Sofia Johansdotter Gyllenhielm (1556/59 – June 1583) was a Swedish

nobleman Nobility is a social class found in many societies that have an aristocracy. It is normally appointed by and ranked immediately below royalty. Nobility has often been an estate of the realm with many exclusive functions and characteristics. T ...

, the illegitimate daughter of King

John III of Sweden John III (; 20 December 1537 – 17 November 1592) was King of Sweden from 1569 until his death. He attained the Swedish throne after a rebellion against his half-brother Erik XIV. He is mainly remembered for his attempts to close the gap bet ...

and Karin Hansdotter.

Life

She spent her early childhood with her mother in

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 ...

in the Duchy of

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, ...

. In 1562, she and her brother Julius (1559–1583), though not their younger sister, were removed from their mother's custody and kept in their father's household when he married

Catherine Jagiellon Catherine Jagiellon (; , Lithuanian: ''Kotryna Jogailaitė''; 1 November 1526 – 16 September 1583) was a princess of the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth and Queen of Sweden from 1569 as the wife of King John III. Catherine had significan ...

. When their father and stepmother were imprisoned in 1563, Gyllenhielm and her brother were given into the care of

Anna Andersdotter Anna Andersdotter (died after 1598) was a Swedish noblewoman who was married to Jöran Persson, the adviser of King Eric XIV of Sweden. Anna Andersdotter married Jöran Persson in 1561. She was described as a personal friend and companion of Ka ...

, spouse of

Jöran Persson Jöran Persson, alternatively Göran Persson (c. 1530 – September 1568), was King Eric XIV of Sweden's favorite, most trusted counsellor and head of the King's network of spies. He was widely seen as a Machiavellian figure, and as holdi ...

. Persson accepted a bribe Catherine gave him in exchange for returning the children, but he still did not do so. They were returned to their father when John deposed Eric XIV and took the throne in 1568. Gyllenhielm became a

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 aunt

Princess Elizabeth of Sweden Princess Elizabeth of Sweden (also known as ''Elisabet Gustavsdotter Vasa''; 5 April 1549 – 20 November 1597), was a Swedish princess, and a duchess consort of Mecklenburg-Gadebusch by marriage to Christopher, Duke of Mecklenburg-Gadebusch. Sh ...

in 1576. The same year, she was engaged by her father to his favourite, French immigrant Baron

Pontus De la Gardie Baron Pontus De la Gardie ( – 5 November 1585) was a French nobleman and general in the service of Denmark and Sweden. Life and career He was born Ponce d'Escouperie in Caunes-Minervois (Aude), Languedoc, a son of Jacques Escoperier and X ...

(1520–1585) as a reward for his service for her father. Sofia, her sister Lucretia Gyllenhielm (1561–1585) and their brother Julius were ennobled in 1577 and given the surname Gyllenhielm. The wedding was held at

Vadstena Vadstena () is a locality and the seat of Vadstena Municipality, Östergötland County, Sweden Sweden, formally the Kingdom of Sweden, is a Nordic countries, Nordic country located on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. It bo ...

in Östergötland on 14 January 1580. It was a grand ceremony with many guests, and during the ceremony a church

gallery Gallery or The Gallery may refer to: * Gallery (surname), a surname Arts, entertainment, and media * Art gallery ** Contemporary art gallery ** Online art gallery Music * Gallery (band), an American soft rock band of the 1970s Albums * ' ...

collapsed under the weight of the congregation, resulting in the death of one person. This was interpreted by

Catholic The Catholic Church (), also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the List of Christian denominations by number of members, largest Christian church, with 1.27 to 1.41 billion baptized Catholics Catholic Church by country, worldwid ...

s present as a divine verdict on

heretic Heresy is any belief or theory that is strongly at variance with established beliefs or customs, particularly the accepted beliefs or religious law of a religious organization. A heretic is a proponent of heresy. Heresy in Christianity, Judai ...

s. In 1581, Gyllenhielm accompanied her spouse to his command in

Swedish Estonia Estonia under Swedish rule signifies the period of time between 1561 and 1710, when present-day Estonia was under the rule of the Swedish Empire. In the wake of the breakup of the State of the Teutonic Order, the Baltic German Baltic nobility, ...

. She was constantly pregnant during her marriage and died after giving birth to her second son Jacob at

Reval Tallinn is the capital and most populous city of Estonia. Situated on a bay in north Estonia, on the shore of the Gulf of Finland of the Baltic Sea, it has a population of (as of 2025) and administratively lies in the Harju ''maakond'' (co ...

in 1583.Larsson, Lars-Olof, Arvet efter Gustav Vasa: berättelsen om fyra kungar och ett rike, Prisma, Stockholm, 2005 Sophia Gyllenhielm grave image

Issue

Pontus De la Gardie and Sofia Gyllenhielm had three children who all survived childhood: # Brita Pontusdotter De la Gardie (1581–1645) #

Baron Baron is a rank of nobility or title of honour, often Hereditary title, hereditary, in various European countries, either current or historical. The female equivalent is baroness. Typically, the title denotes an aristocrat who ranks higher than ...

Johan De la Gardie (1582–1642),

statesman A statesman or stateswoman is a politician or a leader in an organization who has had a long and respected career at the national or international level, or in a given field. Statesman or statesmen may also refer to: Newspapers United States ...

of the

Swedish Empire The Swedish Empire or the Great Power era () was the period in Swedish history spanning much of the 17th and early 18th centuries during which Sweden became a European great power that exercised territorial control over much of the Baltic regi ...

Count Count (feminine: countess) is a historical title of nobility in certain European countries, varying in relative status, generally of middling rank in the hierarchy of nobility. Pine, L. G. ''Titles: How the King Became His Majesty''. New York: ...

and

Field Marshal Field marshal (or field-marshal, abbreviated as FM) is the most senior military rank, senior to the general officer ranks. Usually, it is the highest rank in an army (in countries without the rank of Generalissimo), and as such, few persons a ...

Jacob De la Gardie Field Marshal and Count Jacob Pontusson De la Gardie (20 June 1583 – 22 August 1652) was a wikt:statesman, statesman and a soldier of the Swedish Empire, and a Marshal from 1620 onward. He was Privy Council of Sweden, Privy Councilor from ...

(1583–1652)

References

Other sources

* Ericson Wolke, Lars, Johan III: en biografi, Historiska media, Lund, 2004 * Larsson, Lars-Olof, Arvet efter Gustav Vasa: berättelsen om fyra kungar och ett rike, Prisma, Stockholm, 2005 {{DEFAULTSORT:Gyllenhielm, Sofia Johansdotter 1550s births 1583 deaths 16th-century Swedish nobility Illegitimate children of Swedish monarchs Swedish ladies-in-waiting Deaths in childbirth De la Gardie family Daughters of kings 16th-century Swedish women