Maria Elisabeth Stenbock (died 1693) was a Swedish courtier, and
Mistress of the Robes
The mistress of the robes was the senior lady in the Royal Household of the United Kingdom, who would, by appointment, attend on the Queen (whether queen regnant or a queen consort). Queens dowager retained their own mistresses of the robes. In ...
to Queen
Ulrika Eleonora of Denmark
Ulrika Eleonora of Denmark (11 September 1656 – 26 July 1693) was Queen of Sweden as the wife of King Charles XI. She is often admired for her generosity and charity.
The name ''Ulrike'' is a Danish version of the name; in Swedish she is ...
from 1680 to 1693.
Life
Born to Count Fredrik Stenbock and Catharina De la Gardie, she married Count Axel Axelsson Lillie in 1665. In 1680, she was appointed to the post of senior lady-in-waiting to the new
queen of Sweden
The monarchy of Sweden is centred on the monarchical head of state of Sweden,See the Instrument of Government, Chapter 1, Article 5. by law a constitutional and hereditary monarchy with a parliamentary system.Parliamentary system: see the Ins ...
Ulrika Eleonora. She became a personal friend of the Queen and are counted as belonging to the circle of intimate friends to the Queen along with the royal chaplain confessor Johan Carlberg,
Sophia Amalia Marschalk and
Anna Maria Clodt.
There is a well-known old legend associated with her death: the legend states that while Queen
Ulrika Eleonora of Denmark
Ulrika Eleonora of Denmark (11 September 1656 – 26 July 1693) was Queen of Sweden as the wife of King Charles XI. She is often admired for her generosity and charity.
The name ''Ulrike'' is a Danish version of the name; in Swedish she is ...
lay dying at
Karlberg Palace
Karlberg Palace () is a palace by the Karlberg Canal in Solna Municipality in Sweden, adjacent to Stockholm's Vasastaden district. The palace, built in 1630,Solna: Huvudsta today houses the Military Academy Karlberg.
In the palace park are fou ...
in 1693, her favorite lady-in-waiting and Mistress of the Robes Maria Elisabeth Stenbock lay sick in
Stockholm
Stockholm (; ) is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in Sweden by population, most populous city of Sweden, as well as the List of urban areas in the Nordic countries, largest urban area in the Nordic countries. Approximately ...
. On the night the Queen had died, Maria Elisabeth Stenbock visited Karlberg and was admitted alone to the room containing the remains of the queen. The officer in charge, Captain Stormcrantz, looked into the key hole and saw Maria and the Queen speaking at the window of the room. He was so shocked by the sight that he started coughing up blood. Maria Elisabeth Stenbock, as well as the carriage she had arrived with, was gone the next moment. When the matter was investigated, it was made clear that Maria had been in bed, gravely ill that day and not left town. The King gave the order that the affair was not to be mentioned further. Whatever the explanation, it is true that Maria Elisabeth Stenbock died of her illness a couple of weeks after the Queen, and that Captain Stormcrantz also did so shortly after the event he claimed took place.
[Anders Fryxell & Otto Sjögren: Berättelser ur svenska historien / 19. Karl den elftes historia. H. 5. Karl den elfte och hans samtida av konungahuset och af högadels- och råds-partierna.]
References
* Anders Fryxell & Otto Sjögren: Berättelser ur svenska historien / 19. Karl den elftes historia. H. 5. Karl den elfte och hans samtida av konungahuset och af högadels- och råds-partierna.
{{DEFAULTSORT:Stenbock, Maria Elisabeth
1693 deaths
Mistresses of the Robes (Sweden)
People from the Swedish Empire
17th-century Swedish nobility