Charlotte Eckerman
Encyclopedia
Charlotte Eckerman was a Swedish
opera singer and actress. She was also a very well known courtesan
during the Gustavian era
, and the official royal mistress of Charles XIII of Sweden
from 1779 to 1781
. Her father was the cousin of Carl Fredrik Ekerman, speaker of the burghers in the Swedish parlament, and her mother was at one point the chamber lady of the queen, Louisa Ulrika of Prussia
. In the custody of her father after her parents divorce, she was described as more or less an orphan. She had two brothers and a sister, as well as several halfsiblings by her fathers second marriage and by her mother. Her sister Julie Eckerman (1765–1801) was also a courtesan and the mistress of nobleman count Carl Sparre, governor of Stockholm.
Charlotta Eckerman was hired as a singer at the Royal Swedish Opera
in Bollhuset
in Stockholm
in 1774. After having been judged as unfit for the ballet, she was given a place in the choir
. Though her voice was weak, she was described as beautiful and vivid . Gustav III discovered that she had a talent for drama, and gave the courtier Maria Aurora Uggla
, the star of the nobility's amateur theatre at the royal court, to instruct her in the part of Mechtild in the opera Birger jarl by Gyllenborg and Adlerbeth, after the part had been refused by Elisabeth Olin
. Charlotte Eckerman made a great success in the part at the Royal Opera in Stockholm, and was called in by the audience; prince Charles started to shout: "Miss Uggla! Miss Uggla!", after which the audience applauded also Maria Aurora Uggla in her box as well as the author Gyllenborg for having instructed Eckerman in the part .
Eckerman was given a contract as a singer at the opera in 1776, and was active there until 1781, during which she was "a adored actress and singer" Charlotte Eckerman was, alongside Ulrica Rosenlund, much recommended for her dramatic talent and belonged to the members of staff in the first national Opera, who proved their talent not only as singers, but also as actors in talking parts, the theatrical performances that were sometimes given at the opera before the opening of the royal theatre in 1788.
. In 1779, she was made the official mistress of the king's brother duke Charles, the future Charles XIII of Sweden
Rumour claimed that Charles took Eckerman as a mistress upon the advice of his brother, Prince Frederick Adolf of Sweden
, who thought it more polite to Charle's consort than his first choice; countess Maria Sophia Rosenstierna, who was the courtier of his consort. The relationship caused a scandal because of sympathy toward the consort of Charles, Hedvig Elisabeth Charlotte of Holstein-Gottorp
, who was very popularDuke Charles tried to influence king Gustav III to take an official mistress, and Eckerman suggested the French adventurer Madame Monzouve (or de Monzouvre), but the plot does not seem to have succeeded
In 1781, Charles ended the connection; it was rumoured that the relationship ended because of the scandal, but in reality, it was more likely because Charles regarded it as necessary after having became inducted in to the Freemasons
In 1781, Eckerman became involved in a conflict with the king, Gustav III of Sweden
. Eckerman was disliked by the king, as it was said, because she did not admire him and because she had a talent for caricature
ing the current ideals When her affair with the king's brother ended and she could no longer count on his protection, the king arranged for her dismissal from the Opera and had her banished from Drottningholm
. Furthermore, he ordered Baron Carl Sparre, the governor of the city of Stockholm
, to have her arrested and sent to jail. As a reason, he claimed that she had given birth to a child and murdered it in secrecy, and that she had taken part in the spreading of rumours regarding the legitimacy of the heir to the throne
. There where at the time many rumors that the crown prince was fathered by the stable master Count Adolf Fredrik Munck af Fulkila
on the orders of the king, rumors which were spread by the king's own mother, Louisa Ulrika of Prussia
, and increased when Munck were given gifts by the king and the queen. Sparre, who was the lover of Eckerman's sister Julie, was aware of the king's dislike of Eckerman. Sparre investigated the accusations and could find nohing to indicate that she had committed child murder. Charlotte Eckerman denied the accusation that she was to have spred rumours regarding the crown prince's legitimacy, and claimed that it was the king's page
, Georg Johan De Besche as the guilty party. De Besche was to have said, that the gift the queen had given to Munck was well worthy of the birth of an heir to the throne
Sparre refused to arrest her, and pointed out that it was against Swedish law for a monarch to threaten the freedom of a citizen without a legal verdict from a court. The whole affair ended in silence. Eckerman was not sent to jail, and the king did not mention it further. Eckerman left the country shortly afterward, possibly banished by the monarch
in France
, where she worked as a courtisan under the name Madame Ahlgren. In 1784, Gustaf Mauritz Armfelt
arranged a meeting with Gustav III during his official visit to France, during which she was reconciled with the monarch and allowed to renturn to Sweden After having spent some years in Italy, she returned to Sweden in 1786. Charlotte Eckerman now became active as a spy. She received an allowance from the authorities in exhange for spying on the foreign ambassadors stationed in Stockholm in her capacity of a courtesan At the time of her death, she was the mistress of the Dutch ambassador to Sweden, baron van der Bork
She died while being magnetized
by Anders Sparrman
Sweden
Sweden , officially the Kingdom of Sweden , is a Nordic country on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. Sweden borders with Norway and Finland and is connected to Denmark by a bridge-tunnel across the Öresund....
