Märta Berendes (21 January, 1639 – 18 October, 1717), was a Swedish

Baroness Baron is a rank of nobility or title of honour, often Hereditary title, hereditary, in various European countries, either current or historical. The female equivalent is baroness. Typically, the title denotes an aristocrat who ranks higher th ...

and diary writer. She served as ''

överhovmästarinna Court Mistress ( da, hofmesterinde; nl, hofmeesteres; german: Hofmeisterin; no, hoffmesterinne; sv, hovmästarinna) or Chief Court Mistress ( da, Overhofmesterinde; ('grand mistress'); ; no, overhoffmesterinne; sv, överhovmästarinna; russia ...

'' (

Mistress of the Robes The mistress of the robes was the senior lady in the Royal Household of the United Kingdom. Formerly responsible for the queen consort's/regnant's clothes and jewellery (as the name implies), the post had the responsibility for arranging the rota o ...

) at the Swedish royal court from 1693 to 1717. She is the author of a

diary A diary is a written or audiovisual record with discrete entries arranged by date reporting on what has happened over the course of a day or other period. Diaries have traditionally been handwritten but are now also often digital. A personal ...

written between 1676 and 1698, which has been published and has been the object of research.

Life

Märta Berendes was the daughter of the nobleman Johan Berendes (d. 1652) and Ingeborg Kurck (d. 1654). She inherited a fortune after her father's death. In 1656, she married her uncle's brother-in-law,

baron Baron is a rank of nobility or title of honour, often hereditary, in various European countries, either current or historical. The female equivalent is baroness. Typically, the title denotes an aristocrat who ranks higher than a lord or knig ...

Johan Sparre of Bohnerö and Walstanäs (d. 1659). She describes this marriage as happy, but her spouse was sickly, and left her a widow with two children. In 1662, she married secondly 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 ...

'' baron Gustaf Posse af Hedensund till Arnäs (1626-1676). She also described this marriage as happy, but her second spouse, like the first, was sickly, and he and four of her children all died of

smallpox Smallpox was an infectious disease caused by variola virus (often called smallpox virus) which belongs to the genus Orthopoxvirus. The last naturally occurring case was diagnosed in October 1977, and the World Health Organization (WHO) c ...

in 1675-76. After her second widowhood, she attended to the management of her fortune and estates to support her children, until she was given an office at court in 1687. She had eleven children, but only two survived her. In 1689 she lost her two adult sons, Axel Sparre and Carl Gustaf Posse, who fell in battle in military service on the continent, and in 1698 she lost her daughter Margareta in childbirth.

Court career

Märta Berendes served as ''

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 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 ...

in 1652-1654, and to the next queen,

Hedvig Eleonora of Holstein-Gottorp Hedwig Eleonora of Holstein-Gottorp (23 October 1636 – 24 November 1715) was Queen of Sweden from 1654 until 1660 as the wife of King Charles X Gustav. She served as regent during the minority of her son, King Charles XI, from 1660 until 1672, ...

, in 1654-1656, her aunt Kerstin Kurck having already held that position. In her autobiography, she commented that she did not wish to become a maid of honour as she disliked the life at court and accepted the office only to avoid offending the queen, and that she in fact seldom served, having to take leave to attend her sick mother. From 1687 until 1715, she served as Mistress of the Robes to the queen dowager Hedvig Eleonora. After the death of the queen,

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 ca ...

in 1693, the queen dowager was in effect the first lady of the Swedish court, making Berendes in effect first in rank of all female courtiers. From 1693 until her death, she had was additionally given the office of ''överhovmästarinna'' (in this case in effect that of royal governess) at the court of the princesses,

Hedvig Sophia of Sweden Hedvig Sophia Augusta of Sweden (26 June 1681 – 22 December 1708), Duchess of Holstein-Gottorp, was the eldest child of Charles XI of Sweden and Ulrike Eleonore of Denmark. She was heir presumptive to the Swedish throne until her death and the ...

and

Ulrika Eleonora 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 ...

. Berendes was described as a melancholic and passionately religious widow. She had an important position at court, being treated with familiarity by the royal family: King

Charles XII of Sweden Charles XII, sometimes Carl XII ( sv, Karl XII) or Carolus Rex (17 June 1682 – 30 November 1718 O.S.), was King of Sweden (including current Finland) from 1697 to 1718. He belonged to the House of Palatinate-Zweibrücken, a branch line of t ...

referred to her as 'Old Aunt'. In 1709, she participated in the court

camarilla A camarilla is a group of courtiers or favourites who surround a king or ruler. Usually, they do not hold any office or have any official authority at the royal court but influence their ruler behind the scenes. Consequently, they also escape havi ...

consisting of herself,

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) ...

, the queen dowager's priest Molin,

Beata Sparre Beata Sparre (1662–1724) was a Swedish courtier. She used the net of contacts her office gave her to benefit the interests of both her family, herself personally as well as individual supplicants and foreign powers in exchange for money. She i ...

and

Christina Piper Christina Piper, née ''Törne'' (1673 in Stockholm – 1752 in Krageholm Castle, Scania), was a Swedish countess, landowner and entrepreneur, married to the statesman and military count Carl Piper. During the tenure of her spouse in office, ...

who formed an alliance with

Carl Gyllenstierna Carl may refer to: *Carl, Georgia, city in USA *Carl, West Virginia, an unincorporated community *Carl (name), includes info about the name, variations of the name, and a list of people with the name *Carl², a TV series * "Carl", an episode of tel ...

and successfully evicted

Anna Catharina von Bärfelt ''Anna Catharina'' Charlotta Wilhelmina von Bärfelt (1673 – Linköping, 2 April 1738), was a Swedish courtier and an influential royal favourite of Queen Hedwig Eleonora. She was immensely unpopular and rumoured to abuse her influence and positi ...

from court.

Author

Märta Berendes wrote her autobiography or diary in the back pages of her prayer book, which recounts her life from the death of her first spouse in 1659 until the death of her daughter in 1698, when the pages of her prayer book ended. It is written in the form of a litany of sorrows, depicting her misfortune caused by the death of her husbands and children, describing life as a martyrdom possible to endure only by the help of religion. Her description of her life centers on the sorrow she felt for the illness of her mother, the illnesses and deaths of her first and second husband, and the deaths of all but two of her eleven children.Hertha, Number 5, 1918
It has been published and subject to research.

References

* https://web.archive.org/web/20131119155459/http://nordicwomensliterature.net/writer/berendes-m%C3%A4rta

* ttp://www.ub.gu.se/kvinndata/digtid/06/1918/hertha1918_8.pdf Hertha, Number 5, 1918* Eva Österberg, red (1997). ''Jämmerdal & Fröjdesal. Kvinnor i stormaktstidens Sverige.'' Stockholm: Atlantis AB. * Fabian Persson (1999). ''Servants of Fortune: The Swedish court between 1598 and 1721.'' Lund: Wallin & Dalholm.

Life

Court career

Author

References

Further reading