Ulrika Eleonora Strömfelt (1724–5 April 1780), was a politically active Swedish

noble A noble is a member of the nobility. Noble may also refer to: Places Antarctica * Noble Glacier, King George Island * Noble Nunatak, Marie Byrd Land * Noble Peak, Wiencke Island * Noble Rocks, Graham Land Australia * Noble Island, Grea ...

and courtier. She is known for her part in the attempted

Coup d'état A coup d'état (; French for 'stroke of state'), also known as a coup or overthrow, is a seizure and removal of a government and its powers. Typically, it is an illegal seizure of power by a political faction, politician, cult, rebel group, ...

of queen Louisa Ulrika in 1756.

Life

Ulrika Strömfelt was the daughter of

riksråd Riksrådet (in Norwegian and Swedish), Rigsrådet (in Danish) or (English: the Council of the Realm and the Council of the State – sometimes translated as the "Privy Council") is the name of the councils of the Scandinavian countries that ru ...

count Johan Carl Strömfelt and the ''

överhovmästarinna Court Mistress ( da, hofmesterinde; nl, hofmeesteres; german: Hofmeisterin; no, hoffmesterinne; sv, hovmästarinna) or Chief Court Mistress ( da, Overhofmesterinde; ('grand mistress'); ; no, overhoffmesterinne; sv, överhovmästarinna; russia ...

'' and royal governess Hedvig Elisabet Wrangel. In 1739, she became ''

hovfröken A maid of honour is a junior attendant of a queen in royal households. The position was and is junior to the lady-in-waiting. The equivalent title and office has historically been used in most European royal courts. Role Traditionally, a queen ...

'' (

maid of honor Bridesmaids are members of the bride's party in a Western traditional wedding ceremony. A bridesmaid is typically a young woman and often a close friend or relative. She attends to the bride on the day of a wedding or marriage ceremony. Traditi ...

) to

Ulrika Eleonora, Queen of Sweden Ulrika Eleonora or Ulrica Eleanor (23 January 1688 – 24 November 1741), known as Ulrika Eleonora the Younger, was Queen of Sweden, reigning in her own right from 5 December 1718 until her abdication on 29 February 1720 in favour of her husba ...

. In 1744, she was made maid of honor to the new crown princess,

Louisa Ulrika of Prussia Louisa Ulrika of Prussia ( sv, Lovisa Ulrika; german: Luise Ulrike) (24 July 1720 – 16 July 1782) was Queen of Sweden from 1751 to 1771 as the wife of King Adolf Frederick. She was queen mother during the reign of King Gustav III. Bac ...

. She and her sister Agneta Strömfelt belonged to the first circle of courtiers appointed to Louisa Ulrika after her arrival in Sweden together with Cathérine Charlotte De la Gardie,

Henrika Juliana von Liewen Henrika Juliana von Liewen (16 February 1709 – 26 August 1779) was a Swedish noble, socialite and lady-in-waiting, politically active on behalf of the Hats (party) during the Age of liberty. Life Henrika Juliana von Liewen was the daughter of t ...

and

Charlotta Sparre Charlotta "Lotta" Fredrika Sparre (1719 – 20 December 1795, Stockholm), commonly named Lotta Sparre, was a Swedish noble and courtier. Life Early life Lotta Sparre was the daughter of Baron Fredrik Henrik Sparre and Virginia Christina Lillie ...

. In 1748, she was promoted to the position of '' kammarfröken'' (Chief Maid of honor) after

departure from court. She was apparently well liked by Louisa Ulrika, and was often given the task to read to her from French works.

Events of 1756

In 1756, Queen Louisa Ulrika planned a

coup d'état A coup d'état (; French for 'stroke of state'), also known as a coup or overthrow, is a seizure and removal of a government and its powers. Typically, it is an illegal seizure of power by a political faction, politician, cult, rebel group, ...

to depose the parliamentary system of the Age of liberty with a restoration of an

absolute monarchy Absolute monarchy (or Absolutism as a doctrine) is a form of monarchy in which the monarch rules in their own right or power. In an absolute monarchy, the king or queen is by no means limited and has absolute power, though a limited constituti ...

