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Hedvig "Hedda" Eleonora von Fersen (2 July 1753 – 8 November 1792, in
Pisa) was a 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, Gr ...
,
lady in waiting
A lady-in-waiting or court lady is a female personal assistant at a court, attending on a royal woman or a high-ranking noblewoman. Historically, in Europe, a lady-in-waiting was often a noblewoman but of lower rank than the woman to whom sh ...
to the Swedish 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 ...
. She was the daughter of
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 ...
and
Hedvig Catharina De la Gardie
Hedvig Catharina von Fersen, née De la Gardie (Stockholm, 20 May 1732–Stockholm, 24 April 1800) was a Swedish noble. She was the daughter of the General and ''riksråd'' count Magnus Julius De la Gardie and the political salonist Hedvig Ca ...
and the sister of
Count Axel von Fersen the Younger
Hans Axel von Fersen (; 4 September 175520 June 1810), known as Axel de Fersen in France, was a Swedish count, Marshal of the Realm of Sweden, a General of Horse in the Royal Swedish Army, one of the Lords of the Realm, aide-de-camp to Rochamb ...
,
Sophie Piper
Countess Eva Sophie Piper, née Eva Sophie von Fersen (30 March 1757 – 2 February 1816, Löfstad Slott), was a Swedish countess and lady in waiting. She was the daughter of count Axel von Fersen the Elder and Hedvig Catharina von Fersen and ...
and
Fabian von Fersen (1762–1818)
Count Fabian Reinhold von Fersen (7 October 1762, Stockholm – 10 March 1818, Stockholm) was a Swedish count, politician, officer and courtier. He was the son of Axel von Fersen the Elder and Hedvig Catharina De la Gardie and the brother of Cou ...
. In 1773, she married marshal Baron, later Count Thure Leonard von
Klinkowström in his second marriage, and with him had four children, among them the artist
Hedvig Amalia Charlotta Klinckowström and Count Axel Leonhard von Klinckowström, member of the
Royal Swedish Academy of War Sciences The Royal Swedish Academy of War Sciences ( sv, Kungliga Krigsvetenskapsakademien) is one of the Royal Academies in Sweden and was founded on 12 November 1796 by Gustaf Wilhelm af Tibell. The academy is an independent organization and a forum for m ...
and
la Société pour l'encouragement de l'industrie nationale.
Life
Hedvig Eleonora was given a high education by her father, and acquired a reputation as a cultivated intellectual. It was said about her that she had:
:"The most passionate mind, surpassing perhaps all other women in Sweden, along with the strongest soul".
Freemason
She is known to be one of five women to have been a member of the
Freemasons in Sweden during the 18th century: alongside
Sophie von Fersen
Countess Eva Sophie Piper, née Eva Sophie von Fersen (30 March 1757 – 2 February 1816, Löfstad Slott), was a Swedish countess and lady in waiting. She was the daughter of count Axel von Fersen the Elder and Hedvig Catharina von Fersen and ...
, Countess Ulrica Catharina Brahe and (not as surely documented but most likely)
Christina Charlotta Stjerneld
Christina Charlotta "Charlotte" Stierneld née ''Gyldenstolpe'' (1766-1825) was a Swedish courtier; governess for the royal children in 1802-1809, and '' överhovmästarinna'' (Mistress of the Robes) to the queen of Sweden, Hedvig Elisabeth Charlot ...
, she is confirmed as a member of a Freemasonic adoption lodge for women at court in 1776, when
Princess Hedvig Elisabeth Charlotte was initiated by her consort
Duke Charles as Grand Mistress of the female lodge.
Court life
In 1774, she accepted the position of lady-in-waiting to 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 ...
. She accepted the position unwillingly upon the wish of her spouse, who wanted for her to accept it for economic reasons.
She was a friend of
Princess Hedvig Elizabeth Charlotte, who described her as a truly good friend, witty and cleverly critical in the presence of friends, but also as distant to the world, indifferent to her appearance and often poorly dressed:
"Countess Klinckowström is amiable, agreeable, talented and educated, with a reliable character and a friend of her friends. She is otherwise distant to the outside world and observe its foolishness with an inner calm, especially everything which concerns the court. Her observation of events is actually quite satirical, but she is very careful and share her observations only to them whom she has given her confidence. It was with discontent she accepted the position of lady in waiting to the Queen, and only to please her consort, as it was his belief that it could be useful, as he is quite economical and could almost be called stingy. She is most certainly not very entertained by a position, which must trouble her, as she can find no pleasure in dressing herself up; in that aspect she is in fact quite careless."
