Charlotte Slottsberg
Encyclopedia
Charlotte Slottsberg (29 May 1760 in Stockholm
– 29 May 1800), was a Swedish
ballerina
-dancer, one of the first native dancers in the Royal Swedish Ballet
at the Royal Swedish Opera
and one of the most successful ones. In a time when the majority of the professional dancers in Sweden where from France
and Italy
, such as the French Ninon Dubois le Clerc and the Italian Giovanna Bassi
, she represented native talent in this profession.
-maker Andreas Slottsberg and the dancer Lovisa Charlotta Schumbardt, Charlotte Slottsberg danced as a child on smaller stages and at travelling theatre-companies around the city of Stockholm together with her mother and her aunts, who were also dancers. It appears she was later educated as a student of the dancers in the French Du Londel Troupe
of the court of queen Louisa Ulrika of Prussia
. In October 1771, her mother, "Madame Slottsberg", and her two aunts are mentioned as employes in the ballet in Bollhuset
.
At the age of thirteen in 1773, she was formally hired at the Royal Swedish Opera
in Bollhuset as a second-dancer. This first class of native talents on the grand stage consisted of former servants and children of musicians; it was soon to present great ballerinas such as Anna Sofia Lind and Ulrika Åberg
, but in the first troup of 1773, Charlotte Slottsberg and Magdalena Lundblad was two of the very few Swedish dancers with formal training and experience. The situation was the same among the male dancers, were the most notable Swedish dancer was Louis Deland
, whose father was from Luxembourg
.
and Phelée
by Uttini, known as the first Swedish-speaking Opera-performance, at the inauguration of the Roysal Swedish Opera opposite Elisabeth Olin
and Carl Stenborg
in the main parts; another participant in the play, who were to become famous, was Christoffer Christian Karsten
, the grandfather of Marie Taglioni
. She played the part of Virtue, which she did very well, according to the judgements, and was good friends with Elisabeth Olin's daughter Betty Olin, who played the part of Love. Carl Christoffer Gjörwell wrote about her: "Our new Mlle Slottsberg will become one of the greatest dancers in Europe, and never set foot in the theatre without the most constant applaus from the Royal box.", and in 1778, Gjörwell describes her : "As beautiful as a spring day".
Charlotte Slottberg had a lot of confidence, and did not care much about good behaviour; she is described as vulgar, rude and a tease, and she certainly knew well how to attract attention - She is described racing through the streets of Stockholm
in a fancy carriage after black horses. She was widely regarded as a courtesan
, and she did have rich lovers she benefited financially from, but she was also supported by her career as a dancer.
She continued her career as a dancer in parallel; she was more successful than any other native dancer in Sweden of her time, became the favourite dance partner of Antoine Bournonville
, and was in the 1786-87 season made premier-dancer. Among the parts she danced was Aurora in the Procris och Cephal by Grétry
with Carl Stenborg and Lovisa Augusti
the season 1777-1778 and Lucile in the pantomime
ballet La Rosiére de Salency by Jean Marcadet with Antoine Bournonville and Carlo Uttini in 1786-1787 season and as Bellona
opposite Giovanna Bassi
as Pallas in the ballet made by Louis Gallodier
to the opera Gustav Adolf och Ebba Brahe by Gustav III 1787-88. "The undenieble girl" Slottsbergs dance in Acis och Galathea by Lalin after Händel the 1773-74 season was one of the few individual performances to receive unanimous admiration in that opera. In 22 September 1789 she played Elmira
in Soliman och de tre sultaninnorna (Soliman and the three sultanesses) by Kraus in the Royal Dramatic Theatre
in Bollhuset. She retired as a dancer after the 1788-1789 season.
, she became the lover of one of the princes: duke Charles, the later king Charles XIII of Sweden
, and she is mainly remembered for this. She could not be officially seen at court as Hagman as she was a reputed courtesan, and neither was she the only lover of Prince Charles (who was talked about as having a harem
), but she was known as his "Favourite Sultaness" and does seem to have had a great influence over him. She gave him a great interest in culture, made him write plays, and cheered him up when he was depressed.
She also gave him an interest in champagne, which she liked herself. She is reputed to have been politically active: in 1790, she was rumoured to receive a pension from Charle's brother king Gustav III of Sweden
in exhange for influencing his brother During the pilloring of Magdalena Rudenschöld
(1794), who was judged guilty of treason, it was reported that people in the crowd was heard saying that Charlotte Slottsberg should have been standing on the platform instead of Rudenschöld, and her carriage was also attacked.
She was allowed to use a carriage of a design normally reserved for women of the royal court, with guards in the duke's uniform, until 1795, when Charles saw it necessary to make their relationship less official.
