Margareta Brahe
Encyclopedia
Margareta Abrahamsdotter Brahe (1603–1669) was a Swedish noble
and lady-in-waiting
and a Landgravine of Hesse-Homburg
. She aroused a lot of attention with her marriages, which were considered scandalous.
. Prior to her first marriage, she was the lady-in-waiting of the Queen, Maria Eleonora of Brandenburg
. In 1633 she married Bengt Oxenstierna (1591-1643)
and followed him to Livonia
. Widowed in 1643, she returned to the court as lady-in-waiting to Queen Christina of Sweden
.
, son of Axel Oxenstierna
. Marriages within the nobility was political contracts made to balance power within the different families, and this proposal caused political conflicts at court, were the monarch was forced to balance between the two noble families Brahe and Oxenstierna. It also caused a scandal because of the age difference, as the bride and not the groom was one decade senior. Margareta was further more considered sterile by age. As the marriage was neither political or intended to produce children, it was clearly a love match. Axel Oxenstierna engaged his other son to Elsa Elisabeth Brahe, which was seen as a way of him to allow his son to marry Margareta withouth disturbing the power balance, but he was in fact strongly against the marriage: he wrote to his son that although he would gladly see Margareta as his daughter-in-law if she was younger, he could not understand why Johan wanted to marry an "old" and sterile woman, who could not give his parents grandchildren. But Johan was genuinly in love and married Margareta against his parents advice four months after the death of his first spouse. The marriage lasted ten years. When Johan died in 1657, Margareta was one of the richest people in Sweden.
, 27 years old. To everyones astonichement, she accepted the proposal from the younger one of the two. When Nassau, who thought his proposal was accepted, sent his embassy to Stockholm, he found that Margareta and Hesse were already engaged. Nassau put forward diplomatic protests to Queen Dowager Regent Hedwig Eleonora
and Per Brahe, but Margareta did not wait for the diplomatic conflicts to end. The 12th May 1661 she married Hesse-Homburg in a grand wedding with elaborate celebrations at the royal court in Stockholm in the presence of the king and the queen dowager. The couple were reported to go well with each other sexually, but the wedding caused a great scandal and was much talked about. Margareta departed with her spouse to Germany and lived the rest of her life at the court of Hesse-Homburg
.
Nassau pointed out Margareta as an adulterer and Fredrik as a seducer and demanded that they be punished in accordance with German law. He published a book titled : Die untreue Margaretha Brahe ("The adulterous Margaretha Brahe"), which were ridiculed in Germany.
At her death in 1669 she gave her fortune to her spouse As a token of appreciation for the faithfulty always showed to her by her young consort; this also made a scandal, as she left almost nothing to her relatives.
Nobility
Nobility is a social class which possesses more acknowledged privileges or eminence than members of most other classes in a society, membership therein typically being hereditary. The privileges associated with nobility may constitute substantial advantages over or relative to non-nobles, or may be...
and lady-in-waiting
Lady-in-waiting
A lady-in-waiting is a female personal assistant at a royal court, attending on a queen, a princess, or a high-ranking noblewoman. Historically, in Europe a lady-in-waiting was often a noblewoman from a family highly thought of in good society, but was of lower rank than the woman on whom she...
and a Landgravine of Hesse-Homburg
Hesse-Homburg
Hesse-Homburg was formed into a separate landgraviate in 1622 by the landgrave of Hesse-Darmstadt to be ruled by his son, although it did not become independent of Hesse-Darmstadt until 1668....
. She aroused a lot of attention with her marriages, which were considered scandalous.
First marriage
She was the daughter of Count Abraham Pedersson Brahe and Elsa Gyllenstierna and the sister of Per Brahe the Younger; she was also the cousin of Ebba BraheEbba Brahe
Ebba Magnusdotter Brahe was a lady-in-waiting in the Swedish court, countess, and the mistress of king Gustavus Adolphus of Sweden...
. Prior to her first marriage, she was the lady-in-waiting of the Queen, Maria Eleonora of Brandenburg
Maria Eleonora of Brandenburg
Maria Eleonora of Brandenburg was a German princess and queen consort of Sweden.She was the daughter of John Sigismund, Elector of Brandenburg, and Anna, Duchess of Prussia, daughter of Albert Frederick, Duke of Prussia....
