Ulrica Catharina Stromberg (1710-1777) was a Swedish courtier; ''

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) to the queen of Sweden,

Louisa Ulrika of Prussia Louisa Ulrika of Prussia ( sv, Lovisa Ulrika; german: Luise Ulrike) (24 July 1720 – 16 July 1782) was Queen of Sweden from 1751 to 1771 as the wife of King Adolf Frederick. She was queen mother during the reign of King Gustav III. Backgr ...

, from 1754 to 1761. Born to count Carl Julius Lewenhaupt and Christina Gustaviana Horn af Marienborg, she married ''

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 Claës Stromberg in 1732. The couple had one daughter. Stromberg 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) to queen

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 ...

prior to her marriage, from 1726 until 1732. In 1754, when

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 most ...

and

Ulla Tessin 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'' marshal count Erik Sparre of Sundby and Christina (Stina) Beata Li ...

lost their court offices as royal governor and mistress of the robes respectively, Claës Stromberg and Ulrica Catharina Stromberg replaced them in these offices.Riksrådet och Fättmarskalken m.m. Grefve Fredrik Axel von Fersens ..., Volym 2, Fredrik Axel von Fersen She served as mistress of the robes to queen Louisa Ulrika for seven years until 1761, when she retired in favor of Ulrika Juliana Gyllenstierna. Five years later, in 1766, Stromberg was appointed temporary mistress of the robes to the new crown princess,

Sophia Magdalena of Denmark Sophia Magdalena of Denmark ( da, Sophie Magdalene; sv, Sofia Magdalena; 3 July 1746 – 21 August 1813) was Crown Princess of Sweden by her marriage to Gustav III. She was liked by many in the Caps party, believing she was a symbol of virtue a ...

, who arrived to Sweden to marry

Gustav III of Sweden Gustav III (29 March 1792), also called ''Gustavus III'', was King of Sweden from 1771 until his assassination in 1792. He was the eldest son of Adolf Frederick of Sweden and Queen Louisa Ulrika of Prussia. Gustav was a vocal opponent of what ...

that year. This was a purely temporary position however: she was given the task to head the newly appointed Swedish court of the new crown princess upon her arrival in

Helsingborg Helsingborg (, , , ) is a city and the seat of Helsingborg Municipality, Scania (Skåne), Sweden. It is the second-largest city in Scania (after Malmö) and ninth-largest in Sweden, with a population of 113,816 (2020). Helsingborg is the cent ...

and then accompany her during her trip through Sweden to her wedding in Stockholm, after which she was replaced by the permanent mistress of the robes,

Anna Maria Hjärne Anna Maria Hjärne née ''Ehrensvärd'' (1718-1798) was a Swedish courtier, Chief Court Mistress to the queen of Sweden, Sophia Magdalena of Denmark, from 1766 to 1777. Biography Born to Johan Jacob Ehrensvärd and Anna Maria Mannerheim, she marri ...

, and her deputy

Ernestine Palmfelt Ernestine is a feminine given name. Ernest is the male counterpart of this name. Notable people with the name include: * Ernestine Anderson (1928–2016), American jazz and blues singer * Ernestine Bayer (1909–2006), American athlete * Ernestine ...

. During her short service, however, Sophia Magdalena was given such a good impression by Stromberg that she often mentioned her good qualities in conversation to others, and repeatedly expressed a wish to visit her (requests which was however denied by her mother-in-law).Gustav III:s hustru. Sofia Magdalena. Stockholm: Alb. Bonniers Boktryckeri. ISBN During the

Revolution of 1772 The Revolution of 1772 also known as The Bloodless Revolution ( sv, Revolutionen), also known as the Coup of Gustav III ( or older ''Gustav III:s statsvälvning'') was a Swedish coup d'état performed by King Gustav III of Sweden on 19 August 177 ...

, queen Sophia Magdalena confided to Anna Maria Hjärne that she was afraid that the now all powerful monarch would divorce her because she knew he did not care for her, because she had not given him a child and because she knew she was being slandered before him. King Gustav III was informed of this and confided in Axel von Fersen the Elder that he was contemplating to divorce the queen for pro-Danish plots and adultery with ''

'' Fredrik Ribbing, who was known to court her, and the Danish envoy baron Rosencrone, who forwarded letters from her to Denmark. The queen was known to enjoy the company of Ribbing, who amused her with compliments and once made her laugh by caricaturing her senior lady-in-waiting Anna Maria Hjärne, who reportedly told the king that the queen was pregnant "and the ''riksråd'' Ribbing is her favorite". The king gave Ulrica Catharina Stromberg, who was very well liked by the queen, the task to examine the statements made by Hjärne. Stromberg reported that she could not bring herself to ask the queen herself, but she did ask her ''

kammarfru A Chamber Woman (Danish: ''Kammerfrue''; German: ''Kammerfrau''; Swedish: ''Kammarfru'') was a court office in several European courts. The Chamber Woman was in charge of the wardrobe, cosmetics and other matters concerning the domestic managemen ...

'' Charlotta Hellman, from whom she was given "information that left little doubt, particularly as the clearest evidence could be extracted from the linen of the queen." Axel von Fersen the Elder however, advised against a divorce and stated that there was no other reason to suspect her of pro-Danish views than her affection for her Danish maids

Ingrid Maria Wenner Ingrid Maria Wenner, née ''Inger Marie Möller'' (1731–1793) was a Swedish (originally Danish) ''kammarfru'' of the queen consort of Sweden, Sophia Magdalena of Denmark. She was the confidant of the queen and played some part in the affair of th ...

and Hansen, and that the understandable pleasure the queen, as a neglected wife, felt for the compliments of Ribbing was not sufficient to suspect her for actual adultery. The whole affair resulted in nothing. When the royal couple consummated their marriage with the assistance of

Adolf Fredrik Munck Adolf Fredrik, Count Munck (Mikkeli, Finland, 28 April 1749 – Massa, Italy, 18 July 1831), was a Swedish and Finnish noble during the Gustavian era. His family name is sometimes inaccurately given as "Munck af Fulkila" because his father usurp ...

in 1775, the king reportedly apologized to the queen for believing Hjärne's story. Anna Maria Hjärne was replaced in her office by

Ulrika Strömfelt Ulrika Eleonora Strömfelt (1724–5 April 1780), was a politically active Swedish noble and courtier. She is known for her part in the attempted Coup d'état of queen Louisa Ulrika in 1756. Life Ulrika Strömfelt was the daughter of riksr� ...

in 1777.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Stromberg, Ulrica Catharina 1710 births 1777 deaths 18th-century Swedish people Mistresses of the Robes (Sweden) Age of Liberty people Gustavian era people