''The Queen's Tiara'' ( sv, Drottningens juvelsmycke lit. "The Queen's Jewels") is a classic

Swedish Swedish or ' may refer to: Anything from or related to Sweden, a country in Northern Europe. Or, specifically: * Swedish language, a North Germanic language spoken primarily in Sweden and Finland ** Swedish alphabet, the official alphabet used by ...

novel by

Carl Jonas Love Almquist Carl Jonas Love Ludvig Almqvist (28 November 1793 – 26 September 1866) was a Swedish author, romantic poet, romantic critic of political economy, realist, composer and social critic. Biography Carl Jonas Love Almqvist was born in Stockho ...

. It is the fourth instalment in the series of novels known as ''Törnrosens bok'' (The Book of the Thorn Rose) and was published in 1834. ''Drottningens juvelsmycke'' was the first original historical novel to be written in Sweden, and it features one of Swedish literature's most enduringly popular characters, the

intersex Intersex people are individuals born with any of several sex characteristics including chromosome patterns, gonads, or genitals that, according to the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, "do not fit typical bin ...

Tintomara.

Plot

The novel is set in 1792 and weaves the story of the beautiful but sexless

androgyne Androgyny is the possession of both masculine and feminine characteristics. Androgyny may be expressed with regard to biological sex, gender identity, or gender expression. When ''androgyny'' refers to mixed biological sex characteristics in h ...

Tintomara around the assassination of King Gustav III of Sweden, commonly nicknamed 'The Theatre King', on the stage of Stockholm's Royal Swedish Opera at a masked ball in 1792. Tintomara is employed by the

Royal Swedish Ballet The Royal Swedish Ballet is one of the oldest ballet companies in Europe. Based in Stockholm, Sweden, King Gustav III founded the ballet in 1773 as a part of his national cultural project in response to the French and Italian dominance in this fi ...

to function as the centrepiece of their lavish spectacles. Tintomara's true gender is never made clear, but Tintomara is referred to by the pronoun "She". She is described as beautiful and is often the object of passion for both men and women. Tintomara is portrayed as the secret half sibling to the underage King, Gustav IV Adolf of Sweden. Her father was

Count Adolf Fredrik Munck af Fulkila Adolf Fredrik, Count Munck (Mikkeli, Finland, 28 April 1749 – Massa, Italy, 18 July 1831), was a Swedish and Finnish noble during the Gustavian era. His family name is sometimes inaccurately given as "Munck af Fulkila" because his father usur ...

, and her mother was the actress Clara: Count Adolf Fredrik Munck af Fulkila was said to be the biological father of the king and lover of the 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 a ...

. Passing as a girl, Tintomara is involved in the notorious assassination of the King. On the same night, she steals the Queen's tiara in order to show it to her mother. Tintomara is then taken under the protection of a Baroness, who hides her on her country estate, where Tintomara passes as a boy. In the country, she becomes the love object of two women, Amanda and Adolfine, the daughters of the Baroness; and two men, the nobles Ferdinand and Clas-Henrik, who earlier courted the sisters and who are now concealing their involvement in the assassination. Tintomara is killed by Ferdinand during a performance planned as a spectacular entertainment for the court which ends in disaster. The novel's most famous line is spoken by Tintomara's dying mother, Clara: "Tintomara, two things are white - Innocence and Arsenic." She continues "You have the Innocence - I have the Arsenic".

Trivia

Tintomara is said to have been inspired by the daughter of

Giovanna Bassi Giovanna Bassi (1762–1834) was an Italian ballerina who spent the majority of her career in Sweden. She was regarded as the prima donna of the Swedish Ballet during the Gustav III of Sweden, Gustavian age. Biography Giovanna Bassi was born i ...

, Johanna Fredrika (1787–1810), who was presumed to be fathered by

. By persistent rumors, the count was said to be the true father of Gustav IV Adolf of Sweden; Bassi's daughter was said to have a strong resemblance to the King, who might have been her half-brother. Another role model and source of inspiration was reportedly the contemporary transsexual Andreas Bruce.

People

* Adolfine - daughter of the baroness * Amanda - daughter of the baroness * The ballet master - employer of Tintomara * Benjamin Cohen - money lender * Clara - mother of Tintomara * Clas Henrik - a young noble conspirator * Emmanuel - brother of Tintomara * Ferdinand - a young noble conspirator * The Baroness - protector of Tintomara and mother of Adolfine and Amanda * The Uncle - brother of the Baroness * Tintomara - the main character

Real people in the novel

* Johan Jacob Anckarström * Gustav III of Sweden * Gustav IV Adolf of Sweden – portrayed as the half-brother of Tintomara. *

Gustaf Adolf Reuterholm Baron Gustaf Adolf Reuterholm (7 July 1756 in Sjundeå, Nyland, Sweden (now Finland) – 27 December 1813 in Schleswig), was a Swedish statesman. He acted as the de facto regent of Sweden during the minor regency of Gustav IV Adolf of Sweden be ...

– attempts to seduce Tintomara *

Hedwig Elizabeth Charlotte of Holstein-Gottorp Hedwig Elisabeth Charlotte of Holstein-Gottorp ( sv, Hedvig Elisabet Charlotta; 22 March 1759 – 20 June 1818) was Queen of Sweden and Norway as the consort of King Charles XIII and II. She was also a famed diarist, memoirist and wit. She is ...

Charles XIII of Sweden Charles XIII, or Carl XIII ( sv, Karl XIII, 7 October 1748 – 5 February 1818), was King of Sweden from 1809 and King of Norway from 1814 to his death. He was the second son (and younger brother to King Gustav III) of King Adolf Frederick of S ...

– attempts to seduce Tintomara *

Magdalena Rudenschöld Countess Magdalena "Malla" or "Malin" Charlotta Rudenschöld (1 January 1766 – 5 March 1823 in Stockholm, Sweden) was a Swedish lady-in-waiting and conspirator. She was a key member of the Gustavian Armfelt Conspiracy who conspired to depose th ...

– an ally in Tintomara's attempt to escape persecution

Film adaptation

A Swedish-Danish film production entitled ''Tintomara'' was released in 1970.

References

* ''This article is based on its equivalent on Swedish Wikipedia.'' {{DEFAULTSORT:Queen's Tiara 1834 Swedish novels Androgyny in fiction Novels about intersex Fiction set in 1792 Novels set in Sweden Swedish-language novels Swedish novels adapted into films Cultural depictions of Gustav III Swedish LGBT novels