Hedvig Mörner af Morlanda (1672–1753), was a Swedish courtier and countess, married to

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 rule ...

count Claes Ekeblad the Elder. She was a personal friend of

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 husband ...

, and known in contemporary Sweden for her political activity: through her connections in the political world, she was able to make successful recommendations for political offices and affect the work in the

riksdag The Riksdag (, ; also sv, riksdagen or ''Sveriges riksdag'' ) is the legislature and the supreme decision-making body of Sweden. Since 1971, the Riksdag has been a unicameral legislature with 349 members (), elected proportionally and se ...

Life

She was born to general baron Hans Georg Mörner and Beata Schulman. Prior to her marriage, she served as maid of honor to the queen of Sweden,

Ulrika Eleonora of Denmark Ulrika Eleonora of Denmark (11 September 1656 – 26 July 1693) was Queen of Sweden as the wife of King Charles XI. She is often admired for her generosity and charity. The name ''Ulrike'' is a Danish version of the name; in Swedish she is ...

, and she also became a personal friend of Princess Ulrika Eleonora, future queen. In 1692, she married

count Claes Ekeblad the Elder. Hedvig Mörner was known for being able to influence state affairs and make successful recommendations for public offices through her political connections, and a large correspondence is preserved bearing witness of how much, often and how successfully she performed services for supplicants. In contrast to what was otherwise common, she did not work merely through her spouse, but entertained a large net of powerful contacts among the government and had a personal power base which she could use. In her private life, she and her sister were known to have a great interest in gambling. In 1734, she was involved in a conflict in the

Riksdag The Riksdag (, ; also sv, riksdagen or ''Sveriges riksdag'' ) is the legislature and the supreme decision-making body of Sweden. Since 1971, the Riksdag has been a unicameral legislature with 349 members (), elected proportionally and se ...

. The opposition party of

Arvid Horn Count Arvid Bernhard Horn af Ekebyholm (6 April 166418 April 1742) was a Swedish general, diplomat and politician, a member of the noble Horn family. He served twice as President of the Privy Council Chancellery (1710–1719 and 1720–1738) ...

worked to secure the position of

field marshal Field marshal (or field-marshal, abbreviated as FM) is the most senior military rank, ordinarily senior to the general officer ranks. Usually, it is the highest rank in an army and as such few persons are appointed to it. It is considered as ...

for their sympathizer Göran Silfverhielm. They asked Mörner, being the mother-in-law of Silfverhielm and the personal friend of the queen, to convince the queen to persuade the king to recommend the suggestion to the parliament. This resulted in a conflict between the king and Arvid Horn which developed in a serious crisis. This incident is regarded typical for her political activity.

References

* Norrhem, Svante (2007). Kvinnor vid maktens sida : 1632–1772. Lund: Nordic Academic Press. Libris 10428618. * Gustaf Elgenstierna, Den introducerade svenska adelns ättartavlor. 1925–36. {{DEFAULTSORT:Morner, Hedvig 1672 births 18th-century Swedish people 1753 deaths Swedish ladies-in-waiting Swedish countesses Age of Liberty people