. In 1633 she married Bengt Oxenstierna (1591-1643)
Bengt Oxenstierna (1591-1643)
Bengt Oxenstierna was a Swedish diplomat and noble, the Swedish Privy Councillor, Governor-General of Ingria and Livonia who traveled to Persia, Palestine and Egypt.-Biography:...
and followed him to Livonia
Livonia
Livonia is a historic region along the eastern shores of the Baltic Sea. It was once the land of the Finnic Livonians inhabiting the principal ancient Livonian County Metsepole with its center at Turaida...
. Widowed in 1643, she returned to the court as lady-in-waiting to Queen Christina of Sweden
Christina of Sweden
Christina , later adopted the name Christina Alexandra, was Queen regnant of Swedes, Goths and Vandals, Grand Princess of Finland, and Duchess of Ingria, Estonia, Livonia and Karelia, from 1633 to 1654. She was the only surviving legitimate child of King Gustav II Adolph and his wife Maria Eleonora...
.
Second marriage
In 1647, she received a proposal from Johan OxenstiernaJohan Oxenstierna
Johan Axelsson Oxenstierna af Södermöre was a Count and a Swedish statesman.The son of Axel Oxenstierna, he was born in Stockholm. He completed his studies at Uppsala in 1631, and was sent by his father on a grand tour through France, the Netherlands and Great Britain...
, son of Axel Oxenstierna
Axel Oxenstierna
Axel Gustafsson Oxenstierna af Södermöre , Count of Södermöre, was a Swedish statesman. He became a member of the Swedish Privy Council in 1609 and served as Lord High Chancellor of Sweden from 1612 until his death. He was a confidant of first Gustavus Adolphus and then Queen Christina.Oxenstierna...
. Marriages within the nobility was political contracts made to balance power within the different families, and this proposal caused political conflicts at court, were the monarch was forced to balance between the two noble families Brahe and Oxenstierna. It also caused a scandal because of the age difference, as the bride and not the groom was one decade senior. Margareta was further more considered sterile by age. As the marriage was neither political or intended to produce children, it was clearly a love match. Axel Oxenstierna engaged his other son to Elsa Elisabeth Brahe, which was seen as a way of him to allow his son to marry Margareta withouth disturbing the power balance, but he was in fact strongly against the marriage: he wrote to his son that although he would gladly see Margareta as his daughter-in-law if she was younger, he could not understand why Johan wanted to marry an "old" and sterile woman, who could not give his parents grandchildren. But Johan was genuinly in love and married Margareta against his parents advice four months after the death of his first spouse. The marriage lasted ten years. When Johan died in 1657, Margareta was one of the richest people in Sweden.
Third marriage
In 1660, she received two proposals of marriage: one from Louis Henry, Landgrave of Nassau-Dillenburg, 66 years old, and one from Frederick II, Landgrave of Hesse-HomburgFrederick II, Landgrave of Hesse-Homburg
Frederick II of Hesse-Homburg , also known as the Prince of Homburg was Landgraf of Hesse-Homburg. He was also a successful and experienced general for the crowns of both Sweden and of Brandenburg, but is best remembered as the eponymous hero of Heinrich von Kleist's play Der Prinz von Homburg.-...
, 27 years old. To everyones astonichement, she accepted the proposal from the younger one of the two. When Nassau, who thought his proposal was accepted, sent his embassy to Stockholm, he found that Margareta and Hesse were already engaged. Nassau put forward diplomatic protests to Queen Dowager Regent Hedwig Eleonora
Hedwig Eleonora of Holstein-Gottorp
Hedwig Eleonora of Holstein-Gottorp was the queen consort of King Charles X of Sweden and queen mother of King Charles XI...
and Per Brahe, but Margareta did not wait for the diplomatic conflicts to end. The 12th May 1661 she married Hesse-Homburg in a grand wedding with elaborate celebrations at the royal court in Stockholm in the presence of the king and the queen dowager. The couple were reported to go well with each other sexually, but the wedding caused a great scandal and was much talked about. Margareta departed with her spouse to Germany and lived the rest of her life at the court of Hesse-Homburg
Hesse-Homburg
Hesse-Homburg was formed into a separate landgraviate in 1622 by the landgrave of Hesse-Darmstadt to be ruled by his son, although it did not become independent of Hesse-Darmstadt until 1668....
.
Nassau pointed out Margareta as an adulterer and Fredrik as a seducer and demanded that they be punished in accordance with German law. He published a book titled : Die untreue Margaretha Brahe ("The adulterous Margaretha Brahe"), which were ridiculed in Germany.
At her death in 1669 she gave her fortune to her spouse As a token of appreciation for the faithfulty always showed to her by her young consort; this also made a scandal, as she left almost nothing to her relatives.