Swedish royal mistress. She was a countess in the nobility of Sweden who became an Imperial Countess under the noble name of von Hessenstein thanks to her affair with King Frederick of Sweden, her children by him and his links to the Empire through his inheritance in Hesse (Germany). She was the only official royal mistress in the history of Sweden, having begun to be courted by the king as early as 1730, and bore him a daughter three years later. Frederick arranged a great residence for her in a palace very near his own residence in Stockholm and showered her with luxurious gifts. By the time their fourth child was born, also a daughter in 1744, her elevation within European imperial nobility was complete. Frederick's childless wife Queen Ulrica Eleanor had died three years earlier after tolerating his affair and only once, for religious reasons, lodging a public complaint with the Church of Sweden. Frederick would probably have married his mistress after the his queen's death, and thus elevated their children to royalty and eligibility, but she died before that could come about. Coached by her relatives to influence the king in some of his appointments, she had been called the "Aggravation of the Realm" and attempts had been made to get her to leave Sweden. Most accounts describe her relationship with the king as forced upon her for the sake of gain by her family (which succeeded for them), and miserably unhappy, cheered up only by her children.
Swedish royal mistress. She was a countess in the nobility of Sweden who became an Imperial Countess under the noble name of von Hessenstein thanks to her affair with King Frederick of Sweden, her children by him and his links to the Empire through his inheritance in Hesse (Germany). She was the only official royal mistress in the history of Sweden, having begun to be courted by the king as early as 1730, and bore him a daughter three years later. Frederick arranged a great residence for her in a palace very near his own residence in Stockholm and showered her with luxurious gifts. By the time their fourth child was born, also a daughter in 1744, her elevation within European imperial nobility was complete. Frederick's childless wife Queen Ulrica Eleanor had died three years earlier after tolerating his affair and only once, for religious reasons, lodging a public complaint with the Church of Sweden. Frederick would probably have married his mistress after the his queen's death, and thus elevated their children to royalty and eligibility, but she died before that could come about. Coached by her relatives to influence the king in some of his appointments, she had been called the "Aggravation of the Realm" and attempts had been made to get her to leave Sweden. Most accounts describe her relationship with the king as forced upon her for the sake of gain by her family (which succeeded for them), and miserably unhappy, cheered up only by her children.
Bio by: Count Demitz
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