opera singer and actress. She was also a very well known courtesan
Courtesan
A courtesan was originally a female courtier, which means a person who attends the court of a monarch or other powerful person.In feudal society, the court was the centre of government as well as the residence of the monarch, and social and political life were often completely mixed together...
during the Gustavian era
Gustav III of Sweden
Gustav III was King of Sweden from 1771 until his death. He was the eldest son of King Adolph Frederick and Queen Louise Ulrica of Sweden, she a sister of Frederick the Great of Prussia....
, and the official royal mistress of Charles XIII of Sweden
Charles XIII of Sweden
Charles XIII & II also Carl, , was King of Sweden from 1809 and King of Norway from 1814 until his death...
from 1779 to 1781
Career
Charlotte Eckerman was the daughter of Bengt Edvard Eckerman, cavalry captain of the Royal Scanian Husars, and the writer Catharina AhlgrenCatharina Ahlgren
Catharina Ahlgren was a Swedish feminist writer, poet, translator, managing editor, and one of the first identifiable female journalists in Sweden. She is also known for her correspondance with Hedvig Charlotta Nordenflycht. Ahlgren was a leading person in the "Female literary world of the 1750-...
. Her father was the cousin of Carl Fredrik Ekerman, speaker of the burghers in the Swedish parlament, and her mother was at one point the chamber lady of the queen, Louisa Ulrika of Prussia
Louisa Ulrika of Prussia
Louisa Ulrika of Prussia was Queen of Sweden between 1751 and 1771 as the spouse of King Adolf Frederick of Sweden, and queen mother during the reign of King Gustav III of Sweden.-Background:...
. In the custody of her father after her parents divorce, she was described as more or less an orphan. She had two brothers and a sister, as well as several halfsiblings by her fathers second marriage and by her mother. Her sister Julie Eckerman (1765–1801) was also a courtesan and the mistress of nobleman count Carl Sparre, governor of Stockholm.
Charlotta Eckerman was hired as a singer at the Royal Swedish Opera
Royal Swedish Opera
Kungliga Operan is Sweden's national stage for opera and ballet.-Location and Environment:...
in Bollhuset
Bollhuset
Bollhuset, also called ', ', and ' at various times, was the name of the first theater in Stockholm, Sweden; it was the first Swedish theater and the first real theater building in the whole of Scandinavia. The name "" means "The Ball House", and it was built in 1627 for ball sports and used in...
in Stockholm
Stockholm
Stockholm is the capital and the largest city of Sweden and constitutes the most populated urban area in Scandinavia. Stockholm is the most populous city in Sweden, with a population of 851,155 in the municipality , 1.37 million in the urban area , and around 2.1 million in the metropolitan area...
in 1774. After having been judged as unfit for the ballet, she was given a place in the choir
Choir
A choir, chorale or chorus is a musical ensemble of singers. Choral music, in turn, is the music written specifically for such an ensemble to perform.A body of singers who perform together as a group is called a choir or chorus...