She was Charles' most long-term mistress; their relationship, though not exclusive on either part, lasted for twenty years; from 1777 until 1797.
She was not "kept" by Charles; rather, he was one of her clients. As a courtesan, she was already in 1774 reputed to be the mistress of "the nasty old" Austrian ambassador. Among her other lovers were the statesmen count Fredrik Sparre and C. W. Seele. In one of her letters to count Sparre, she informs him that she had noticed that a letter from the duke had ben taken from her room. The letter is a part of the Sparre collection and quite well known:
She herself was in love with the cavalry rider Heitmüller, who pawned the jewelry given to her by the Duke. She lived in great luxury and had a country estate in Järva near Ulriksdal Palace
.
In 1799, she married captain Adolph Granholm, a former marine officer: he was the same age as she and described as good looking but stupid as an oxe. Through her connections, she had acquired quite a substantial fortune. She died in Stockholm in a heart attack after a miscarriage.
After her death, her former lover Duke Charles confiscated her fortune despite the protests of her widower and her surviving mother, claiming that she had debts to him which amounted to the value of her entire estate, which was considered "not very royal" of him. Charlotte Slottsberg was given a grand funeral.
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...
– 29 May 1800), was a Swedish
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....
ballerina
Ballerina
A ballerina is a title used to describe a principal female professional ballet dancer in a large company; the male equivalent to this title is danseur or ballerino...
-dancer, one of the first native dancers in the Royal Swedish Ballet
Royal Swedish Ballet
The Royal Swedish Ballet is one of the oldest ballet companies in Europe. Based in Stockholm, Sweden, King Gustav III founded the ballet in 1773 as a part of his national cultural project in response to the French and Italian dominance in this field; he also founded the Royal Swedish Opera and the...
at the Royal Swedish Opera
Royal Swedish Opera
Kungliga Operan is Sweden's national stage for opera and ballet.-Location and Environment:...
and one of the most successful ones. In a time when the majority of the professional dancers in Sweden where from 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...
and Italy
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
, such as the French Ninon Dubois le Clerc and the Italian Giovanna Bassi
Giovanna Bassi
Giovanna Bassi was an Italian ballerina who spent the majority of her career in Sweden. She was regarded as the prima donna of the Swedish Ballet during the Gustavian age.- Biography :...
, she represented native talent in this profession.
Childhood and debut
Born in a poor home as the child of the wigWig
A wig is a head of hair made from horsehair, human hair, wool, feathers, yak hair, buffalo hair, or synthetic materials which is worn on the head for fashion or various other aesthetic and stylistic reasons, including cultural and religious observance. The word wig is short for periwig and first...
-maker Andreas Slottsberg and the dancer Lovisa Charlotta Schumbardt, Charlotte Slottsberg danced as a child on smaller stages and at travelling theatre-companies around the city of Stockholm together with her mother and her aunts, who were also dancers. It appears she was later educated as a student of the dancers in the French Du Londel Troupe
Du Londel Troupe
The Du Londel Troupe was a French 18th-century theatre troupe. From 1753 to 1771, it was active as the French Theatre of Sweden, where it played a great part in that country's theatre history....
of the court of 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 October 1771, her mother, "Madame Slottsberg", and her two aunts are mentioned as employes in the ballet 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...
.
At the age of thirteen in 1773, she was formally hired at the Royal Swedish Opera
Royal Swedish Opera
Kungliga Operan is Sweden's national stage for opera and ballet.-Location and Environment:...
in Bollhuset as a second-dancer. This first class of native talents on the grand stage consisted of former servants and children of musicians; it was soon to present great ballerinas such as Anna Sofia Lind and Ulrika Åberg
Ulrika Åberg
Ulrika Åberg was a Swedish ballerina, one of the first native ballet dancers in the Royal Swedish Ballet, which was in the beginning dominated by foreign dancers....
, but in the first troup of 1773, Charlotte Slottsberg and Magdalena Lundblad was two of the very few Swedish dancers with formal training and experience. The situation was the same among the male dancers, were the most notable Swedish dancer was Louis Deland
Louis Deland
Louis Joseph Marie Deland was a Swedish ballet dancer, singer, actor, choreographer and ballet master in the Royal Swedish Ballet...
, whose father was from Luxembourg
Luxembourg
Luxembourg , officially the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg , is a landlocked country in western Europe, bordered by Belgium, France, and Germany. It has two principal regions: the Oesling in the North as part of the Ardennes massif, and the Gutland in the south...
.