. To finance the coup, Louisa Ulrika removed the

diamond Diamond is a solid form of the element carbon with its atoms arranged in a crystal structure called diamond cubic. Another solid form of carbon known as graphite is the chemically stable form of carbon at room temperature and pressure, ...

s from the queens' crown, replaced them with

crystal A crystal or crystalline solid is a solid material whose constituents (such as atoms, molecules, or ions) are arranged in a highly ordered microscopic structure, forming a crystal lattice that extends in all directions. In addition, macr ...

s, and

pawned A pawnbroker is an individual or business (pawnshop or pawn shop) that offers secured loans to people, with items of personal property used as collateral. The items having been ''pawned'' to the broker are themselves called ''pledges'' or ...

the diamonds in

Berlin Berlin is Capital of Germany, the capital and largest city of Germany, both by area and List of cities in Germany by population, by population. Its more than 3.85 million inhabitants make it the European Union's List of cities in the European U ...

in Prussia to finance her coup. Ulrika Strömfelt, however, was a supporter of the

Hats (party) The Hats ( sv, hattarna) were a Swedish political faction active during the Age of Liberty (1719–1772). Their name derives from the tricorne hat worn by officers and gentlemen. They vied for power with the opposing Caps party. The Hats, who ...

and not in favor of a restored absolute monarchy. According to unconfirmed tradition, Ulrika Strömfelt informed the Riksdag that part of the crown jewels was missing and pawned in Germany. This information led the government to demand an inventory of the crown jewels, which initiated the exposure and failure of the

Coup of 1756 The Coup of 1756 ( sv, Kuppen 1756) was an attempted coup d'état planned by Queen Louisa Ulrika of Sweden to abolish the rule of the Riksdag of the Estates and reinstate absolute monarchy in Sweden. The attempted coup was exposed and subdued ...

. A different source claims that it Ulrika Strömfelt informed the foreign office of the Riksdag of the secret correspondence between the Queen and her brother,

Frederick the Great Frederick II (german: Friedrich II.; 24 January 171217 August 1786) was King in Prussia from 1740 until 1772, and King of Prussia from 1772 until his death in 1786. His most significant accomplishments include his military successes in the S ...

. Either way, this led to the exposure of the coup. As a recognition of the act, she was awarded a pension of 2.000

riksdaler The svenska riksdaler () was the name of a Swedish coin first minted in 1604. Between 1777 and 1873, it was the currency of Sweden. The daler, like the dollar,''National Geographic''. June 2002. p. 1. ''Ask Us''. was named after the German Thale ...

in silver and the title "Ständernas dotter" (The Daughter of the Parliament) by the Riksdag. After the failed coup, she lost the confidence of the Queen, and left court. She was, however, not dismissed, but asked herself to be relieved of her position, officially because of health reasons. That a maid of honor left her position and applied for a pension from the foreign branch office of the Riksdag was unique. Her application was granted, and the pension granted her amounted to double as much as was what usually granted the widow of a

. The Queen stated that the reason Strömfelt left court was that she was a friend of Carl Gustaf Tessin and "all the notables of the Hat's Party, who, under the very eyes of the Queen, held rendez-vous at the parlor of this Chief Maid of Honor". According to Count

Axel von Fersen the Elder 250px, Fredrik Axel von Fersen Count Fredrik Axel von Fersen (5 April 171924 April 1794) was a Swedish statesman and soldier. He served as Lord Marshal of the Riksdag of the Estates, and although he worked closely with King Gustav III before and ...

, she "was now forced to leave court because of the plots of others", and he pointed out the Queens new favorite Ulrika Eleonora von Düben as responsible:Planck, Brita: Kärlekens språk: adel, kärlek och äktenskap 1750-1900 Göteborg Universitet (2014) von Düben was promoted to the post of Chief Maid of Honor after Strömfelt.

Later life

In 1756, the year she left court, Ulrika Strömfelt married the

Governor of Stockholm The Governor of Stockholm ( sv, överståthållaren) was the head of the Office of the Governor of Stockholm ( sv, Överståthållarämbetet, ÖÄ), and as such he was the highest Swedish State official overseeing the affairs in the City of Stock ...

baron Carl Sparre. The marriage is described as happy despite the constant infidelity of her spouse. In 1777, she returned to court and succeeded Anna Maria Hjärne as ''Överhovmästarinna'' (Chief lady in waiting or Mistress of the Robes) to the new Queen,

Sophia Magdalena of Denmark Sophia Magdalena of Denmark ( da, Sophie Magdalene; sv, Sofia Magdalena; 3 July 1746 – 21 August 1813) was Crown Princess of Sweden by her marriage to Gustav III. She was liked by many in the Caps party, believing she was a symbol of virtue ...

with

as her deputy, a post she retained until her death. Ulrika Strömfelt has been said to have a "peculiar position" in the diaries and memoirs of the time, because there are no negative remarks about her personality and character, and she is unanimously described as respectable, sensible and as an ideal of contemporary femininity.

Life

Events of 1756

Later life

References

Further reading