. Though her voice was weak, she was described as beautiful and vivid . Gustav III discovered that she had a talent for drama, and gave the courtier Maria Aurora Uggla
Maria Aurora Uggla
Maria Aurora Uggla, as married Ehrengranat , was a Swedish lady in waiting and noble. She was the lady in waiting and confidant of the Swedish Queen, Sophia Magdalena of Denmark, and later the head of the court of Crown Prince Gustav Adolf....
, the star of the nobility's amateur theatre at the royal court, to instruct her in the part of Mechtild in the opera Birger jarl by Gyllenborg and Adlerbeth, after the part had been refused by Elisabeth Olin
Elisabeth Olin
Elisabeth Olin was a Swedish opera singer and a music composer. She is referred to as the first Swedish Opera prima donna. She was a court-singer . She was the first female member of the Royal Swedish Academy of Music...
. Charlotte Eckerman made a great success in the part at the Royal Opera in Stockholm, and was called in by the audience; prince Charles started to shout: "Miss Uggla! Miss Uggla!", after which the audience applauded also Maria Aurora Uggla in her box as well as the author Gyllenborg for having instructed Eckerman in the part .
Eckerman was given a contract as a singer at the opera in 1776, and was active there until 1781, during which she was "a adored actress and singer" Charlotte Eckerman was, alongside Ulrica Rosenlund, much recommended for her dramatic talent and belonged to the members of staff in the first national Opera, who proved their talent not only as singers, but also as actors in talking parts, the theatrical performances that were sometimes given at the opera before the opening of the royal theatre in 1788.
Royal mistress
Charlotta Eckerman was from 1774 active as a courtesanCourtesan
A courtesan was originally a female courtier, which means a person who attends the court of a monarch or other powerful person.In feudal society, the court was the centre of government as well as the residence of the monarch, and social and political life were often completely mixed together...
. In 1779, she was made the official mistress of the king's brother duke Charles, the future Charles XIII of Sweden
Charles XIII of Sweden
Charles XIII & II also Carl, , was King of Sweden from 1809 and King of Norway from 1814 until his death...
Rumour claimed that Charles took Eckerman as a mistress upon the advice of his brother, Prince Frederick Adolf of Sweden
Prince Frederick Adolf of Sweden
Prince Fredrick Adolf of Sweden , was a Swedish Prince, youngest son of King Adolf Frederick of Sweden and Louisa Ulrika of Prussia, a sister Frederick the Great, King of Prussia...
, who thought it more polite to Charle's consort than his first choice; countess Maria Sophia Rosenstierna, who was the courtier of his consort. The relationship caused a scandal because of sympathy toward the consort of Charles, Hedvig Elisabeth Charlotte of Holstein-Gottorp
Hedvig Elisabeth Charlotte of Holstein-Gottorp
Hedwig Elisabeth Charlotte of Holstein-Gottorp was the queen consort of Charles XIII of Sweden, and also a famed diarist, memoirist and wit. She is generally known in Sweden by her full pen name , though her official name as queen was Charlotte....
, who was very popularDuke Charles tried to influence king Gustav III to take an official mistress, and Eckerman suggested the French adventurer Madame Monzouve (or de Monzouvre), but the plot does not seem to have succeeded
In 1781, Charles ended the connection; it was rumoured that the relationship ended because of the scandal, but in reality, it was more likely because Charles regarded it as necessary after having became inducted in to the Freemasons
In 1781, Eckerman became involved in a conflict with the king, Gustav III of Sweden
Gustav III of Sweden
Gustav III was King of Sweden from 1771 until his death. He was the eldest son of King Adolph Frederick and Queen Louise Ulrica of Sweden, she a sister of Frederick the Great of Prussia....
. Eckerman was disliked by the king, as it was said, because she did not admire him and because she had a talent for caricature
Caricature
A caricature is a portrait that exaggerates or distorts the essence of a person or thing to create an easily identifiable visual likeness. In literature, a caricature is a description of a person using exaggeration of some characteristics and oversimplification of others.Caricatures can be...
ing the current ideals When her affair with the king's brother ended and she could no longer count on his protection, the king arranged for her dismissal from the Opera and had her banished from Drottningholm
Drottningholm
Drottningholm, literally "Queen's Islet", is a locality situated in Ekerö Municipality, Stockholm County, Sweden, with 410 inhabitants in 2005....