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According to
Carl Fredrik Ehrensvärd, she was troubled by her court service, likely because "neither
Faro (card game)
Faro ( ), Pharaoh, Pharao, or Farobank is a late 17th-century French gambling game using cards. It is descended from Basset, and belongs to the Lansquenet and Monte Bank family of games due to the use of a banker and several players. Winnin ...
nor the conversation to be found in that company, is to be united with her sense, wit and accomplishments."
Gustav III and Hedvig Eleonora was initially friends, and she is noted to have discussed political issues with him. In 1779, she made an unsuccessful attempt to convince him to make peace with his mother, the queen dowager
Louisa Ulrika of Prussia, after a break caused by the queen dowager's support of the rumour that Gustav had hired
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 ...
to impregnate the queen and that Munck was the father of the heir. In 1782, she warned him not to be lenient with a religious sect, Collinisterna, which had caused disturbances
During the winter of 1776 at
Gripsholm Castle
Gripsholm Castle ( sv, Gripsholms slott) is a castle in Mariefred, Södermanland, Sweden. It is located by lake Mälaren in south central Sweden, in the municipality of Strängnäs, about 60 km west of Stockholm. Since Gustav Vasa, Gripsho ...
, it is mentioned how she, the King and
Jeanna von Lantingshausen
Johanna "Jeanna" von Lantingshausen, née von Stockenström, (1753–1809), was a Swedish noble and courtier. She is foremost known as the instigator of the political demonstration by the noblewomen toward Gustav III in opposition of his parliament ...
persuaded
Johan Gabriel Oxenstierna
Count Johan Gabriel Oxenstierna (19 July 1750 – 29 July 1818) is considered one of the foremost Swedish poets of the Gustavian period. A prominent courtier during the reign of King Gustav III of Sweden, he was also a politician, diplomat and ...
, Lewenhaupt and Adolf Ludvig Hamilton to join them in the prank to awake the sleeping courtiers from bed at night by surprising them in their beds. In 1782, it was noted how the Queen discovered her and her mother alone with the king in his bedroom while he was lying in bed, listening to
Monvel reading a play.
In December 1775 she received a letter from
Gustav III of Sweden asking her husband to recommend
Bellman, "also called the
Anacreon
Anacreon (; grc-gre, Ἀνακρέων ὁ Τήϊος; BC) was a Greek lyric poet, notable for his drinking songs and erotic poems. Later Greeks included him in the canonical list of Nine Lyric Poets. Anacreon wrote all of his poetry in the ...
of Sweden" as king's secretary. He wrote:
"You know that I loved poets and in particular Swedish ones. You know these gentlemen are always poor and always ask for support. You also know that their verse-craft is neither happy nor fruitful unless their purse is filled."
Bellman became secretary, for 3,000 thalers per annum, of which he gave half to the person who held the service.
Conflict with Gustav III
Eventually, she came to belong to the opponents of Gustav III. At the stormy Assembly of the Estates in 1789, were Gustav III needed the support to continue the ongoing Russo-Swedish war, the monarch came into open conflict with the nobility, which was in opposition to the war and the
Union and Security Act
The Union and Security Act ( sv, Förenings- och säkerhetsakten, fi, Yhdistys- ja vakuuskirja), alternatively Act of Union and Security, was proposed by king Gustav III of Sweden to the assembled Estates of the Realm during the Riksdag of 1789. I ...
: he used the other estates to defeat the nobility and had many representatives of the nobility placed in house arrest and imprisoned. This caused a break between Gustav III and the nobility, and it was demonstrated by a social boycott of him led by the female members of the aristocracy: the noblewomen made a political demonstration of their opinions by turning down all private invitations and socializing with him in his capacity of a private person: they demonstrated by visiting the Princesses,
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 ...
and
Sophie Albertine of Sweden
Princess Sophia Albertina of Sweden (''Sophia Maria Lovisa Fredrika Albertina''; 8 October 1753 – 17 March 1829) was the last Princess-Abbess of Quedlinburg Abbey, and as such reigned as vassal monarch of the Holy Roman Empire.
