Görwel Christina Carlsdotter Gyllenstierna (1646-1708) was a

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 ...

noblewoman duellist and landowner. Görwel was the daughter of

Lieutenant Colonel Lieutenant colonel ( , ) is a rank of commissioned officers in the armies, most marine forces and some air forces of the world, above a major and below a colonel. Several police forces in the United States use the rank of lieutenant colone ...

Carl Nilsson Gyllenstierna of Fågelvik and Hässelby (1621-1650) and Sidonia Mannersköld (1620-1656). She was famous among her contemporaries for her great learning as well as for her interest and skill in sports normally reserved for males. She was referred to as "A

Minerva Minerva (; ett, Menrva) is the Roman goddess of wisdom, justice, law, victory, and the sponsor of arts, trade, and strategy. Minerva is not a patron of violence such as Mars, but of strategic war. From the second century BC onward, the Roma ...

and an

Amazon Amazon most often refers to: * Amazons, a tribe of female warriors in Greek mythology * Amazon rainforest, a rainforest covering most of the Amazon basin * Amazon River, in South America * Amazon (company), an American multinational technology c ...

in one" and was a student of not only

chemistry Chemistry is the science, scientific study of the properties and behavior of matter. It is a natural science that covers the Chemical element, elements that make up matter to the chemical compound, compounds made of atoms, molecules and ions ...

theology Theology is the systematic study of the nature of the divine and, more broadly, of religious belief. It is taught as an academic discipline, typically in universities and seminaries. It occupies itself with the unique content of analyzing the ...

natural science Natural science is one of the branches of science concerned with the description, understanding and prediction of natural phenomena, based on empirical evidence from observation and experimentation. Mechanisms such as peer review and repeatab ...

and other subjects but also active within

hunting Hunting is the human activity, human practice of seeking, pursuing, capturing, or killing wildlife or feral animals. The most common reasons for humans to hunt are to harvest food (i.e. meat) and useful animal products (fur/hide (skin), hide, ...

fencing Fencing is a group of three related combat sports. The three disciplines in modern fencing are the foil, the épée, and the sabre (also ''saber''); winning points are made through the weapon's contact with an opponent. A fourth discipline, s ...

and other "

Knight A knight is a person granted an honorary title of knighthood by a head of state (including the Pope) or representative for service to the monarch, the church or the country, especially in a military capacity. Knighthood finds origins in the Gr ...

ly practises" rather than "feminine tasks", something which attracted a lot of attention. She made herself widely known when in 1661 she challenged Lieutenant Colonel David Kohl to a

duel A duel is an arranged engagement in combat between two people, with matched weapons, in accordance with agreed-upon Code duello, rules. During the 17th and 18th centuries (and earlier), duels were mostly single combats fought with swords (the r ...

for marrying her cousin Görwel Nilsdotter Gyllenstierna against the consent of her family. Görwel Christina married Lieutenant Colonel Leonard Schulman (1644-1677) in 1670. After his death, she managed his estate Leonardsbergs gård during the minority of her son.

References

* Wilhelmina Stålberg: ''Anteckningar om svenska qvinnor'' (Notes on Swedish women) * http://www.gyllenstierna.org/pdf/attatavla.pdf * Nordisk tidskrift för bok- och biblioteksväsen / Årgång VIII. 1921 / * http://norrkopingprojekt.wordpress.com/historia/fran-forntid-och-medeltid-till-1900-tal-under-bearbetning/leonardsberg-hallristningar/ * {{DEFAULTSORT:Gyllenstierna, Gorwel 1646 births 1708 deaths 17th-century Swedish nobility 17th-century Swedish landowners Female duellists People of the Swedish Empire Swedish duellists