Gustafva Sofia Hjärne (4 July 1780 – 6 March 1860), was a Finnish

baroness Baron is a rank of nobility or title of honour, often hereditary, in various European countries, either current or historical. The female equivalent is baroness. Typically, the title denotes an aristocrat who ranks higher than a lord or knight ...

, writer and salon holder.

Biography

Gustafva Sofia Rosenborg was born in

Sweden Sweden, formally the Kingdom of Sweden, is a Nordic countries, Nordic country located on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. It borders Norway to the west and north, and Finland to the east. At , Sweden is the largest Nordic count ...

, the daughter of Anders Rosenborg and Christina Charlotta Funck. In 1801 Sofia Rosenborg married Captain Gustaf Hjärne. Her husband was later the governor in

Hämeenlinna Hämeenlinna (; ; ; or ''Croneburgum'') is a city in Finland and the regional capital of Kanta-Häme. It is located in the southern interior of the country and on the shores of Vanajavesi, Lake Vanajavesi. The population of Hämeenlinna is appr ...

and was elected a member of the

Senate of Finland The Senate of Finland (; ) combined the functions of Cabinet (government), cabinet and supreme court in the Grand Duchy of Finland from 1816 to 1917 and in independent Finland from 1917 to 1918. The body that would become the Senate was establis ...

. They were the parents of four children: Beata Sofia Johanna (b. 1802), Gustaf Adolf (b. 1805), Alexandra (b. 1821) and Hedvig (b. 1821). Sofia Hjärne was the central figure in one of Finland's earliest literary salons. According to certain sources, during the

Finnish War The Finnish War (; ; ) was fought between the Gustavian era, Kingdom of Sweden and the Russian Empire from 21 February 1808 to 17 September 1809 as part of the Napoleonic Wars. As a result of the war, the eastern third of Sweden was established a ...

, Sofia Hjärne was instrumental in averting a battle by achieving the peaceful handover of the stronghold of Sveaborg near

Helsinki Helsinki () is the Capital city, capital and most populous List of cities and towns in Finland, city in Finland. It is on the shore of the Gulf of Finland and is the seat of southern Finland's Uusimaa region. About people live in the municipali ...

to Russians forces during the

Siege of Sveaborg The siege of Sveaborg was a siege by Imperial Russian forces of the sea fort of Sveaborg (), off the coast of Helsingfors (''Helsinki''); at the time Finland was part of the Kingdom of Sweden. It took place in the spring of 1808, during the Fi ...

in early 1808. She translated two

play Play most commonly refers to: * Play (activity), an activity done for enjoyment * Play (theatre), a work of drama Play may refer also to: Computers and technology * Google Play, a digital content service * Play Framework, a Java framework * P ...

s and wrote

poems Poetry (from the Greek language, Greek word ''poiesis'', "making") is a form of literature, literary art that uses aesthetics, aesthetic and often rhythmic qualities of language to evoke meaning (linguistics), meanings in addition to, or in ...

for

almanac An almanac (also spelled almanack and almanach) is a regularly published listing of a set of current information about one or multiple subjects. It includes information like weather forecasting, weather forecasts, farmers' sowing, planting dates ...

s and

newspaper A newspaper is a Periodical literature, periodical publication containing written News, information about current events and is often typed in black ink with a white or gray background. Newspapers can cover a wide variety of fields such as poli ...

s anonymously. In 1831, she published the Swedish language novel ''Tavastehus slott, en romans från Birger Jarls af Bjelbo tidehvarf'' (Helsinki 1837). The romantic novel centered on the medieval

Häme Castle Häme Castle or Tavastia Castle (, ) is a medieval castle in Tavastia Proper, Finland. It is located in Hämeenlinna, the city between Helsinki and Tampere. Originally located on an island, the castle now sits on the coast of lake Vanajavesi. ...

(Finnish: ''Hämeen linna''; Swedish: ''Tavastehus slott''). Based on local legend, it featured the sister of Swedish statesman

Birger Jarl Birger Jarl or Birger Magnusson (21 October 1266) was a Swedish statesman and regent, ''Swedish jarls, jarl'', and a member of the House of Bjälbo, who played a pivotal role in consolidating Sweden after the civil wars between the House of Eri ...

and her unhappy love for a Finnish chieftain.

References

External links

Gustafva Sofia Hjärne
The History of Nordic Women's Literature {{DEFAULTSORT:Hjarne, Sofia 1780 births 1860 deaths 18th-century Finnish nobility 19th-century Finnish nobility Finnish women novelists 19th-century Finnish poets 19th-century Finnish women writers Salon holders from the Russian Empire Finnish salon-holders Finnish women poets People of the Finnish War