Virginia Eriksdotter (1 January 1559 – 1633) was a Swedish noble. She was the recognized illegitimate daughter of King

Erik 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 ...

and his official royal mistress

Agda Persdotter Agda Persdotter (died after 1565) also known as ''Agda i Porten'' ('Agda of the Gate'), was the official royal mistress of the future King Eric XIV of Sweden during his time as a Crown Prince in 1558-61, and possibly informally in 1563-65. Life ...

Life

Virginia was born at

Kalmar Castle Kalmar Castle ( sv, Kalmar slott) is a castle in the city Kalmar in the province of Småland in Sweden. History During the twelfth century a round defensive tower was built on Kalmarsund and a harbour constructed. At the end of the thirteen ...

during her father's tenure as governor of Kalmar. In 1560, her father became King. She and her sister

Constantia Eriksdotter Constantia Eriksdotter (1560–1649) was the illegitimate daughter of Eric XIV of Sweden and Agda Persdotter. She was called "The Queen of Tiveden". Life Constantia Eriksdotter and her sister Virginia were removed from their mother's custody when ...

(1560–1649) were removed from their mother's custody when she married in 1561. This was illegal, as according to the law the mother had sole custody until the children reached the age of three. They were placed under the responsibility of

Princess Cecilia of Sweden Cecilia of Sweden (Swedish: ''Cecilia Gustavsdotter Vasa'') (16 November 1540 in Stockholm – 27 January 1627 in Brussels), was Princess of Sweden as the daughter of King Gustav I and his second wife, Margaret Leijonhufvud, and Margravine of ...

and (after her marriage in 1564)

Princess Elizabeth of Sweden Princess Elizabeth of Sweden (also known as ''Elisabet Gustavsdotter Vasa''; 5 April 1549 – 20 November 1597), was a Swedish princess, and a duchess consort of Mecklenburg-Gadebusch by marriage to Christopher, Duke of Mecklenburg-Gadebusch. She ...

or, more precisely, the head-lady-in-waiting Anna Hogenskild. The following year,

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 ...

was included in their staff, and two years later, she became their stepmother. In 1566, her father suggested that she marry

Tsarevich Ivan Ivanovich of Russia Ivan Ivanovich (Ива́н Иванович) (March 28, 1554 – November 19, 1581) was a Tsarevich (heir apparent) of Russia and the son of Ivan the Terrible, who killed him in a fit of rage. Early life Ivan was the second son of Ivan the ...

. This was at a point when her father forged an alliance between Sweden and Russia against Poland; other considerations mentioned were the handover of Queen Dowager Catherine,

Princess Sophia of Sweden Princess Sophia of Sweden, also ''Sofia Gustavsdotter Vasa'' (29 October 1547 – 17 March 1611), was a Swedish princess, daughter of King Gustav Vasa of Sweden and Margareta Leijonhufvud. She was formally Duchess consort of Saxe-Lauenburg b ...

and

as hostages to Russia. Virginia was reportedly displeased when she was informed of the plans of her future marriage and refused. Concerning her age, a marriage would in any event not have been realized for years, and her father was deposed but two years after. Despite her age, she as well as

were the object of the appeals from Martha Leijonhufvud, who asked them to appeal to the King for the mercy of Martha's spouse and sons prior to the Sture Murders, as Martha herself had been placed in house arrest. Martha suggested to Karin that she use "Miss Virginia" as messenger, if that would be the most effective method of success, but she did also appeal to Virginia personally. In 1568, her father was deposed by her uncle, John III of Sweden. On 7 May 1585, she was granted estates in

Västergötland Västergötland (), also known as West Gothland or the Latinized version Westrogothia in older literature, is one of the 25 traditional non-administrative provinces of Sweden (''landskap'' in Swedish), situated in the southwest of Sweden. Väs ...

by her uncle King John III of Sweden, and the following year she herself chose to marry the noble Håkan Knutsson Hand, governor of Kronoberg Castle. In 1589, she was granted further estates by the future King Charles IX of Sweden in his Duchy of

Södermanland Södermanland ( or ), locally Sörmland, sometimes referred to under its Latin form ''Sudermannia'' or ''Sudermania'', is a historical province or ''landskap'' on the south eastern coast of Sweden. It borders Östergötland, Närke, Västman ...

. She had seven children during her marriage.

References

Other sources

* Gustaf Elgenstierna : Den introducerade svenska adelns ättartavlor. 1925-36 * Lars-Olof Larsson : Arvet efter Gustav Vasa * Tegenborg Falkdalen, Karin, Vasadrottningen: en biografi över Katarina Stenbock 1535-1621 he Vasa Queen: A biography of Catherine Stenbock, 1535-1621 Historiska media, Lund, 2015 {{DEFAULTSORT:Eriksdotter, Virginia Swedish nobility 16th-century Swedish people Illegitimate children of Swedish monarchs 1559 births 1633 deaths Daughters of kings