Lucretia Johansdotter Gyllenhielm (1561–1585), was the illegitimate daughter of

John III of Sweden John III ( sv , Johan III, fi, Juhana III; 20 December 1537 – 17 November 1592) was King of Sweden from 1569 until his death. He was the son of King Gustav I of Sweden and his second wife Margaret Leijonhufvud. He was also, quite autonomous ...

and Karin Hansdotter. She was reportedly the favorite of her father.

Biography

Lucretia Gyllenhielm and her siblings were

ennobled Nobility is a social class found in many societies that have an aristocracy (class), aristocracy. It is normally ranked immediately below Royal family, royalty. Nobility has often been an Estates of the realm, estate of the realm with many e ...

and granted the surname Gyllenhielm in 1577, though she and her sister often used only their patronymic. Lucretia was the favorite of her father. She was betrothed to the nobleman Karl Gustafsson Stenbock. When she died unmarried in 1585 at the age of 24, her father the king became distraught and issued an investigation if she had died as the result of

witchcraft Witchcraft traditionally means the use of magic or supernatural powers to harm others. A practitioner is a witch. In medieval and early modern Europe, where the term originated, accused witches were usually women who were believed to have us ...

. Karl Gustafsson Stenbock accused the noblewoman

Kerstin Gabrielsdotter Kerstin Gabrielsdotter, born around 1529, died around 1590, was a Swedish noblewoman who was accused of murdering Johan III 's illegitimate daughter Lucretia Gyllenhielm with the help of magic. She is possibly the only member of the nobility who ...

Ulfsax, wife of Joen Nilsson (1536-1600). She was rumored to have murdered her late spouse and of having bewitched Lucretia. Ulfsax was arrested, and after having failed to collect twelve female nobles as character witnesses, she was executed.Gyllenhjelm, Lucretia i Wilhelmina Stålberg, Anteckningar om svenska qvinnor (1864)

References

Other sources

* Ericson Wolke, Lars, Johan III: en biografi, Historiska media, Lund, 2004 * Larsson, Lars-Olof, Arvet efter Gustav Vasa: berättelsen om fyra kungar och ett rike, Prisma, Stockholm, 2005 * Gyllenhjelm, Lucretia i Wilhelmina Stålberg, Anteckningar om svenska qvinnor (1864) * Karl Ix:s rimkrönika (KB) * Palmskiöldska samlingen i Uppsala {{DEFAULTSORT:Gyllenhielm, Lucretia 1561 births 1585 deaths Illegitimate children of Swedish monarchs 16th-century Swedish nobility