Career in the Royal Swedish ballet
In 1773, she took part in the famous play ThetisThetis
Silver-footed Thetis , disposer or "placer" , is encountered in Greek mythology mostly as a sea nymph or known as the goddess of water, one of the fifty Nereids, daughters of the ancient one of the seas with shape-shifting abilities who survives in the historical vestiges of most later Greek myths...
and Phelée
Peleus
In Greek mythology, Pēleus was a hero whose myth was already known to the hearers of Homer in the late 8th century BCE. Peleus was the son of Aeacus, king of the island of Aegina, and Endeïs, the oread of Mount Pelion in Thessaly; he was the father of Achilles...
by Uttini, known as the first Swedish-speaking Opera-performance, at the inauguration of the Roysal Swedish Opera opposite 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...
and Carl Stenborg
Carl Stenborg
Carl Stenborg was a Swedish opera singer, actor, composer and theatre director. He is considered the first great male opera singer in Sweden and one of the pioneers of the Royal Swedish Opera.- Biography :...
in the main parts; another participant in the play, who were to become famous, was Christoffer Christian Karsten
Christoffer Christian Karsten
Christoffer Christian Karsten was a Swedish opera singer, sometimes called the greatest male opera singer in Swedish history...
, the grandfather of Marie Taglioni
Marie Taglioni
Marie Taglioni was a famous Italian/Swedish ballerina of the Romantic ballet era, a central figure in the history of European dance.-Biography:...
. She played the part of Virtue, which she did very well, according to the judgements, and was good friends with Elisabeth Olin's daughter Betty Olin, who played the part of Love. Carl Christoffer Gjörwell wrote about her: "Our new Mlle Slottsberg will become one of the greatest dancers in Europe, and never set foot in the theatre without the most constant applaus from the Royal box.", and in 1778, Gjörwell describes her : "As beautiful as a spring day".
Charlotte Slottberg had a lot of confidence, and did not care much about good behaviour; she is described as vulgar, rude and a tease, and she certainly knew well how to attract attention - She is described racing through the streets 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...
in a fancy carriage after black horses. She was widely regarded as a 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...
, and she did have rich lovers she benefited financially from, but she was also supported by her career as a dancer.
She continued her career as a dancer in parallel; she was more successful than any other native dancer in Sweden of her time, became the favourite dance partner of Antoine Bournonville
Antoine Bournonville
Antoine Bournonville was a French ballet dancer, actor, singer and a choreographer, active in the Royal Swedish Ballet and the Royal Danish Ballet and eventually ballet master in the latter. He is considered to have played a great role in the development of the ballet in Scandinavia...
, and was in the 1786-87 season made premier-dancer. Among the parts she danced was Aurora in the Procris och Cephal by Grétry
Grétry
People of the surname Grétry include* André Grétry , composer of opéras comiques;* Jeanne-Marie Grandon Grétry , painter, wife of André;...
with Carl Stenborg and Lovisa Augusti
Lovisa Augusti
Lovisa Sofia Augusti, , was a Swedish opera singer. She was a court singer and a member of the Royal Swedish Academy of Music.- Biography :...
the season 1777-1778 and Lucile in the pantomime
Pantomime
Pantomime — not to be confused with a mime artist, a theatrical performer of mime—is a musical-comedy theatrical production traditionally found in the United Kingdom, Australia, New Zealand, Canada, Jamaica, South Africa, India, Ireland, Gibraltar and Malta, and is mostly performed during the...
ballet La Rosiére de Salency by Jean Marcadet with Antoine Bournonville and Carlo Uttini in 1786-1787 season and as Bellona
Bellona
-Places:United States of America*Bellona Foundry and adjacent Bellona Arsenal, 19th century United States Army and Confederate munitions factory and depot in VirginiaItaly*Bellona, Campania, a comune in the Province of CasertaSolomon Islands...
opposite Giovanna Bassi
Giovanna Bassi
Giovanna Bassi was an Italian ballerina who spent the majority of her career in Sweden. She was regarded as the prima donna of the Swedish Ballet during the Gustavian age.- Biography :...
as Pallas in the ballet made by Louis Gallodier
Louis Gallodier
Louis Gallodier was a French ballet dancer and choreographer who spent the majority of his career in Sweden, were he was to have a great importance for the development of the ballet in Sweden as the ballet master of the Royal Swedish Ballet.- Biography and career:Louis Gallodier was born in France...
to the opera Gustav Adolf och Ebba Brahe by Gustav III 1787-88. "The undenieble girl" Slottsbergs dance in Acis och Galathea by Lalin after Händel the 1773-74 season was one of the few individual performances to receive unanimous admiration in that opera. In 22 September 1789 she played Elmira
Elmira
Elmira may refer to the following places:In Canada:* Elmira, Ontario* Elmira, Prince Edward IslandIn the United States:* Elmira, California* Elmira, Indiana* Elmira, Michigan* Elmira, Missouri* Elmira, New York...
in Soliman och de tre sultaninnorna (Soliman and the three sultanesses) by Kraus in the Royal Dramatic Theatre
Royal Dramatic Theatre
The Royal Dramatic Theatre is Sweden's national stage for "spoken drama", founded in 1788. Around one thousand shows are put on annually on the theatre's eight running stages....
in Bollhuset. She retired as a dancer after the 1788-1789 season.
