attend the royal court or have any position of an official mistress because of her reputation as a courtesan, and her affair with Charles was in contrast to that of Hagman and Prince Frederick never publicly acknowledged in any way. Their relationship was never exclusive in either part. In parallel to her, Duke Charles had a string of other lovers simultaneously - his affairs to Charlotte Eckerman and
Françoise-Éléonore Villain Françoise-Éléonore Villain (1761 in Liège Liège ( ; ; ; ; ) is a City status in Belgium, city and Municipalities in Belgium, municipality of Wallonia, and the capital of the Liège Province, province of Liège, Belgium. The city is situ ...
, among others, all took place when Slottsberg was his mistress. Charlotte Slottsberg herself also had several acknowledged lovers in parallel to Charles. Nevertheless, Slottsberg was referred to as the "Favourite Sultaness" of his "harem" and as someone he always returned to in the end, and
Johan Magnus af Nordin Johan may refer to: * Johan (given name) * ''Johan'' (1921 film), a Swedish film directed by Mauritz Stiller * Johan (2005 film), a Dutch romantic comedy film * Johan (band), a Dutch pop-group ** ''Johan'' (album), a 1996 album by the group * Joh ...
referred to her as "the Concubiness, the deputy duchess and regentess etc". Charlotte Slottsberg is attributed influence over Duke Charles, and her purported influence exposed her to hostility. She is said to have given him an interest in culture, inspired him to attempt to write plays, and encouraged him to share her interest in
champagne Champagne (; ) is a sparkling wine originated and produced in the Champagne wine region of France under the rules of the appellation, which demand specific vineyard practices, sourcing of grapes exclusively from designated places within it, spe ...
, and cheered him up when he was depressed. In 1790, she was rumoured to have been given an allowance from king
Gustav III of Sweden Gustav III (29 March 1792), also called ''Gustavus III'', was King of Sweden from 1771 until his assassination in 1792. He was the eldest son of King Adolf Frederick and Queen Louisa Ulrika of Sweden. Gustav was a vocal opponent of what he s ...
in exchange for influencing his brother Charles to his advantage,Hedvig Elisabet Charlotta, Hedvig Elisabeth Charlottas dagbok. 3, 1789-1792, Norstedt, Stockholm, 1907 which was commented to in a letter by Charles' sister, princess
Sophia Albertina of Sweden Sophia most commonly refers to: * Sophia (wisdom), a central idea in Hellenistic philosophy and religion * Sophia (Gnosticism), a feminine figure in Gnosticism * Sophia (given name), including a list of people and fictional characters named Sophia ...
on 13 April 1790: "He is truly so blinded and enchanted by that nasty Slottsberg, who makes him do all these stupid things and controls him: she is herself bought by the king, who provides her with a pension and inform her of everything, which he wants the duke to do." The dislike of the alleged influence of Slottsberg became more intense during Charles' reign as regent during the minority of his nephew king
Gustav IV Adolf of Sweden Gustav IV Adolf or Gustav IV Adolph (1 November 1778 – 7 February 1837) was List of Swedish monarchs, King of Sweden from 1792 until he Coup of 1809, was deposed in a coup in 1809. He was also the last Swedish monarch to be the ruler of Fin ...
in 1792–96. It is not known if she ever met the de facto regent
Gustaf Adolf Reuterholm Baron Gustaf Adolf Reuterholm (7 July 1756 in Sjundeå, Nyland, Sweden (now Finland) – 27 December 1813 in Schleswig), was a Swedish statesman. He acted as the de facto regent of Sweden during the minor regency of Gustav IV Adolf of Sweden ...
or had any real influence, but she was often mentioned in the political debate. When silk and coffee was (temporarily) banned in an extremely disliked
sumptuary law Sumptuary laws (from Latin ) are laws that regulate consumption. '' Black's Law Dictionary'' defines them as "Laws made for the purpose of restraining luxury or extravagance, particularly against inordinate expenditures for apparel, food, furnitu ...
by the regency government, the public opinion pointed to the disregard for this law among the upper classes and "In Stockholm it was loudly said, that as long as the
mamsell (from the French ) was a historical Swedish honorific used for unmarried middle class women from about the mid 18th-century until 1866. The title was primarily used for women in the burgher and the clergy classes. The word was replaced after the ...
's Slottsberg and Löf (the mistresses of the duke) wore silk and all kinds of finery, such things should not be banned." During the pillorying of
Magdalena Rudenschöld Countess Magdalena Charlotta Rudenschöld (1 January 1766 – 5 March 1823 in Stockholm, Sweden) was a Swedish lady-in-waiting and conspirator. She was a key member of the Gustavian Armfelt Conspiracy who conspired to depose the regency governme ...
, who had been judged guilty of conspiracy against the regency government of Charles, the crowd was reportedly saying that Charlotte Slottsberg should have been standing on the platform instead of Rudenschöld, and an incident followed in which her carriage was attacked.Hedvig Elisabet Charlotta, Hedvig Elisabeth Charlottas dagbok. 4, 1793-1794, Norstedt, Stockholm, 1920 Duke Charles gave Slottsberg the honorary title ''Överfataburshustru'' - the title ''Fataburshustru'' was the title for the Mistress of the Royal Linen and Textiles and a non-aristocratic court office, but Slottsberg was called "Chief Fataburshustru" ('Överfataburshustru') and in practice had nothing to with the actual office. In 1795, Duke Charles further more allowed Charlotte Slottsberg to use a carriage of a design normally reserved for noblewomen introduced at the royal court - a carriage with seven glass windows - manned by guards in the livery of the Duke.Hedvig Elisabet Charlotta, Hedvig Elisabeth Charlottas dagbok. 5, 1795-1796, Norstedt, Stockholm, 1923 This created a scandal and widespread dislike at court, voiced by the duchess, which caused the regent Duke Charles to see a need to make his relationship with Slottsberg less visible, he stopped allowing her to use this type of a carriage and drivers with his ducal livery. In 1797, the relationship between Slottsberg and Duke Charles was finally terminated.


