Ulrika Eleonora von Düben (18 March 1722 – 23 August 1758), was a Swedish Courtier, favourite of the queen of Sweden,

Louisa Ulrika of Prussia Louisa Ulrika of Prussia (; ; 24 July 1720 - 16 July 1782) was Queen of Sweden from 1751 to 1771. She was married to king Adolf Frederick and she was queen mother during the reign of king Gustav III. Background Louisa Ulrika was born in Berl ...

Life

Ulrika Eleonora von Düben was born to Baron Joachim von Düben the Elder and Margareta Spegel. She was the paternal niece of the royal favourite

Emerentia von Düben Emerentia is the name given for a grandmother of Mary, mother of Jesus, in some European traditions and art from the late 15th century. She is not to be confused with Saint Emerentiana, a Roman martyr of the 3rd century who features briefly in ...

, and her family belonged to the circles of the court. In 1748, she was appointed ''

hovfröken 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. Tudors and Stuarts Traditi ...

'' (maid of honour) to crown princess Louisa Ulrika, who became queen three years later. In 1756, she was promoted to the position of '' kammarfröken'', when her predecessor Ulrika Strömfelt, was forced to leave court after her involvement in exposing the

Coup of 1756 The Coup of 1756 () was an attempted coup d'état planned by Queen Louisa Ulrika of Sweden to abolish the rule of the Riksdag of the Estates and reinstate absolute monarchy in Sweden. The attempted coup was exposed and subdued in 1756 shortly b ...

. Normally, queen Louisa Ulrika seldom attached herself to her ladies-in-waiting, but von Düben became her acknowledged favorite and confidant among the ladies-in-waiting.

Axel von Fersen the Elder Count Fredrik Axel von Fersen (5 April 171924 April 1794) was a Swedish statesman and soldier of Baltic German descent. He served as Lord Marshal of the Riksdag of the Estates, and although he worked closely with King Gustav III before and thro ...

described her and a typical representative of an ingratiating court noble, and wrote of her: :"Miss Düben, daughter of R.R. Düben, became the only favorite to the Queen among her ladies-in-waiting. This Miss von Düben was a temperamental and cunning :woman; she removed from court anyone, who could compete with her in intelligence and the confidence of the Queen. ..this ... mark of court life, who :sacrifice everything for those above, and views anything made by Princes as recommendable. This Lady was very well seen by the Queen, and had not other :principle for her actions, than a mean spirit and her passion for Count Bielke, whom she eventually married." During the

Age of Liberty In Swedish history, the Age of Liberty () was a period that saw parliamentary governance, increasing civil rights, and the decline of the Swedish Empire that began with the adoption of the Instrument of Government in 1719 and ended with Gustav ...

, representatives of the

Caps (party) The Caps () were a political faction during the Age of Liberty (1719–1772) in Sweden. The primary rivals of the Caps were known as the Hats. The Hats are actually responsible for the Caps' name, as it comes from a contraction of Night-cap, a ...

and

Hats (party) The Hats () were a Sweden, Swedish political faction active during the Age of Liberty (1719–1772). Their name derives from the tricorne hat worn by officers and gentlemen. They vied for power with the opposing Caps (party), Caps party. In 18th ...

was known to place their sympathizers as agents at the royal court, particularly women. Ulrika Eleonora von Düben was reportedly an agent of the Caps, and played a political role by making herself indispensable to the queen and maneuvering the agents of the Hats from the queen's circle. According to von Fersen, von Düben and Count Nils Bielke made a pact to successfully remove the queen's previous favorite, the Hat sympathizer Henrika Juliana von Liewen, von Liewen's spouse and brother from court; that she blocked any attempts of the ''

riksråd Riksrådet (in Norwegian and Swedish) or Rigsrådet (in Danish or English: the Council of the Realm and the Council of the State – sometimes translated as the "Privy Council") is the name of the councils of the Scandinavian countries that ...

'' Tessin, Ekeblad, Palmstierna and von Höpken from acquiring any influence over the royal couple, and that she, in pact with Bielke and Dalin, successfully orchestrated the fall of

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 ...

from his position as the queen's favorite.Norrhem, Svante (2007). Kvinnor vid maktens sida : 1632-1772. Lund: Nordic Academic Press. Libris 10428618. Ulrika Eleonora von Düben left court upon her marriage Count Nils Bielke on 14 April 1757. She died the following year. After her death, her widower married her relative

Fredrika Eleonora von Düben Fredrika Eleonora von Düben (December 17, 1738 – March 1, 1808) was a Swedish dilettante painter and embroidery artist. Early life Fredrika Eleonora was born to Joachim von Düben the Younger and Catharina Eleonora Temminck, daughter of Hend ...

References

* Norrhem, Svante (in Swedish): Kvinnor vid maktens sida : 1632-1772 (In English: "Women by the side of power: 1632-1772") (2007) Lund (Nordic Academic Press) * Olof Jägerskiöld: ''Lovisa Ulrika'' (1945) {{DEFAULTSORT:Duben, Ulrika Eleonora Von 1722 births 1758 deaths Swedish ladies-in-waiting 18th-century Swedish nobility Swedish countesses Swedish maids of honour Royal favourites Age of Liberty people Swedish royal favourites

Ulrika Eleonora 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 his ...

Swedish people of German descent Swedish people of Dutch descent