There are some consorts who adapted instantly to their new kingdom and make the most of their new home. However, there are some who do not and seem to struggle in the tenure as queen consort. And their struggle does not mean that they are not worthy of our attention. (We all adapt differently to new situations, and these young women- often teenagers – were in foreign countries with different languages, culture, and traditions.) Let’s look at one of the most interesting consorts of early modern Europe: our March Consort of the Month: Queen Maria Eleonora of Brandenburg!
Consort of the Month: Queen Maria Eleonora of Brandenburg
Birth Date: 11 November 1599
Death Date: 28 March 1655
Tenure: 25 November 1620 – 6 November 1632
Birth Name: Maria Eleonora
Spouse: Gustavus Adolphus, King of Sweden
House: Hohenzollern
Father: John Sigismund, Elector of Brandenburg
Mother: Duchess Anna of Prussia
Why Do We Know Queen Maria Eleonora of Brandenburg?
I would guess that very few people in 2025 have either heard of Maria Eleonora of Brandenburg or could identify her. Her daughter, Queen Christina of Sweden, theoretically should be one of the best known monarchs from history, as she was utterly fascinating, but even she has largely been forgotten. There have also been several notable queens of Sweden since that seem to hold any attention there is. This post might help to change that, though!
Queen Maria Eleonora of Brandenburg’s Early Life
Maria Eleonora was born to John Sigismund, the Elector of Brandenburg, and his wife, Anna, Duchess of Prussia, in 1599. The young Maria Eleonore spent much of childhood with her siblings and mother; her parents were known to have a fairly volatile and sometimes violent relationship. Anna was a particularly intelligent woman and was involved in politics during both her husband and son’s reigns.
The Royal Bride of Europe
Maria Eleonora was a highly sought after royal bride as a teenager. As a well-connected Protestant with links to several European royal families who also happened to be considered a great beauty, many monarchs and heirs contemplated making her an offer of marriage. The Swedish King Gustavus Adolphus was the victor, though.
Gustavus Adolphus decided that he was going to marry Maria Eleonora before actually meeting her. He had been forced to abandon his first love, a Swedish noblewoman, and then settled on the charming and beautiful Maria Eleonora. Although Maria Eleonora’s brother was against the marriage as the new Elector (following their father’s death), Anna consented for her daughter to marry the Swedish King. They married in November 1620 at the Royal Palace, and Maria Eleonora’s coronation was held at the Storkyrkan on 28 November in Stockholm.
A Lonely Queen of Sweden
While Maria Eleonora and Gustavus Adolphus had a fair amount in common, including a love of architecture and music, they actually spent very little time together. The King spent the large majority of his time with the military; he is still known as “the father of modern warfare”. While he advanced military technique and theory, his wife was lonely and homesick, and was not at all enamored with life in Sweden. She gave birth to two stillborn children, and her first daughter, Christina, died before she was a year old in 1624. Confusingly, she then also named her daughter born in 1626 Christina; she would become Queen Christina of Sweden.
Maria Eleonora was physically and emotionally fragile and may have been suffering from post-natal depression; when she was told that the baby was a girl several days later, she was incredibly angry. She had little involvement in Christina’s upbringing and education in her early years.
Courtiers and visitors considered Maria Eleonora to be beautiful and cultured, but spent much of her time as Queen with her ladies-in-waiting from Brandenburg.
An Isolated Widow
Gustavus Adolphus was shot on the battlefield in November 1632 with his throne left to the now-Queen Christina of Sweden. Maria Eleonora reportedly left his coffin open for days and she sunk into a deep depression. She plunged the court, and specifically the seven year old Queen Christina, into intense mourning for over a year. She would continuously cry and would be inconsolable if anyone tried to separate her from her daughter.
However, she was not included in Christina’s regency council, and by 1636, all of her parental rights were removed. She eventually left court and travelled to Denmark where she was a guest of King Christian IV. Notably, she was not able to return to Brandenburg until her brother passed away and her nephew welcomed her.
Maria Eleonora was opposed to Christina’s plans to abdicate as Queen. From the records, it appears that she was concerned about the financial status of her household if Christina was no longer able to pay for her. However, Christina and her successor, Charles Gustav, agreed that Maria Eleonora would be cared for. She died on 28 March 1655 and is buried in Riddarholm Church.
Queen Maria Eleonora of Brandenburg: Interesting Facts
– The future King Charles I of England considered Maria Eleonora as a prospective bride
– Her sister and mother remained in Sweden for over 3 years after the wedding.
– Maria Eleonora struggled to speak Swedish and mostly spoke French (the courtly language across Europe).
-She was known to have a sweet tooth.
Interested in more book previews, period dramas, royal news, and more? You can subscribe to my biweekly substack newsletter here: https://anhistorianabouttown.substack.com/!
Further Readings/Listenings on Queen Maria Eleonora of Brandenburg
This is another case of no easily identifiable English language sources. The best option would be to look for biographies/books on her husband (Gustavus Adolphus) and her daughter (Christina), but please let me know if you know of any.
Looking for my earlier Consort of the Month posts? Read about:
Queen Charlotte of Mecklenburg-Strelitz
Queen Marie Antoinette
Catherine de Medici
Queen Adelaide
Catherine de Valois
Marie de Guise
Queen Alexandra of Denmark
Empress Josephine of France
Queen Elizabeth of York
Queen Elisabeth de Valois
Queen Catherine of Braganza
Queen Caroline of Brunswick
Queen Josephine of Leuchtenberg
Elizabeth Stuart
Queen Elisabeth of the Belgians
Saint Margaret of Scotland
Queen Maud of Wales
Empress Sisi of Austria
Queen Marie of Romania
Queen Astrid of Belgium
I hope you have enjoyed Consort of the Month: Queen Maria Eleanora of Brandenburg!
Cheers,
The Historian
Facebook | Threads | Instagram | Pinterest
