Ulrika "Ulla" Lovisa Tessin née Sparre (23 May 1711 – 14 December 1768) was a Swedish courtier, letter writer and dilettante artist.

Life

Ulla Tessin was born 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 ...

'' marshal count Erik Sparre of Sundby and Christina (Stina) Beata Lillie. She was given private tuition in both modern and Classical language and could speak French, German and Italian.

Marriage

She was engaged in 1725 and married 27 August 1727 to Count

Carl Gustaf Tessin Count Carl Gustaf Tessin (5 September 1695 – 7 January 1770) was a Swedish Count and politician and son of architect Nicodemus Tessin the Younger and Hedvig Eleonora Stenbock. He was one of the most brilliant personages of his day, and the mo ...

. Because her fortune exceeded that of her spouse, he was by law required to grant her both the Tessin Palace as well as the Boo Manor as her dower. The marriage was childless. The Tessin's were leading members of the interest in

amateur theater Amateur theatre, also known as amateur dramatics, is theatre performed by amateur actors and singers. Amateur theatre groups may stage plays, revues, musicals, light opera, pantomime or variety shows, and do so for the social activity as well as f ...

within the Swedish aristocracy which attracted the interest for theater that lay the foundation of the first professional Swedish language theater in Bollhuset in 1737. On 1 February 1732, for example, they directed and acted in the French play '' Dom Japhlet d'Arménie'' by

Paul Scarron Paul Scarron (c. 1 July 1610 in Paris – 6 October 1660 in Paris) (a.k.a. Monsieur Scarron) was a French poet, dramatist, and novelist, born in Paris. Though his precise birth date is unknown, he was baptized on 4 July 1610. Scarron was the fi ...

, which was performed by noble amateur actors for the royal court at Bollhuset. Ulla Tessin accompanied her husband on his diplomatic posts to Vienna (1735–36),

Copenhagen Copenhagen ( or .; da, København ) is the capital and most populous city of Denmark, with a proper population of around 815.000 in the last quarter of 2022; and some 1.370,000 in the urban area; and the wider Copenhagen metropolitan ar ...

and

Paris Paris () is the Capital city, capital and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, most populous city of France, with an estimated population of 2,165,423 residents in 2019 in an area of more than 105 km² (41 sq mi), ma ...

(1739–41) and

Berlin Berlin ( , ) is the capital and List of cities in Germany by population, largest city of Germany by both area and population. Its 3.7 million inhabitants make it the European Union's List of cities in the European Union by population within ci ...

(1744). She is described as a socially and artistically gifted socialite, who was admired for her character and easily made contacts which were of use to him during his diplomatic missions. In France, for example, to where she was accompanied also by her niece Charlotta Sparre, she made a success at the royal court of Versailles and became a personal friend of queen

Marie Leszczyńska Maria Karolina Zofia Felicja Leszczyńska (; ; 23 June 1703 – 24 June 1768), also known as Marie Leczinska, was Queen of France as the wife of King Louis XV from their marriage on 4 September 1725 until her death in 1768. The daughter of Stanis ...

and princess Marie Sophie de Rohan, who offered to share her fortune with her if she settled permanently in France.

Life at court

During the mission of her spouse in Berlin in Prussia, the couple was given the assignment to escort Louisa Ulrika of Prussia, the intended bride of crown prince Frederick Adolph of Sweden, from Prussia to her wedding in Sweden. Both she and her spouse became the favorites of Louisa Ulrika during her tenure as crown princess of Sweden, and belonged to her intimate circle of friends. Ulla Tessin was made a Dame of the L’Ordre de l’Harmonie, and Carl Gustaf Tessin became the political partner of Louisa Ulrika. When Frederick Adolph and Louisa Ulrika became king and queen of Sweden in 1751, Carl Gustaf Tessin was made royal governor of the royal children and Ulla Tessin succeeded

Hedvig Elisabet Strömfelt Hedvig Elisabet Strömfelt, née ''Wrangel'' (1687 - 8 March 1751), was a Swedish courtier. She served as överhovmästarinna to two queens of Sweden, Ulrika Eleonora of Sweden and Louisa Ulrika of Prussia, and as Royal Governess to the royal child ...

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). In 1754, Carl Gustaf Tessin lost his favor with the queen and was dismissed from court. Ulla Tessin managed to distance herself from the fall of her spouse, waited for a while and then managed to resign from her office in favor of

Ulrica Catharina Stromberg Ulrica Catharina Stromberg (1710-1777) was a Swedish courtier; ''överhovmästarinna'' (Mistress of the Robes) to the queen of Sweden, Louisa Ulrika of Prussia, from 1754 to 1761. Born to count Carl Julius Lewenhaupt and Christina Gustaviana Horn a ...

without losing the queen's favor. Soon, however, she also lost the favor of the queen, who deprived her of her pension. The Tessin couple lived their remaining life in retirement at their estate

Åkerö Manor Åkerö Manor (''Åkerö slott'') is a manor house in Södermanland, Sweden. Although an estate with a history going back to the Middle Ages, the presently visible manor house complex was commissioned in 1748 (completed in 1752-1757) by Carl Gust ...

Later life

Ulla Tessin was described as intellectual and educated. Her spouse left the management of the household economy on her; he also supported her interest to study history and botany, and she collected a substantial library. In her correspondence, she expressed her frustration and anger over the passive role imposed on women when the laws and customs of society deprived her of most positions in society: "Does not men have their honor, their sword, their judge's caps, their politics, their horticulture etc? I have to admit I shrug to see something like the French Academy, assembled in full. A true usurpation, it should be composed entirely by women; but the beastly men usurp everything, is surprise me that they leave us the

spindle Spindle may refer to: Textiles and manufacturing * Spindle (textiles), a straight spike to spin fibers into yarn * Spindle (tool), a rotating axis of a machine tool Biology * Common spindle and other species of shrubs and trees in genus ''Euony ...

and the sewing needle. Well, we must adjust, until it is our turn to write laws. Then we will have the opportunity to let them see the meaning of the right of the fittest."Roger de Robelin Ett fruntimmers bibliotek från frihetstiden – Ulrika Lovisa Sparres boksamling på Åkerö år 1755

Legacy

The correspondence between Ulla Tessin and Louisa Ulrika is kept at Riksarkivet, and letters to her husband and family are kept in the archives of Ericsberg Castle,

Bergshammar Bergshammar (pronunciation ''Bärjshammar'') is a locality situated in the Nyköping Municipality, Södermanland County Södermanland County ( sv, Södermanlands län) is a county or ''län'' on the southeast coast of Sweden. In the local Sörm ...

and Börstorp.

References

* Tessin, 4. Ulrika (Ulla) Lovisa i Nordisk familjebok (andra upplagan, 1919) * Byström, Tryggve, Svenska komedien 1737–1754: en studie i Stockholmsteaterns historia, Norstedt, Stockholm, 1981 {{DEFAULTSORT:Tessin, Ulla 1711 births 1768 deaths 18th-century Swedish nobility Swedish countesses Mistresses of the Robes (Sweden) 18th-century letter writers Women letter writers Age of Liberty people 18th-century women writers