Lady Jane Ruthven or Lady Jean Ruthven, (died 1668), of noble Scottish descent, was a

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 ...

at the

court A court is any person or institution, often as a government institution, with the authority to adjudicate legal disputes between parties and carry out the administration of justice in civil, criminal, and administrative matters in accordance ...

Queen Christina of Sweden Christina ( sv, Kristina, 18 December (New Style) 1626 – 19 April 1689), a member of the House of Vasa, was Queen of Sweden in her own right from 1632 until her abdication in 1654. She succeeded her father Gustavus Adolphus upon his death ...

. She served as ''

hovfröken A maid of honour is a junior attendant of a queen in Royal Household, royal households. The position was and is junior to the lady-in-waiting. The equivalent title and office has historically been used in most European royal courts. Role Traditi ...

'' (

maid of honour A maid of honour is a junior attendant of a queen in royal households. The position was and is junior to the lady-in-waiting. The equivalent title and office has historically been used in most European royal courts. Role Traditionally, a queen r ...

) to the queen. Ruthven was a daughter of the Scottish general

Patrick Ruthven, 1st Earl of Forth Patrick Ruthven, 1st Earl of Forth and 1st Earl of Brentford (c. 1573 – 2 February 1651) was a Scottish nobleman, general, and diplomat. Service to the Crown of Sweden Patrick Ruthven was a descendant of Sir William Ruthven, 1st Lord Ruth ...

, who was in Swedish service from 1609 to 1637, and Jane Henderson. She was also the maternal niece of General John Henderson. Her father and uncle were both in Swedish service, and she kept in contact with the latter after he left Sweden. She had Roman Catholic sympathies through her mother and uncle. With some exceptions, such as

Ebba Sparre Ebba Larsdotter Sparre (1629 – 19 March 1662) was a Swedish lady-in-waiting and noblewoman. She is known as the intimate friend and possible lover of Queen Christina of Sweden. Life Ebba Sparre was the daughter of statesman and marshal Lars Eri ...

, Jane Ruthven and

Louise van der Nooth Louise van der Nooth (1630s–1654) was a ''hovfröken'' (maid of honour) and favorite of Queen Christina of Sweden. She was born in the Dutch Republic as the daughter of the colonel Lamoraal van der Noot (died November 1644 in Grave) and Lucretia ...

, Queen Christina showed little interest in her female courtiers, and mentions them only to express contempt over their femininity and portray herself as more masculine than them. In 1639 she mentions her attitude toward her ladies in waiting in regard to

Beata Oxenstierna Beata Oxenstierna (1591 in Reval Castle – 16 March 1652), was a Swedish aristocrat and courtier. She served as ''överhovmästarinna'' to Christina, Queen of Sweden, from 1639 to 1647. Life Beata Oxenstierna was born to Baron Erik Gabrielsson ...

and her daughter, maid of honor Märta Ulfsparre: "The Mistress of the Robes Lady Beata Oxenstierna and her daughter arrived just now. The more of them that comes here the worse it is".Eva Österberg, ed. (1997). ''Jämmerdal & Fröjdesal. Kvinnor i stormaktstidens Sverige''. Stockholm: Atlantis AB. ; p. 321 Ruthven belonged to a small circle of female favorites. It is known that the English ambassador

Bulstrode Whitelocke Sir Bulstrode Whitelocke (6 August 1605 – 28 July 1675) was an English lawyer, writer, parliamentarian and Lord Keeper of the Great Seal of England. Early life He was the eldest son of Sir James Whitelocke and Elizabeth Bulstrode, and was ...

cultivated her company because of her influence at the Swedish court. Before July 1661, she married James Forrester, 2nd

Lord Forrester The title Lord Forrester was created in the Peerage of Scotland in 1633 for Sir George Forrester, Bt who had already been created a baronet in the Baronetage of Nova Scotia in 1625. When his only son died, Forrester was given a regrant of the ...

Corstorphine Corstorphine (Scottish Gaelic: ''Crois Thoirfinn'') ( ) is an area of the Scottish capital city of Edinburgh. Formerly a separate village and parish to the west of Edinburgh, it is now a suburb of the city, having been formally incorporate ...

References

* Eva Österberg, red (1997). Jämmerdal & Fröjdesal. Kvinnor i stormaktstidens Sverige. Stockholm: Atlantis AB.
Network North: Scottish Kin, Commercial And Covert Associations in Northern ... Steve Murdoch
* http://www.thepeerage.com/p20500.htm#i204995 {{DEFAULTSORT:Ruthven, Jane Swedish ladies-in-waiting Swedish maids of honour 17th-century Swedish people 17th-century Scottish women Scottish emigrants to Sweden Daughters of Scottish earls Forrester 1668 deaths People of the Swedish Empire Christina, Queen of Sweden Swedish royal favourites Court of Christina, Queen of Sweden