Sophia Alberti ...
, who were also known to be in opposition to Gustav III, while at the same time turning down his invitations: this was instigated by Jeanna von Lantingshausen, and Hedvig Eleonora von Fersen belonged to the women who took part in the boycott.
Gustav III took deep offence of their "
Fronde
The Fronde () was a series of civil wars in France between 1648 and 1653, occurring in the midst of the Franco-Spanish War, which had begun in 1635. King Louis XIV confronted the combined opposition of the princes, the nobility, the law cour ...
"-making and likened the noblewomen's way of political demonstration to the "hags" of the
French revolution
The French Revolution ( ) was a period of radical political and societal change in France that began with the Estates General of 1789 and ended with the formation of the French Consulate in coup of 18 Brumaire, November 1799. Many of its ...
and said himself to fear that they would storm him at the
Gustav III's Pavilion as the
Women's March on Versailles
The Women's March on Versailles, also known as the October March, the October Days or simply the March on Versailles, was one of the earliest and most significant events of the French Revolution. The march began among women in the marketplaces ...
.
[Gerd Ribbing (1959). Ensam drottning. Sofia Magdalena 1783-1813. Stockholm: Alb. Bonniers Boktryckeri page 113-114] He replied to their demonstration by writing and performing a play in which Johanna von Lantingshausen was publicly mocked. According to
Elis Schröderheim
Elis Schröderheim (26 March 1747, Stockholm – 30 August 1795), was a Swedish official, politician and a member of the Swedish Academy 1786-1795 (chair nr 12) as well as member nr 233 of the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences. He was an influentia ...
, this demonstration made Gustav III lose his former friends, and to spend more time with his male favorites such as
Georg Johan De Besche
Georg Johan De Besche (1754–1814) was a Swedish courtier, colonel, governor and a favorite of Gustav III of Sweden.
Georg Johan De Besche was the son of Johan Jacob De Besche and Anna Catharina Hilchen. He never married. He became page to Gustav ...
, in which he indulged in ill-reputed orgies with prostitutes.
The demonstration also led to a conflict with 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 ...
, in the autumn of 1790. That autumn, the King chose to remain in the summer residence of
Drottningholm Palace
The Drottningholm Palace ( sv, Drottningholms slott) is the private residence of the Swedish royal family. Drottningholm is near the capital Stockholm. Built on the island Lovön (in Ekerö Municipality of Stockholm County), it is one of Sweden ...
well in to the autumn because of the social boycott. Finally, the Queen returned to the capital without his consent, which made him accuse her of having been manipulated by the oppositional of the female courtiers to participate in the political demonstration and refusing him the company of her ladies-in-waiting by leaving: he suspected Hedvig Eleonora von Fersen to have persuaded the Queen to participate in the boycott. This is however not considered to have been true: though the Queen did oppose to the act of 1789, she is reported never to have allowed any one to speak of politics in her presence, and the reason to why she wished to leave was reportedly for health reasons, as Drottningholm was quite cold by that time of the year and she had been afflicted by an ear infection.
At his death bed in 1792, the monarch asked for Hedvig Eleonora von Fersen to meet him, as he wished to reconcile with her before he died, and asked her to make peace with him.
[Beth Hennings (in Swedish): Gustav III, Ny utg. (1990)]
She was buried in the
Old English Cemetery, Livorno.
References
* Gerd Ribbing (1958). Gustav III:s hustru. Sofia Magdalena. Stockholm: Alb. Bonniers Boktryckeri
* Gerd Ribbing (1959). Ensam drottning. Sofia Magdalena 1783-1813. Stockholm: Alb. Bonniers Boktryckeri page 113-114
{{DEFAULTSORT:Fersen
1753 births
1792 deaths
Swedish countesses
Swedish people of German descent
18th-century Swedish nobility
Swedish ladies-in-waiting
Gustavian era people
Swedish Freemasons
De la Gardie family
Court of Gustav III
Hedda