Sigrid Amalia Leijonhufvud (5 July 1862 – 14 November 1937) was a

Swedish Swedish or ' may refer to: Anything from or related to Sweden, a country in Northern Europe. Or, specifically: * Swedish language, a North Germanic language spoken primarily in Sweden and Finland ** Swedish alphabet, the official alphabet used by ...

author An author is the writer of a book, article, play, mostly written work. A broader definition of the word "author" states: "''An author is "the person who originated or gave existence to anything" and whose authorship determines responsibility f ...

historian A historian is a person who studies and writes about the past and is regarded as an authority on it. Historians are concerned with the continuous, methodical narrative and research of past events as relating to the human race; as well as the st ...

, and feminist, who is best known for authoring biographies of historical women. She was granted membership in the

Samfundet De Nio Samfundet De Nio (''The Nine Society'' or ''Society of the Nine'') is a Swedish literary society founded on 14 February 1913 in Stockholm by a testamentary donation from writer Lotten von Kraemer. The society has nine members who are elected for ...

(The Nine Society) and was awarded the Swedish royal medal

Litteris et Artibus Litteris et Artibus is a Swedish royal medal established in 1853 by Charles XV of Sweden, who was then crown prince. It is awarded to people who have made important contributions to culture, especially music, dramatic art and literature. The o ...

in recognition of her writing career.

Early life

Sigrid Leijonhufvud was born on 5 July 1862 in Stockholm, Sweden. Born into an aristocratic family, she was one of the nine children to Countess Ebba Ulrika Sparre and Count Axel Hjalmar Leijonhufvud. Her father also served as a colonel and royal chamberlain. As many other children of the upper class, she was educated privately at home. In 1883, she received her school-leaving certificate at the Lyceum Girls' School in Stockholm. Her father did not want Leijonhufvud to continue education. Her aunt,

Sophie Adlersparre Carin ''Sophie'' Adlersparre, known under the pen-name Esselde (born Leijonhufvud; 6 July 1823 – 27 June 1895) was one of the pioneers of the 19th-century women's rights movement in Sweden. She was the founder and editor of the first women' ...

(née Leijonhufvud) (1823–1895), was a leading

women's rights Women's rights are the rights and entitlements claimed for women and girls worldwide. They formed the basis for the women's rights movement in the 19th century and the feminist movements during the 20th and 21st centuries. In some countries, ...

activist and founder of the

Fredrika Bremer Association The Fredrika Bremer Association ( sv, Fredrika Bremer Förbundet, abbreviated FBF) is the oldest women's rights organisation in Sweden. The association stands for an inclusive, intersectional and progressive liberal feminism, and advocates for wome ...

. Through her, Leijonhufvud was introduced to her contemporaneous women's movement and she developed an interest in women's history. In 1925, she received a degree in languages, art-history, and literature from the

Uppsala University Uppsala University ( sv, Uppsala universitet) is a public research university in Uppsala, Sweden. Founded in 1477, it is the oldest university in Sweden and the Nordic countries still in operation. The university rose to significance during ...

. She began working as a teacher at the Åhlin school in 1892, and from 1901, she was employed as a librarian at the Royal Swedish Academy of Letters, History and Antiquities (KVHAA).

Career

As an author and researcher, Leijonhufvud was an admirer of her aunt, and sought to write biographies of women belonging to the period 1600–1800. In 1896, Leijonhufvud published her first work, a biography of feminist reformer

Fredrika Bremer Fredrika Bremer (17 August 1801 – 31 December 1865) was a Finland, Finnish-born Sweden and Norway, Swedish Swedish literature, writer and feminism in Sweden, feminist reformer. Her ''Sketches of Everyday Life'' were wildly popular in Bri ...

(1801–1865). With the help her maternal grandfather, Gustaf Adolf Sparre, who was a

medievalist The asterisk ( ), from Late Latin , from Ancient Greek , ''asteriskos'', "little star", is a typographical symbol. It is so called because it resembles a conventional image of a heraldic star. Computer scientists and mathematicians often vo ...

, and inspired by historian

Ellen Fries Ellen Fries (23 September 1855 – 31 March 1900) was a Swedish feminist and writer. She became the first female Ph.D. in Sweden in 1883. She was also involved in founding several women's organizations. Biography She born in 1855 at Rödsleg� ...

