Queen Christina of Sweden (King Christina?) wasn’t your typical monarch—she was crowned as a child king, educated like a prince, and swiftly turned Sweden into Europe’s unexpected cultural powerhouse. Fluent in multiple languages and a patron to thinkers like René Descartes, Christina shook up her court by rejecting marriage, embracing religious tolerance, and openly expressing love for noblewoman Ebba Sparre, scandalizing conservative 17th-century society. But just when everyone thought they'd figured her out, Christina shocked the continent once again by abdicating the throne and converting from Lutheranism to Catholicism—a dramatic move that echoed across Europe.

Yet, stepping down didn’t stop Christina from dreaming big. After her reign in Sweden, she ambitiously eyed not one, but two other crowns—Naples and Poland. Her adventurous (and controversial) plots ultimately fizzled, but her determination never did. Queen Christina spent her remaining years in Rome, hosting intellectual salons and accumulating vast collections of art and literature, leaving behind a legacy that defies categorization. Join us this episode as we dive into the remarkable life of Christina: queen, king, rebel, and above all, a true royal Weirdo.

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Sources for this week:

Veronica Buckley, Christina, Queen of Sweden: The Restless Life of a European Eccentric (Harper Perennial, 2005)

Encyclopedia Britannica – “Christina (queen of Sweden)” britannica.com/biography/Christina-queen-of-Sweden

Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy

Catholic Encyclopedia (1913)

Video: History Tea Time with Lindsay Holiday - Queen Christina of Sweden

Video: Kristina the Girl King of Sweden: A Historical Profile by Jessica Kellgren-Fozgard

Wikipedia

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Episode 155: Queen Christina of Sweden - the Queen who was King

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