Queen of Sweden. Her parents were Gustav Olson, of the noble Stenbock Dynasty and a member of the Swedish National Council, and Bridget Eriksdotter of the noble Leijonhufvud Dynasty and a sister of the preceding queen, Margaret. In 1552 Catherine married her 37-years-older king and in-law uncle, Gustav I Vasa of Sweden. Her aunt, Queen Margaret, the mother of 9 of his children, had died the year before. As she was so young and of close family, the church did not want the marriage to go through and the Archbishop refused to wed the couple. Instead the ceremony was conducted by the Bishop of Linköping. The marriage was on the whole a happy one, but childless, with her in the role of his soothing companion and eventual nurse, and though she was only slightly older than most of them, Catherine was a beloved and respected step-mother to the old king's children even long after his death. She outlived all 10 of them and was the 'Dowager Queen of the Realm' for 41 years, seeing five more kings on the throne. Rarely did she partake in government affairs, and if she did it was usually to mediate disputes involving her hotheaded relatives on the Vasa side. She presided over the very cordial Three Queen Meeting when two other Swedish Queens named Catherine, the widow of Eric XIV and the consort of John III, got together to divide up some unsettled inheritance. As her dowry Catherine had received Strömsholm Castle and its productive estate. She died there in 1621 at an age almost unheard of in those days, 86.
Queen of Sweden. Her parents were Gustav Olson, of the noble Stenbock Dynasty and a member of the Swedish National Council, and Bridget Eriksdotter of the noble Leijonhufvud Dynasty and a sister of the preceding queen, Margaret. In 1552 Catherine married her 37-years-older king and in-law uncle, Gustav I Vasa of Sweden. Her aunt, Queen Margaret, the mother of 9 of his children, had died the year before. As she was so young and of close family, the church did not want the marriage to go through and the Archbishop refused to wed the couple. Instead the ceremony was conducted by the Bishop of Linköping. The marriage was on the whole a happy one, but childless, with her in the role of his soothing companion and eventual nurse, and though she was only slightly older than most of them, Catherine was a beloved and respected step-mother to the old king's children even long after his death. She outlived all 10 of them and was the 'Dowager Queen of the Realm' for 41 years, seeing five more kings on the throne. Rarely did she partake in government affairs, and if she did it was usually to mediate disputes involving her hotheaded relatives on the Vasa side. She presided over the very cordial Three Queen Meeting when two other Swedish Queens named Catherine, the widow of Eric XIV and the consort of John III, got together to divide up some unsettled inheritance. As her dowry Catherine had received Strömsholm Castle and its productive estate. She died there in 1621 at an age almost unheard of in those days, 86.
Bio by: Benny Chordt Hansen
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