Beata Elisabet von Königsmarck (1637–1723), was a Swedish countess and landowner. She was the daughter of

Hans Christoff von Königsmarck Count Hans Christoff von Königsmarck, of Tjust (12 December 1605 – 8 March 1663) was a German soldier who commanded Sweden's legendary flying column, a force which played a key role in the Swedish military strategy in the Thirty Years' War ...

and Barbara von Leist: through her brother, she was thereby the paternal aunt of Carl Johan von Königsmarck, Amalia von Königsmarck,

Aurora von Königsmarck An aurora ( aurorae or auroras), also commonly known as the northern lights (aurora borealis) or southern lights (aurora australis), is a natural light display in Earth's sky, predominantly observed in high-latitude regions (around the Arc ...

and

Philip Christoph von Königsmarck Count Philip Christoph von Königsmarck (4 March 1665 – 2 July 1694), also spelled Philipp, was a Swedes, Swedish count and soldier. He was allegedly the lover of Sophia Dorothea of Celle, Sophia Dorothea, Princess of Celle, the wife of Duke Ge ...

. In 1655, she married count Pontus Fredrik De la Gardie (1630-1692), younger brother of

Magnus Gabriel De la Gardie Count Magnus Gabriel De la Gardie (15 October 1622 – 26 April 1686) was a Swedish Empire, Swedish statesman and military man. He became a member of the Privy Council of Sweden, Swedish Privy Council in 1647 and came to be the holder of three ...

, and became the mother of

Johanna Eleonora De la Gardie Johanna Eleonora Stenbock (née De la Gardie) (1661 in Hamburg – 1708 in Stockholm), was a Swedish writer, poet, lady-in-waiting and noblewoman. Biography Johanna was a daughter of Pontus Fredrik De la Gardie and Beata Elisabet von Königsm ...

and

Ebba Maria De la Gardie Ebba Maria De la Gardie (1657–1697) was a Swedish poet and singer. She was the daughter of count Pontus Fredrik De la Gardie and Beata Elisabet von Königsmarck, the sister of Johanna Eleonora De la Gardie and the cousin of Amalia Wilhelmina ...

. Beata Elisabet von Königsmarck belonged to the elite of the Swedish aristocracy, often attended court, and had a wide net of powerful contacts. She used these contacts for political purposes, and was commissioned as an agent by France through its ambassador in Sweden, D'Avaux. Between 1697 and 1699, there was a Danish policy to create an alliance with Sweden through a double wedding between

Charles XII of Sweden Charles XII, sometimes Carl XII () or Carolus Rex (17 June 1682 – 30 November 1718 Old Style and New Style dates, O.S.), was King of Sweden from 1697 to 1718. He belonged to the House of Palatinate-Zweibrücken, a branch line of the House of ...

and

Princess Sophia Hedwig of Denmark Princess Sophia Hedwig of Denmark and Norway (28 August 1677 – 13 March 1735) was a Danish princess, the daughter of King Christian V and his queen-consort, Charlotte Amalie of Hesse-Kassel. Biography Sophia Hedwig became the object of ...

, and Prince Charles of Denmark and Hedvig Sophia of Sweden (after the marriage of Hedvig Sophia in 1698, she was replaced by

Ulrika Eleonora of Sweden Ulrika Eleonora or Ulrica Eleanor (23 January 1688 – 24 November 1741), also known as Ulrika Eleonora the Younger, was Queen of Sweden from 5 December 1718 until her abdication on 29 February 1720 in favour of Frederick, her husband. Upon h ...

).Norrhem, Svante (2007). Kvinnor vid maktens sida : 1632-1772. Lund: Nordic Academic Press. Libris 10428618. The plan was supported by France, who also wished for an alliance between Sweden and Denmark. Beata Elisabet von Königsmarck was commissioned by the Danish Jens Juel (diplomat) to use her net of contacts at court to create support for the marriage alliances with the Swedish royal court and monarch. Ultimately, however, the plan failed. Both Denmark and France described her as among their most valued agents in service of the Dano-France policy of a Danish-Swedish alliance. A proposed reason for her pro-Danish policy has been suggested to be the fact that several of her estates was situated in

Scania Scania ( ), also known by its native name of Skåne (), is the southernmost of the historical provinces of Sweden, provinces () of Sweden. Located in the south tip of the geographical region of Götaland, the province is roughly conterminous w ...

, and that she wished to protect her interests, as her Scanian estates had been sacked during the

Scanian War The Scanian War (; ; ; ) was a part of the Northern Wars involving the union of Denmark–Norway, Electorate of Brandenburg, Brandenburg and Swedish Empire, Sweden. It was fought from 1675 to 1679 mainly on Scanian soil, in the former Danish ...

in 1675-79. Beata Elisabet von Königsmarck belonged to a very wealthy family and brought a fortune of her own in to her marriage. Despite the fact that she was, as a married woman, legally a minor and under the guardianship of her husband, she still managed her own fortune by herself as her separate property, without any interference of her spouse. The marriage was unhappy, and reportedly, her husband was forced to rely on his rich sister,

Maria Sofia De la Gardie Maria Sofia De la Gardie (1627 – 22 August 1694) was a Swedish countess, courtier, banker and entrepreneur. She is most known for her industrial enterprises, and she has been referred to as the first female grand entrepreneur of her country. S ...

, to be able to finance his drinking habits and interest in prostitutes, as his wife refused to do so. During the

Reduction (Sweden) In the Great Reduction of 1680, by which the ancient landed nobility lost its power base, the Swedish Crown confiscated lands earlier granted to the nobility. ''Reductions'' () in Sweden and its dominions were the return to the crown of fiefs t ...

of 1680, her husband's fortune was confiscated by the crown, and he resided in his own estate, while she resided on hers. In 1661, her husband bought Skarhult Castle with her money. As she was legally a minor, being a married woman, she was not listed as its owner until after she was widowed (and thereby no longer a minor) in 1692. In reality, however, she managed the estate from the beginning until her death, as well as the estate Marsvinsholm Castle, without any interference from him.

References

;Notes ;Sources * Norrhem, Svante (2007). Kvinnor vid maktens sida : 1632-1772. Lund: Nordic Academic Press. Libris 10428618. * Peter Lindstrom Svante Norrhem: Flattering Alliances: Scandinavia, Diplomacy and the Austrian-French Balance of power, 1648-1740 (2013) * Von Königsmarck nr 14. Från Biografiska anteckningar * Anderps ättartavlor * Pontus Fredrik De la Gardie, urn:sbl:17385, Svenskt biografiskt lexikon (art av G-. Jacobson.), hämtad 2015-04-26. {{DEFAULTSORT:Konigsmarck 1637 births 1723 deaths Swedish countesses 18th-century women landowners 17th-century Swedish landowners 18th-century Swedish landowners 17th-century Swedish nobility 17th-century women landowners