Christina (1626-1689) was queen of Sweden from 1632 until she abdicated (gave up the throne) in 1654. She was a patron of the arts and was known for her strong and independent personality.
Christina was born on Dec. 8, 1626, in Stockholm. She inherited the throne in 1632 upon the death of her father, King Gustavus Adolphus, also known as Gustav II Adolf. Because Christina was a child when her father died, a group of regents headed by the country’s chancellor, Axel Oxenstierna, ruled for her. Christina took control in 1644, when she turned 18.
Christina played an important role in bringing about a settlement to the Thirty Years’ War (1618-1648), a series of religious and political struggles that had involved most of Europe. Under the 1648 peace agreement, known as the Treaty of Westphalia, Sweden received territory along the south shores of the Baltic Sea.
In the early 1650’s, Christina secretly began taking instructions in the Roman Catholic faith. Sweden was a Lutheran country, and Catholicism was illegal at that time. In 1654, Christina said she wished to retreat into private life, and she gave up her throne. She was formally accepted into the Roman Catholic Church in 1655. Christina spent most of the rest of her life living in Rome, where she was active in political and cultural life. She died on April 19, 1689.
