CHRISTINA (of Sweden), the daughter of Gustavus Adolphus by Maria Eleonora, princess of Brandenburg, was born ou the 8th of De cember 1626. Her father bestowed great care ou her education, and having no son to succeed him was anxious to cultivate in her a strong and masculine disposition. Even when a mere infant ho expected that oho, as the daughter of a warrior, should hear the roar of artillery without emotion. On his departure for the wars in Germany, Gustavus Adolphus appointed a regency, and, carrying his daughter in his arms, presented her to the assembled states of the kingdom as their future soverelgu.
Gustavus fell at Lutzen in November 1682. Christina, then six years of age, was proclaimed queen by the states, who left her in the hands of regents or guardiaus,—the five great dignitaries of the crown, who were charged with the admiuistration of affairs and the task of completing the young queen's education. The Chancellor Oxenstiern, an experienced and eulightened statesman, was at the head of these dignitaries, aud the other members of the regency were persons of ability and upright intentions. They however pursued the plan of education and discipline that had been traced out by the king himself, and to this we must, in part, attribute the singular character afterwards displayed by Christina.
From her earliest years she was surrounded by grave masters and scholars, who crowded and oppressed her intellect with Latin, Greek, Hebrew, history, and politics; and for her lighter amusements she was allowed to ride on horseback in masculine attire, to hunt, to shoot, and review troops. The society of her own sex was soon in supportable to her. It is generally stated that she made considerable progress in several ancient and modern languages, and in other branches of knowledge, and that at the council table she showed a searching wit and great precocity of reason. But her knowledge was not digested, and her mind wanted the equilibrium which is given by refined taste and sound judgment. Bayle says she read daily some pages of Tacitus in the original.
In 1644 she took the reins of government into her own hands, and, much favoured by circumstances, acted rather a conspicuous part in the affairs of Europe. She at once finished a war with Denmark, obtaining by treaty the cession of some territory to Sweden; she pressed on the peace with Germany against the advice of Oxenstiern and others ; and finally became a party to the treaty of Westphalia in 1648, by which, in consequence of the victories of her brave troops, she obtained several millions of dollars, three votes iu the diet of the Germanic empire, and the cession of Pomerania, Wismar, Bremen, and Verden. When pressed by the states to marry, she constantly and
firmly refused. The assigned motives of her refusal have been pre served in several eccentric speeches. Among those who aspired to her hand was her own cousin Charles Gustavus, a prince of excellent qualities. In 1649 she was induced by the states to declare him her successor; but she would not allow the prince any share of her sove reign power, of which she was exceedingly jealous. Soon after the naming of her successor was over, she had herself crowned with great pomp, under the title of King.
Having now no wars to engage her attention, she gave herself up with all the energy of her character to arts and literature, or rather to a mania of patronising artists and men of letters. Her court was soon crowded, good being mixed with the bad, the empty pretender with the real man of science, the sage with the buffoon. She attracted to Stockholm, Saumaise (Salmasius), Vossius, Bochart, 'duet, Chevreau, Naudd, Meibom, and other foreigners, chiefly Frenchmen.
Bourdelot, a gossiping intriguing French abbd, who pretended to some knowledge of medicine, and who was retained in quality of her physician, became tho great favourite of the queen by flattering her vanity and ridiculing her court of philosophers and men of letters, whose jealousies and jarrings were incessant. Christina spent enormous sums, for so poor a country as Sweden, in the purchase of books, manuscripts, statues, pictures, antiquities, and curiosities. But reverence and affection for her father's memory stifled the murmurs of the Swedes, and when, to the astonishment of everybody, she first spoke of abdicating, she was most earnestly entreated to remain on the throne. For some short time after this she showed a renewal of good sense and energy, and a disposition to public business. It was at this interval that Cromwell's ambassador, Whitlock, saw a good deal of her majesty, and that his secretary or follower, Morton, picked up that curious information about her court and herself which was afterwards published in England. (' Journal of an Embassy to Sweden in 1653-54, from the Commonwealth of England,' by Charles Morton ; Whitlock's 'Journal' was also published in 1855.) Her dis taste for what she called the splendid slavery of royalty, her desire to indulge in all her caprices in perfect liberty, and (a stronger motive perhaps than any other) her wish of presenting an extraordinary spec tacle to the world, soon returning upon her, she formally signified her decided intention of renouncing the crown in May 1654, and on the 16th of June her abdication took place with great solemnity, she being then only in the 28th year of her age.