Private life

Through her connections, she acquired a substantial fortune. Charlotte Slottsberg lived in an apartment furnished in great luxury in Stockholm. She also had a country estate in Järva near
Ulriksdal Palace Ulriksdal Palace () is a royal palace situated on the banks of the Edsviken in the Royal National City Park in Solna Municipality, 6 km north of Stockholm. It was originally called ''Jakobsdal'' for its owner Jacob De la Gardie, who had it ...
. Slottberg was described as a confident woman but also as vulgar, rude and provocative. On one occasion, she attracted attention by racing through the streets of the capital in an expensive carriage after black horses. Privately, Slottsberg was in love with the cavalry rider Adolf Fredrik Heitmüller, who reportedly pawned the jewelry given to her by Duke Charles. In 1799, she married captain Adolph Granholm, a former marine officer: he was the same age as she and described as good looking but "stupid as an ox." She died in Stockholm in a heart attack after a miscarriage.Hedvig Elisabet Charlotta, Hedvig Elisabeth Charlottas dagbok. 9, 1800-1806, Norstedt, Stockholm, 1936 After her death, her former lover Duke Charles confiscated her fortune despite the protests of her widower and her surviving mother, claiming that she had debts to him which amounted to the value of her entire estate. This was considered a scandal and "not very royal" of him. Charlotte Slottsberg was given a grand funeral.


Letter of Charlotte Slottsberg

In one of her letters to count Sparre, she inform him that she had noticed that a letter from the duke had been taken from her room. The letter, which is partially misspelled, is a part of the Sparre collection and quite well known:
''Noble Sire. When I am so bold as to write a few lines to your Excellency, I would most humbly ask Y. Ex. not to take offence if I remind you of the letter which Y. Ex. took from the pot in my bed room and which I did not with consent allow Y. Ex to take with him and it is now the second time I write to Y. Ex. about this without having it been given back to me and I did not expect such a noble gentlemen to behave this way. I must receive it before tonight if not the highly distinguished gentleman who will come to me then and who left the letter with me will know that it has left my rooms, but I will have to be as bold to say, that if it is not back by then, I will say that your Excellency have taken the letter with him and that is something you do not wish for anything, and except the agony I have now suffered for the sake of Y. Ex, everything will be forgotten if I have the letter returned and Y.Ex. can be assured of as much favouritism as before. The letter must be with me at nine o'clock this evening. Your Excellency's most humble servant Ch. Slottsberg.''


References


Sources

* Österberg, Carin, Lewenhaupt, Inga & Wahlberg, Anna Greta, Svenska kvinnor: föregångare nyskapare, Signum, Lund, 1990 * Kjellberg, Bertil, Beijer, Agne & Andersson, Ingvar (red.), Gustavianskt: 771-1810 Wahlström & Widstrand, Stockholm, 1945 * * Kungliga teaterns repertoar 1773-1973 Repertoire of the Royal Theatre 1773-1973' 1974





* "Svenska män och kvinnor, bok nr 7", Torsten Dahl, 1954, * Löfgren, Lars, Svensk teater, Natur och kultur, Stockholm, 2003 * Klas Ralf, Prisma, Operan 200 år. Jubelboken Opera 200 Year Jubilee Book' * Oscar Levertin: Teater och drama under Gustaf III, Albert Bonniers förlag, Stockholm, Fjärde Upplagan (1920). Teater och drama under Gustaf III'(in Swedish) * Grimberg, Carl Gustaf,
Svenska folkets underbara öden
', Stockholm : Norstedt, 1916


Further reading

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Slottsberg, Charlotte 1760 births 1800 deaths Mistresses of Charles XIII Swedish ballerinas 18th-century Swedish ballet dancers Swedish courtesans Royal Swedish Ballet dancers Gustavian era people Deaths in childbirth Entertainers from Stockholm