Queen of Sweden. An Oldenburg Dynasty princess, she was the daughter of king Frederick III of Denmark-Norway and Queen Sophia Amalia, originally of Brunswick-Lüneburg. In 1675 the Swedish king Carl XI asked for her hand in marriage for the first time. Then war between Denmark and Sweden broke out, and the proposal was quite naturally withdrawn. But the princess still considered herself loyally betrothed to the Swedish king, and she refused to consider other suggestions. She even pawned some of her jewelry to finance help for Swedish prisoners of war in Denmark. At the peace negotiations at Lund in 1679 the question of marriage was raised once again, and the following year the wedding, an unusually discreet event in the king's taste, was celebrated at Skottorp Castle in Hallandia. Ulrica Eleanor gave birth to 7 children, among them were the warrior-king Carl XII and his successor, the younger Ulrica Eleanor (eventually queen regnant). In 1693 the queen died at Karlberg Palace in Stockholm. Ulrica Eleanor was considered a wise, well-balanced person. She was interested in the Noble Arts, and was very religious. The relationship between the king and queen was rather tense at first. The king's natural shyness played a part in this. After a while, the marriage turned out to be a happy one. Carl XI showed her confidence by giving her a place in advance in any regency that might rule Sweden if he were to die young. After her death he was known to mourn her greatly.
Queen of Sweden. An Oldenburg Dynasty princess, she was the daughter of king Frederick III of Denmark-Norway and Queen Sophia Amalia, originally of Brunswick-Lüneburg. In 1675 the Swedish king Carl XI asked for her hand in marriage for the first time. Then war between Denmark and Sweden broke out, and the proposal was quite naturally withdrawn. But the princess still considered herself loyally betrothed to the Swedish king, and she refused to consider other suggestions. She even pawned some of her jewelry to finance help for Swedish prisoners of war in Denmark. At the peace negotiations at Lund in 1679 the question of marriage was raised once again, and the following year the wedding, an unusually discreet event in the king's taste, was celebrated at Skottorp Castle in Hallandia. Ulrica Eleanor gave birth to 7 children, among them were the warrior-king Carl XII and his successor, the younger Ulrica Eleanor (eventually queen regnant). In 1693 the queen died at Karlberg Palace in Stockholm. Ulrica Eleanor was considered a wise, well-balanced person. She was interested in the Noble Arts, and was very religious. The relationship between the king and queen was rather tense at first. The king's natural shyness played a part in this. After a while, the marriage turned out to be a happy one. Carl XI showed her confidence by giving her a place in advance in any regency that might rule Sweden if he were to die young. After her death he was known to mourn her greatly.
Bio by: Benny Chordt Hansen
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