Sigrid Eriksdotter of Sweden (15 October 1566 – 1633) was a Swedish princess, the legitimized daughter of King

Eric XIV of Sweden Erik XIV or Eric XIV (13 December 153326 February 1577) became King of Sweden following the death of his father, Gustav I, on 29 September 1560. During a 1568 rebellion against him, Erik was incarcerated by his half-brother John III. He w ...

and of his lover, later spouse and queen,

Karin Månsdotter Karin Månsdotter (in English Catherine; 6 November 1550 – 13 September 1612) was first the Mistress (lover), mistress and then the queen consort of King Erik XIV of Sweden. Early life Karin was born in Stockholm to a soldier and later pri ...

Biography

Sigrid was born in

Svartsjö Castle Svartsjö is a urban areas of Sweden, smaller locality in Ekerö Municipality, Stockholm County, southeastern Sweden. See also *Svartsjö Palace *Svartsjö County References

Populated places in Ekerö Municipality Uppland {{Stockhol ...

Färingsö Färingsö or Svartsjölandet is an island in Sweden's Lake Mälaren. It covers an area of 82.02 km2. The island is a part of Ekerö Municipality Ekerö Municipality () is a municipalities of Sweden, municipality in the Provinces of Sweden ...

, to King Eric and Karin Månsdotter before their marriage, but was from the beginning treated as if she was legitimate. She was taken care of by Johanna de Herboville, a French noble

Huguenot The Huguenots ( , ; ) are a Religious denomination, religious group of French people, French Protestants who held to the Reformed (Calvinist) tradition of Protestantism. The term, which may be derived from the name of a Swiss political leader, ...

immigrant.Sture Arnell (in Swedish): Karin Månsdotter, Wahlström & Widstrand, Stockholm 1951. ISBN Eric XIV married Karin

morganatically Morganatic marriage, sometimes called a left-handed marriage, is a marriage between people of unequal social rank, which in the context of royalty or other inherited title prevents the principal's position or privileges being passed to the spouse ...

in 1567, and officially in 1568, when she was ennobled and crowned queen under the name Katarina Magnusdotter. Sigrid was present at her mother's wedding and at her coronation, together with her brother

Gustav Gustav, Gustaf or Gustave may refer to: *Gustav (name), a male given name of Old Swedish origin Art, entertainment, and media * ''Primeval'' (film), a 2007 American horror film * ''Gustav'' (film series), a Hungarian series of animated short cart ...

. The wedding was unique; never before had the children of the couple been present at a royal wedding. The presence of the children was a way to demonstrate their new status: both of them were officially confirmed as legitimate, and Sigrid and her brother were given all the privileges of a royal princess and prince. In 1568, her father was deposed, and his family, including Sigrid was imprisoned with him. Sigrid was periodically allowed to live outside of the house arrest of her parents, in the care of Herboville and queen dowager

Catherine Stenbock Catherine Stenbock (Swedish: ''Katarina Gustavsdotter Stenbock''; 22 July 1535 – 13 December 1621) was Queen of Sweden from 1552 to 1560 as the third and last wife of King Gustav I. Early life Catherine Stenbock was born on 22 July 1535 i ...

. She was removed from her father in 1573 and taken to

Turku castle Turku Castle (, ) is a medieval structure in the city of Turku, Finland. Together with Turku Cathedral, the castle is one of the oldest buildings still in use in Finland. It is also the largest surviving medieval building in Finland. It was found ...

Finland Finland, officially the Republic of Finland, is a Nordic country in Northern Europe. It borders Sweden to the northwest, Norway to the north, and Russia to the east, with the Gulf of Bothnia to the west and the Gulf of Finland to the south, ...

with her mother. In 1575, she was separated from her brother, who was removed from her mother's custody. In 1577, her father died, and Sigrid and her mother were freed and allowed to settle in Liuksiala Manor in Finland.