, Leijonhufvud continued to research old manuscripts. Her second publication, ''Ur svenska herrgårdsarkiv'' (1902) explored the

Carolingian Empire The Carolingian Empire (800–888) was a large Frankish-dominated empire in western and central Europe during the Early Middle Ages. It was ruled by the Carolingian dynasty, which had ruled as kings of the Franks since 751 and as kings of the ...

and the period of liberty. In 1908, she published a biography of writer Agneta Horn. Leijonhufvud aunt's letters to

Victoria Benedictsson Victoria Benedictsson (March 6, 1850 in Domme – July 21, 1888) was a Swedish author. She was born as Victoria Maria Bruzelius in Domme, a village in the province of Skåne. She wrote under the pen name Ernst Ahlgren. Notable works include ' ...

were published in the form of a book two years later. Between 1922 and 1923, she a biography on her aunt, which chronicles the long-established social stratification, as well as the rapid socio-political developments of the 1800s. Between 1917 and 1933, her research focused on the life and works of Swedish politician

Carl Gustaf Tessin Count Carl Gustaf Tessin (5 September 1695 – 7 January 1770) was a Swedish Count and politician and son of architect Nicodemus Tessin the Younger and Hedvig Eleonora Stenbock. He was one of the most brilliant personages of his day, and the mo ...

. She also began contributing literary reviews, short articles, and notes on archival discoveries to academic journals, such as ''

Fornvännen ''Fornvännen'' ("The Friend of the Distant Past"), ''Journal of Swedish Antiquarian Research'' is a Swedish academic journal in the fields of archaeology and Medieval art. It is published quarterly by the Royal Swedish Academy of Letters, History ...

'', ', ''Karolinska förbundets årsskrift'', and ''Personhistorisk tidskrift''. Leijonhufvud maintained a large social circle. She was friends with children's writer and illustrator

Ottilia Adelborg Eva Ottilia Adelborg (6 December 1855 – 19 March 1936) was a Swedish children's book illustrator, comics artist and author and the founder of a school for lace making. A literary award, the Ottilia Adelborg Prize, was established in her honor ...

, historian and suffragette

Lydia Wahlström ''Lydia'' Katarina Wahlström (28 June 1869 – 2 June 1954) was a Swedish historian, author and feminist. She was one of the founders of the National Association for Women's Suffrage and its chairman in 1909–1911. Life and career Wahlst ...

, sculptor Sigrid Blomberg. She served as a member of the Fredrika-Bremer-Förbundet board, often contributing her own articles to the association's journal, ''

Dagny Dagny () is a commune in the Seine-et-Marne department in the Île-de-France region in north-central France. Population Geography The river Aubetin flows northwestward through the commune. See also * Communes of the Seine-et-Marne departme ...

''. She was also an active member of the

Nya Idun Nya Idun is a Swedish cultural association for women founded in 1885, originally as a female counterpart to Sällskapet Idun ('the Idun Society'). Its aim was to "gather educated women in the Stockholm area for informal gatherings". There was a ...

Society that was founded in 1885. Under the auspices of the society, she worked towards publishing works on the roles of working women. In 1911, she also co-wrote the lines for the introductory cantata at the World Congress for Women's Suffrage with the composer

Elfrida Andrée Elfrida Andrée (19 February 1841 – 11 January 1929), was a Swedish organist, composer, and conductor. A 1996 recording on the Caprice label features Andrée's piano quintet, along with a piano sonata, the string quartet in D minor, and vo ...

Later years and recognition

Leijonhufvud work on Tessin received recognition for portraying the socio-cultural situation of the 1700s, and she became a popular figure in Sweden. In 1918, she was elected into the Swedish

literary society A literary society is a group of people interested in literature. In the modern sense, this refers to a society that wants to promote one genre of writing or a specific author. Modern literary societies typically promote research, publish newsle ...

(''The Nine Society or Society of the Nine''). In 1922, she was honoured with the Swedish royal medal

for services to literature and history. In 1937, she was awarded an honorary doctorate degree from

Lund University , motto = Ad utrumque , mottoeng = Prepared for both , established = , type = Public research university , budget = SEK 9 billion Leijonhufvud died in Stockholm, on 14 November 1937.\

Early life

Career

Later years and recognition

References

Further reading