Memoirs of Leonora Christina, Daughter of Christian IV. of Denmark: Written During Her Imprisonment in the Blue Tower at Copenhagen 1663-1685Ulfeldt, Leonora Christina, grevinde
History
Memoirs of Leonora Christina, Daughter of Christian IV. of Denmark: Written During Her Imprisonment in the Blue Tower at Copenhagen 1663-1685
Ulfeldt, Leonora Christina, grevinde
Denmark -- History -- Christian V, 1670-1699 -- Sources; Denmark -- History -- Frederick III, 1648-1670 -- Sources; Princesses -- Denmark -- Biography; Ulfeldt, Leonora Christina, grevinde, 1621-1698 -- Imprisonment; Women political prisoners -- Denmark -- Biography
The letter is addressed 'A Monsieur, Monsieur le Comte d'Ulfeldt,'
&c., but without date or signature. The handwriting is, however, that
of Anne Catherina Ulfeldt, and she had probably sent it off to Vienna
for safety immediately after her mother's death, before she knew that
her brother would come to Maribo himself. Miss Urne says, in the MS.
referred to, that the King had ordered that he was to be informed
immediately of Leonora's demise, in order that she might be buried
according to her rank and descent; but she had beforehand requested
that her funeral might be quite plain. Her coffin, as well as those
of three children who had died young, and whose coffins had been
provisionally placed in a church at Copenhagen, was immured in a
vault in the church of Maribo; but when this was opened some forty
years ago, no trace of Leonora's mortal remains could be found,
though those of the children were there: from which it is concluded
that a popular report, to the effect that the body had been secretly
carried abroad, contains more truth than was formerly supposed. Count
Waldstein states that in the family vault at Leitsmischl, there is
one metal coffin without any inscription, and which may be hers. If
so, Leonora has, as it were, after her death followed her husband
into exile. At any rate, the final resting-place of neither of them
is known with certainty.
AUTOBIOGRAPHY
OF
LEONORA CHRISTINA
1673.
AUTOBIOGRAPHY.
Sir,[06]--To satisfy your curiosity, I will give you a short account
of the life of her about whom you desire to be informed. She was born
at Fredericksborg, in the year 1621, on June 11.[07] When she was six
weeks old her grandmother took her with her to Dalum, where she
remained until the age of four years; her first master there being
Mr. Envolt, afterward a priest at Roeskild. About six months after
her return to the Court, her father sent her to Holland to his
cousin, a Duchess of Brunswick, who had married Count Ernest of
Nassau, and lived at Lewarden.
[06] This autobiographical sketch is written in the form of a
letter to Dr. Otto Sperling the younger, the son of Corfits
Ulfeldt's old friend, who was for some years Leonora's
fellow-prisoner in the Blue Tower.
[07] It is curious that Leonora seems for a long time to have been
under a mistake as to the date of her birthday. The right date is
July 18, new style.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
Reviews
Reviews
No reviews yet
Be the first to share your thoughts on this work.
Join the Discussion
Join the discussion
Sign in to leave a comment or review.
Sign InorCreate an account