Later life

Her position after the deposition of her father was somewhat unclear, but she did not have the full position of a royal princess: in the painting attributed to her, she is called : "''Fröken Sigrid Vasa, Konung Eriks äkta dotter''" (in English: "''Miss Sigrid Vasa, legitimate daughter of King Eric''") not "Princess". The title of "Miss" was only used by noblewomen until the 19th century. Nevertheless, she had a good relationship with her paternal family. She was made

lady-in-waiting A lady-in-waiting (alternatively written lady in waiting) or court lady is a female personal assistant at a Royal court, court, attending on a royal woman or a high-ranking nobility, noblewoman. Historically, in Europe, a lady-in-waiting was o ...

to her cousin Princess Anna of Sweden in 1582, and traveled with her to

Poland Poland, officially the Republic of Poland, is a country in Central Europe. It extends from the Baltic Sea in the north to the Sudetes and Carpathian Mountains in the south, bordered by Lithuania and Russia to the northeast, Belarus and Ukrai ...

, where she was present at the

coronation A coronation ceremony marks the formal investiture of a monarch with regal power using a crown. In addition to the crowning, this ceremony may include the presentation of other items of regalia, and other rituals such as the taking of special v ...

of King

Sigismund III Vasa Sigismund III Vasa (, ; 20 June 1566 – 30 April 1632 N.S.) was King of Poland and Grand Duke of Lithuania from 1587 to 1632 and, as Sigismund, King of Sweden from 1592 to 1599. He was the first Polish sovereign from the House of Vasa. Re ...

in 1587. Soon after this, she met with her brother Gustav again in Poland. No other meeting between the siblings after this is mentioned. In 1587, Sigrid was granted the fief of her mother's residence Liuksiala Manor, as well as the right to inherit it. It is unclear whether this meant that Liuksiala was now the property of Sigrid rather than Karin, but Sigrid was after this given her own income from the estate. Sigrid had a close relationship with her mother, and often visited her in Finland. It is unclear how long Sigrid remained at the court of Anna, but in 1596, she was again living in Finland, and at her wedding in 1597, she was given permission from Anna to marry, indicating that she was still formally a lady-in-waiting at that time. In 1599, Sigrid followed her spouse in exile to Riga, where he fled from Charles IX as a known loyalist of king Sigismund. She returned to Finland as a widow in 1603. After her second marriage in 1609, Sigrid lived at the Swedish court, where her husband had a position. It is confirmed that she occasionally had conflicts with Charles IX regarding financial matters, and that the king at such occasions called her a "bastard", but there is nothing to indicate that she was in any way disregarded at court.

Family

Sigrid married two Swedish noblemen. In 1597, she married Henrik Klasson

Tott The Tott family or Thott is the prominent Swedish noble family, whose members occupied many important positions in Sweden and Denmark. Notable members * Åke Henriksson Tott or Achatius Tott (1598–1640), Swedish soldier and politician * Brid ...

(died 1603). Children with Henrik Klasson Tott *

Åke Henriksson Tott Åke Henriksson Tott (or Achatius Tott; 4 June 1598 – 14 July 1640) was a Swedish nobleman, soldier and politician. His estates included Ekolsund in Sweden, Sjundby in Finland, Polchow in Swedish Pomerania and Lihula in Swedish Livonia. He w ...

(1598–1640) * Anna Henriksdotter Tott, died as a child * Erik Henriksson Tott (died 1621) On 10 September 1609, she married the county chief and royal council judge Nils

Nilsson Nilsson is a Swedish surname and the fourth most common surname in Sweden. The name is a patronymic meaning " Nils's son". Nils was a very common name, especially in 19th century Sweden. People with the surname * Anders Nilsson (disambiguation) ...

. Their wedding was held at

Tre Kronor Castle Tre Kronor ( or ) or Three Crowns Castle was a castle located in Stockholm, Sweden, on the site where Stockholm Palace is today. It is believed to have been a citadel that Birger Jarl built into a royal castle in the middle of the 13th century. ...

in Stockholm.

Notes

References

* Lars-Olof Larsson (in Swedish): ''Arvet efter Gustav Vasa'' (The Inheritance of Gustav Vasa) * Wilhelmina Stålberg (in Swedish): ''Anteckningar om svenska qvinnor'' (Notes on Swedish women) * Nordisk familjebok (1876–1926) * Sture Arnell: ''Karin Månsdotter'', Wahlström & Widstrand, Stockholm 1951. ISBN. {{DEFAULTSORT:Sigrid Of Sweden, Princess 1566 births 1633 deaths Sigrid 1568 House of Vasa Swedish ladies-in-waiting 16th-century Swedish people Royal reburials Daughters of kings People from Ekerö Municipality