thumb|Karin Månsdotter as portrayed by in the late 17th century
Karin Månsdotter (in English Catherine; 6 November 1550 – 13 September 1612) was first the mistress and then the queen consort of King Erik XIV of Sweden.
Early life
Karin was born in Stockholm to a soldier and later prison guard named Måns (her surname is a patronym, literally "daughter of Måns") and his wife Ingrid. Her mother came from a family of peasants in Uppland, and was said to have sold vegetables on the square. Both her parents are believed to have died 1560. According to legend, Erik XIV first noticed her selling nuts at a square in Stockholm, and was so astonished by her beauty that he took her to court as his lover, a story mentioned by Dorothea Ostrelska (a portrait long believed to be of her has been discovered to be of her sister-in-law). She was described as very beautiful with long blond hair and innocent eyes, and her personality seems to have been calm, humble and natural. The king was mentally unstable, and she seems to have been the only one who could comfort him and calm him down, which made her appreciated by his relatives, who considered her good for him. She had no personal enemies at court, but she was not respected, and their marriage in 1568 was considered a scandal and may have contributed to his dethronement.
thumb|left|350px|Karin Månsdotter, Erik XIV and [[Jöran Persson, in Georg von Rosen's painting of 1871]]
Sometime in 1567, Erik decided to marry Karin in accordance to the agreement he made with the council in 1561, which allowed him to marry whom he pleased. His plans was supported by his advisor Jöran Persson, as foreign negotiations had failed and a native aristocrat as queen would have threatened Persson's position. She and her daughter Sigrid are the only Swedish royals to be buried in Finland.
Karin Månsdotter was the first royal mistress to a Swedish monarch to become queen since Christina Abrahamsdotter in 1470. Although three queens of Sweden in her same century were not of royal blood, but noblewomen, Karin Månsdotter was the only one before Silvia (1976) who was a commoner — not counting Queen Desideria, who although born a commoner became Princess of Ponte Corvo four years before becoming Swedish royalty.
Family
Karin Månsdotter had the following children with the king:
- Princess Sigrid of Sweden (1566–1633) (born before the marriage), lady-in-waiting, spouse of two nobles
- Prince Gustav of Sweden (1568–1607)
- Henrik (1570–1574)
- Arnold (1572–1573)
Karin Månsdotter in fiction
Karin Månsdotter has been portrayed in films and books. The film Karin Månsdotter by Alf Sjöberg was made in 1954. Finnish author Mika Waltari wrote a historical novel ' in 1942 (originally written in Finnish, and translated in to Swedish in 1943).
Legacy
The asteroid 832 Karin is named in her honour.
Notes
References
- Lars-Olof Larsson (in Swedish): Arvet efter Gustav Vasa (The legacy of Gustav Vasa) (2005)