Christina Charlotta "Charlotte" Stierneld née ''Gyldenstolpe'' (1766-1825) was a Swedish courtier; governess for the royal children in 1802-1809, and ''

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,

Hedvig Elisabeth Charlotte of Holstein-Gottorp Hedwig Elisabeth Charlotte of Holstein-Gottorp ( sv, Hedvig Elisabet Charlotta; 22 March 1759 – 20 June 1818) was Queen of Sweden and Norway as the consort of King Charles XIII and II. She was also a famed diarist, memoirist and wit. She is ...

, from 1811 to 1818.

Life

Charlotte Stierneld was the daughter of count Nils Philip Gyldenstolpe and Jacquette Elisabet De Geer af Leufsta.

Court career

Charlotte Stierneld had a long career at the royal court. She and 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 A maid of honour is a junior attendant of a queen in 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 Traditionally, a queen ...

) to Hedvig Elisabeth Charlotte prior to her marriage. During her tenure as maid of honour, she belonged to the favorites of duchess Charlotte and participated in the demonstration of

Jeanna von Lantingshausen Johanna "Jeanna" von Lantingshausen, née von Stockenström, (1753–1809), was a Swedish noble and courtier. She is foremost known as the instigator of the political demonstration by the noblewomen toward Gustav III in opposition of his parliament ...

against the

Union and Security Act The Union and Security Act ( sv, Förenings- och säkerhetsakten, fi, Yhdistys- ja vakuuskirja), alternatively Act of Union and Security, was proposed by king Gustav III of Sweden to the assembled Estates of the Realm during the Riksdag of 1789. I ...

of 1789. The duchess encouraged her marriage to one of the imprisoned opposition leaders,

Adolf Ludvig Stierneld Adolf Ludvig Stierneld, Baron Stierneld (1 September 1755 – 31 July 1835) was a Swedish nobleman, courtier and collector of historical documents. Recent historical research has revealed him to be one of best and most prolific document forgers ...

, who proposed to her from prison and successfully asked her to be the king for his pardon, which both she and duchess Charlotte did repeatedly with reference to his engagement. In 1790, he was released, though not because of their pleadings: they immediately married and retired from court. She was appointed deputy royal governess to the son of Hedvig Elisabeth Charlotte, duke Charles Adolf of Värmland, in 1798; ''

statsfru A lady-in-waiting or court lady is a female personal assistant at a court, attending on a royal woman or a high-ranking noblewoman. Historically, in Europe, a lady-in-waiting was often a noblewoman but of lower rank than the woman to whom sh ...

'' (

lady of the bedchamber Lady of the Bedchamber is the title of a lady-in-waiting holding the official position of personal attendant on a British queen regnant or queen consort. The position is traditionally held by the wife of a peer. They are ranked between the Mis ...

) to the queen,

Frederica of Baden Princess Frederica Dorothea Wilhelmina of Baden (12 March 1781 – 25 September 1826) was Queen of Sweden from 1797 to 1809 as the consort of King Gustav IV Adolf. Life Early life Frederica of Baden was born in Karlsruhe in the Grand Duchy of Ba ...

, in 1800-02, and royal governess for the royal children in 1802 (with the title ''

hovmästarinna 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 ...

'' from 1807). After the

coup of 1809 The Coup of 1809 ( sv, Statskuppen 1809) also referred to as the Revolution of 1809 (Swedish: ''Revolutionen 1809'') was a Swedish coup d'état by a group of noblemen led by Georg Adlersparre. The coup resulted in the deposition of King Gustav I ...

, she was named ''Hovmästarinna'' (deputy

Mistress of the Robes The mistress of the robes was the senior lady in the Royal Household of the United Kingdom. Formerly responsible for the queen consort's/regnant's clothes and jewellery (as the name implies), the post had the responsibility for arranging the rota ...

) to queen Charlotte, and, finally, ''överhovmästarinna'' (Mistress of the Robes) to the queen in 1811-18.

Private life

She is known to be one of five women to have been a member of the Freemasons in Sweden during the 18th century. Alongside

Sophie von Fersen Countess Eva Sophie Piper, née Eva Sophie von Fersen (30 March 1757 – 2 February 1816, Löfstad Slott), was a Swedish countess and lady in waiting. She was the daughter of count Axel von Fersen the Elder and Hedvig Catharina von Fersen and ...

, Countess Ulrica Catharina Brahe and Hedda von Fersen, she was most likely inducted as a member of a Freemasonic adoption lodge for women at court in 1776, when Princess Hedvig Elisabeth Charlotte was initiated by her consort Duke Charles as Grand Mistress of the female lodge. In 1801, she was also inducted a member of the

Yellow Rose (society) The Yellow Rose society ( Swedish: Gula Rosen) was the name of a Swedish Masonic adoption lodge within the Freemasons, active from 1802 until 1803. It was founded by Karl Adolf Boheman upon the mutual wish of the royal couple Duke Charles and Duch ...

of Carl Adolf Boheman, described as a Masonic adoption lodge, alongside count Erik Ruuth, Charlotte Wahrendorff, count Magnus Fredrik Brahe, Catharina Ulrica Koskull and the mother of the queen: at this point, she was described as already a member of the Freemasons, which is interpreted to mean that she was among those women inducted in the 1776 ceremony.My Hellsing (2013). Hovpolitik. Hedvig Elisabeth Charlotte som politisk aktör vid det gustavianska hovet. Örebro: Örebro universitet.

References

* Cecilia af Klercker (1942). Hedvig Elisabeth Charlottas dagbok IX (1812–1817). Stockholm: Norstedt & Söners förlag. {{DEFAULTSORT:Stierneld, Charlotte 1766 births 1825 deaths 19th-century Swedish nobility Mistresses of the Robes (Sweden) Swedish Freemasons Governesses to the Swedish monarchy

Charlotte Charlotte ( ) is the most populous city in the U.S. state of North Carolina. Located in the Piedmont region, it is the county seat of Mecklenburg County. The population was 874,579 at the 2020 census, making Charlotte the 16th-most populo ...