Life as Courtesan and Private life
In parallel to her career as a Ballerina, she was also a reputed courtesan. Just as her colleague Sophie HagmanSophie Hagman
Sophie Hagman née Anna Stina Hagman or Anna Sophia Hagman, , was a Swedish ballet dancer...
, she became the lover of one of the princes: duke Charles, the later king 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...
, and she is mainly remembered for this. She could not be officially seen at court as Hagman as she was a reputed courtesan, and neither was she the only lover of Prince Charles (who was talked about as having a harem
Harem
Harem refers to the sphere of women in what is usually a polygynous household and their enclosed quarters which are forbidden to men...
), but she was known as his "Favourite Sultaness" and does seem to have had a great influence over him. She gave him a great interest in culture, made him write plays, and cheered him up when he was depressed.
She also gave him an interest in champagne, which she liked herself. She is reputed to have been politically active: in 1790, she was rumoured to receive a pension from Charle's brother 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....
in exhange for influencing his brother During the pilloring of Magdalena Rudenschöld
Magdalena Rudenschöld
Magdalena Charlotta Rudenschöld, commonly known as Malla Rudenschöld and privately as Malin Rudenschöld , was a member of the Swedish nobility and a lady-in-waiting. She was one of the main participants in the so-called Armfelt conspiracy against the guardian government of 1792...
(1794), who was judged guilty of treason, it was reported that people in the crowd was heard saying that Charlotte Slottsberg should have been standing on the platform instead of Rudenschöld, and her carriage was also attacked.
She was allowed to use a carriage of a design normally reserved for women of the royal court, with guards in the duke's uniform, until 1795, when Charles saw it necessary to make their relationship less official.
She was Charles' most long-term mistress; their relationship, though not exclusive on either part, lasted for twenty years; from 1777 until 1797.
She was not "kept" by Charles; rather, he was one of her clients. As a courtesan, she was already in 1774 reputed to be the mistress of "the nasty old" Austrian ambassador. Among her other lovers were the statesmen count Fredrik Sparre and C. W. Seele. In one of her letters to count Sparre, she informs him that she had noticed that a letter from the duke had ben taken from her room. The letter is a part of the Sparre collection and quite well known:
Noble Sire. When I am so bold as to write a few lines to your Excellensy, I would most humbly ask Y. Ex. not to take offence if I remind you of the letter which Y. Ex. took from the pot in my bed room and which I did not with consent allow Y. Ex to take with him and it is now the second time I write to Y. Ex. about this withouth having it been given back to me and I did not expect such a noble gentelemen to behave this way. I must receive it before tonight if not the highly distinguished gentleman who will come to me then and who left the letter with me will know that it has left my rooms, but I will have to be as bold to say, that if it is not back by then, I will say that your Excellency have thaken the letter with him and that is something you do not wish for anything, and except the agony I have now suffered for the sake of Y. Ex, everything will be forgotten if I have the letter returned and Y.Ex. can be assured of as much favoritism as before. The letter must be with me at nine o'clock this evening. Your Excellency's most humble servant Ch. Slottsberg.
She herself was in love with the cavalry rider Heitmüller, who pawned the jewelry given to her by the Duke. She lived in great luxury and had a country estate in Järva near Ulriksdal Palace
Ulriksdal Palace
Ulriksdal Palace is a royal palace situated on the banks of the Edsviken in the National City Park in Solna, 6 km north of Stockholm. It was originally called Jakobsdal after its owner Jacob De la Gardie, who had it built by architect Hans Jacob Kristler in 1643-1645 as a country retreat...
.
In 1799, she married captain Adolph Granholm, a former marine officer: he was the same age as she and described as good looking but stupid as an oxe. Through her connections, she had acquired quite a substantial fortune. She died in Stockholm in a heart attack after a miscarriage.
After her death, her former lover Duke Charles confiscated her fortune despite the protests of her widower and her surviving mother, claiming that she had debts to him which amounted to the value of her entire estate, which was considered "not very royal" of him. Charlotte Slottsberg was given a grand funeral.