Valborg Eriksdotter (1545-1580), was the royal mistress of

Magnus, Duke of Östergötland Magnus Vasa (25 July 1542 – 26 June 1595), prince of Sweden, Duke of Östergötland from 1555. Magnus was the third son of King Gustav Vasa. His mother was queen Margareta Leijonhufvud. Biography Magnus was the only of Gustav Vasa's sons, excep ...

, between 1560 and 1567. She was the only official mistress of Magnus with the exception of Anna von Haugwitz. She was the mother of the acknowledged illegitimate daughter of Magnus, Lucretia Magnusdotter (Gyllenhielm). Valborg Eriksdotter background is unconfirmed, but she is believed to be the daughter of a vicar. It is noted that she could read and write, which was not common at the time. She became the official mistress of Magnus in 1560, and followed him to

Vadstena Vadstena () is a locality and the seat of Vadstena Municipality, Östergötland County, Sweden, with 5,613 inhabitants in 2010. From 1974 to 1979 Vadstena was administered as part of Motala Municipality. Despite its small population, Vadstena is ...

when he left court to reside at

Vadstena Castle Vadstena Castle ( sv, Vadstena slott) is a former Royal Castle in Vadstena, the province of Östergötland, Sweden. History Vadstena Castle was originally built by King Gustav I in 1545 as a fortress to protect Stockholm from enemies approach ...

as duke of Ostrogothia. In 1563, Magnus became mentally ill, and his brother,

Eric XIV of Sweden Eric XIV ( sv, Erik XIV; 13 December 153326 February 1577) was King of Sweden from 1560 until he was deposed in 1569. Eric XIV was the eldest son of Gustav I (1496–1560) and Catherine of Saxe-Lauenburg (1513–1535). He was also ruler of Es ...

, gave her many gifts to make her stay with Magnus during his illness. She demanded, and was granted, an entire private floor as residence for her and her children at Vadstena Castle. She also visited the court at

Stockholm Stockholm () is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in Sweden by population, largest city of Sweden as well as the List of urban areas in the Nordic countries, largest urban area in Scandinavia. Approximately 980,000 people liv ...

, and she is believed to be the unidentified royal mistress who were mentioned as a friend of

Karin Månsdotter Karin Månsdotter (in English Catherine; 6 November 1550 – 13 September 1612) was first a mistress of King Eric XIV of Sweden and then briefly queen as his wife. Early life Karin was born in Stockholm to a soldier and later prison guard na ...

during the Sture Murders in 1567. She was still the mistress of Magnus at

Nyköping Castle Nyköping Castle (Swedish: Nyköpingshus) is a Medieval castle, located in Nyköping, from the Birger Jarl era, partly in ruins, mostly known for the Nyköping Banquet which took place here in 1317. Information plaque, Nyköpingshus Construction ...

the autumn of 1567, but by November, the relationship seem to have been terminated. Valborg Eriksdotter married by autumn 1567 a "Master Hans" who is otherwise unidentified. It is noted that she visited Magnus during late 1567, and that she, by all accounts, was regarded to have a good effect upon him. She became a widow the autumn of 1568 and was awarded several estates which provided her with a good income by king John III. She married shortly afterward with an unidentified man, believed to have been a nobleman or an officer. She died on one of her estates in 1580, likely of the plague which was present in Sweden at that year.

References

* Gadd, Pia (Swedish): ''Frillor, fruar och herrar - en okänd kvinnohistoria'' (Mistresses, wives and masters - an unknown history of women) Falun 2009 {{DEFAULTSORT:Valborg Eriksdotter Mistresses of Swedish royalty 1545 births 1580 deaths 16th-century deaths from plague (disease)