. Furthermore, he ordered Baron Carl Sparre, the governor of the city of Stockholm
Stockholm
Stockholm is the capital and the largest city of Sweden and constitutes the most populated urban area in Scandinavia. Stockholm is the most populous city in Sweden, with a population of 851,155 in the municipality , 1.37 million in the urban area , and around 2.1 million in the metropolitan area...
, to have her arrested and sent to jail. As a reason, he claimed that she had given birth to a child and murdered it in secrecy, and that she had taken part in the spreading of rumours regarding the legitimacy of the heir to the throne
Gustav IV Adolf of Sweden
Gustav IV Adolf of Sweden also Gustav Adolph was King of Sweden from 1792 until his abdication in 1809. He was the son of Gustav III of Sweden and his queen consort Sophia Magdalena, eldest daughter of Frederick V of Denmark and his first wife Louise of Great Britain. He was the last Swedish...
. There where at the time many rumors that the crown prince was fathered by the stable master Count Adolf Fredrik Munck af Fulkila
Count Adolf Fredrik Munck af Fulkila
Adolf Fredrik, Count Munck af Fulkila was a Swedish and Finnish noble alleged to have been the biological father of King Gustaf IV Adolf.- Biography :...
on the orders of the king, rumors which were spread by the king's own mother, Louisa Ulrika of Prussia
Louisa Ulrika of Prussia
Louisa Ulrika of Prussia was Queen of Sweden between 1751 and 1771 as the spouse of King Adolf Frederick of Sweden, and queen mother during the reign of King Gustav III of Sweden.-Background:...
, and increased when Munck were given gifts by the king and the queen. Sparre, who was the lover of Eckerman's sister Julie, was aware of the king's dislike of Eckerman. Sparre investigated the accusations and could find nohing to indicate that she had committed child murder. Charlotte Eckerman denied the accusation that she was to have spred rumours regarding the crown prince's legitimacy, and claimed that it was the king's page
Page (servant)
A page or page boy is a traditionally young male servant, a messenger at the service of a nobleman or royal.-The medieval page:In medieval times, a page was an attendant to a knight; an apprentice squire...
, Georg Johan De Besche as the guilty party. De Besche was to have said, that the gift the queen had given to Munck was well worthy of the birth of an heir to the throne
Sparre refused to arrest her, and pointed out that it was against Swedish law for a monarch to threaten the freedom of a citizen without a legal verdict from a court. The whole affair ended in silence. Eckerman was not sent to jail, and the king did not mention it further. Eckerman left the country shortly afterward, possibly banished by the monarch
Later life
Charlotte Eckerman later lived in ParisParis
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
in France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
, where she worked as a courtisan under the name Madame Ahlgren. In 1784, Gustaf Mauritz Armfelt
Gustaf Mauritz Armfelt
Count Gustaf Mauritz Armfelt was a Finnish and Swedish courtier and diplomat. In Finland, he is considered one of the great Finnish statesmen. Born in Tarvasjoki, Finland, he was the great grandson of Charles XII of Sweden's general, Carl Gustaf Armfeldt...
arranged a meeting with Gustav III during his official visit to France, during which she was reconciled with the monarch and allowed to renturn to Sweden After having spent some years in Italy, she returned to Sweden in 1786. Charlotte Eckerman now became active as a spy. She received an allowance from the authorities in exhange for spying on the foreign ambassadors stationed in Stockholm in her capacity of a courtesan At the time of her death, she was the mistress of the Dutch ambassador to Sweden, baron van der Bork
She died while being magnetized
Magnetism
Magnetism is a property of materials that respond at an atomic or subatomic level to an applied magnetic field. Ferromagnetism is the strongest and most familiar type of magnetism. It is responsible for the behavior of permanent magnets, which produce their own persistent magnetic fields, as well...
by Anders Sparrman
Anders Sparrman
Anders Erikson Sparrman was a Swedish naturalist, abolitionist and an apostle of Carl Linnaeus....