The Road to Rome
1 I hope from you: Christina’s letter of August 1651 to the General of the Jesuit Order, quoted in Garstein (1992), Rome and the Counter-Reformation in Scandinavia, p. 635.
2 Retiring to their stoves: Diary of John Evelyn (1908), p. 330, entry for 23 September 1680. Evelyn had been speaking with ‘Signor Pietro’, one of Christina’s court musicians, who had lived in Stockholm before her abdication.
3 Equal to God: Descartes’ letter to Christina, 20 November 1647, quoted in Descartes, Correspondance avec Elisabeth, p. 272.
4 Less is infidelity: Quoted in Kermina (1995), Christine de Suède, p. 302.
5 Dissolute and profligate nonentities: Garstein (1992), Rome and the Counter-Reformation in Scandinavia, p. 703.
6 Take her for a man: Quoted in ibid., p. 705.
7 With the Spanish war: The French had been at war with the Spanish Habsburg Empire since 1643, and had signed no mutual treaties at the Peace of Westphalia. The war continued until the Peace of the Pyrenees in 1659.
8 Except to reproach you: Christina’s letter of 5 December 1653 to Magnus De la Gardie, quoted in Arckenholtz (1751–60), Mémoires concernant Christine, Vol. 1, p. 359. The letter was translated into Latin for Christina by Nicolaas Heinsius, a celebrated Latinist at her court.
Abdication
1 Few persons to be trusted: Whitelocke (1855), A Journal of the Swedish Embassy, Vol. 2, pp. 98–9.
2 Forgive you for it: Christina’s letter of 19 December 1653 to Madame Saumaise, quoted in Arckenholtz (1751–60), Mémoires concernant Christine, Vol. 1, pp. 233–4.
3 In your younger days: Whitelocke (1855), A Journal of the Swedish Embassy, Vol. 2, pp. 215–16.
4 On his daughter’s head: ibid., p. 282.
5 Dissuade me from my purpose: ibid., p. 220ff.
6 To bear your burden: ibid., p. 223.
7 With this evening’s ceremonies: ibid., p. 231.
8 What she had done: ibid., p. 314.
9 Nothing more than novelty: ibid., p. 316.
10 Fatal to Sweden: Raymond (1994), Christine de Suède: Apologies, p. 102.
Crossing the Rubicon
1 Company of all other nations: Garstein (1992), Rome and the Counter-Reformation in Scandinavia, p. 725.
2 Console me for it: Arckenholtz (1751–60), Mémoires concernant Christine, Vol. 3, p. 174.
3 Talks loud and sweareth notably: From a report to John Thurloe, quoted in Masson (1968), Queen Christina, p. 220.
4 Still beggars the imagination: The phrase is Antonia Fraser’s. See Fraser (1973), Cromwell, p. 428.
5 Vomit of the Sea: Andrew Marvell, ‘The Character of Holland’, in The Complete Poems, p. 88, lines 1–7.
6 400 feet high: For a description of Antwerp at about this time, see Schama (1999), Rembrandt’s Eyes, Chapter 4. The quotation is from p. 159.
7 And vowed ‘perpetual chastity’: I am indebted to Dr Mary Frandsen of the University of Notre Dame in Indiana for bringing this letter to my attention. See Sächsische Hauptstaatsarchiv (Dresden), Loc. 8563/1, fol. 858r-v.
8 I know not: Letter from Charles Longland in Livorno to John Thurloe, 3 July 1654, quoted in Garstein (1992), Rome and the Counter-Reformation in Scandinavia, p. 726.
9 Three times over: For details of the plays Christina attended, see Lanoye (2001), Christina van Zweden.
10 Very little, or very ill: Quoted in Garstein (1992), Rome and the Counter-Reformation in Scandinavia, p. 698, note 8.
11 None shall be saved: Pallavicino (1838), Descrizione del primo viaggio fatto a Roma, p. 40.
12 Our Faith ever recorded: ibid., p. 1.
13 Your most obedient daughter, Christina: Christina’s letter of 5 November 1655 to Pope Alexander VII, quoted in ibid., p. 42.
Rome at Last
1 Down in their memoirs: Pope Alexander VII’s address to the cardinals, quoted in Garstein (1992), Rome and the Counter-Reformation in Scandinavia, pp. 749–50.
2 A heretic or an Italian: Quoted in Rodén (2000), Church Politics in Seventeenth-Century Rome, p. 114.
3 Waged against successive popes: The city of Castro, in the region of Bolsena, had been held as a papal fief by the Farnese family since 1537. Pope Urban VIII had tried to take it from the family for the benefit of his own nephews. In 1649, the Duca Ranuccio II Farnese was implicated in the murder of the proposed new Bishop of Castro, and the city was destroyed on the orders of Pope Innocent X.
4 Hand in its design: The Palazzo Farnese was commissioned by Cardinal Alessandro Farnese, later Pope Paul III, and was built during the years 1514–89. It had four successive architects: Sangallo, Michelangelo, Vignola, and Della Porta. Since 1875 it has housed the French Embassy in Rome.
5 The great Annibale Carracci: See Dempsey (1995), Annibale Carracci: The Farnese Gallery, Rome.
6 Christina Alexandra: Christina’s letter to Belle of 6 January 1656, paraphrased from Masson (1968), Queen Christina, pp. 263–4.
7 Il trionfo della pietà: Human Life, or The Triumph of Piety. It was first performed on 31 January 1656. Revival of Marazzoli’s operas Dal male il bene and Le armi e gli amori were also given in Christina’s honour at the Palazzo Barberini. Tenaglia’s Il giudizio di Paride, now lost, was staged for her at the Palazzo Pamphili, and at the Jesuits’ Collegio Germanico, Carissimi’s Il sacrificio d’Isaaco and Giuditta, also both lost.
8 Rotten fruit to dead cats: Magnuson (1982), Rome in the Age of Bernini, p. 190. The Jews’ races were finally banned by Christina’s friend, Pope Clement IX, in 1668.
9 Last day of February: A painting by Filippo Gagliardi and Filippo Lauri of this Barberini Giostra delle Caroselle is held in Rome’s Museo di Roma.
10 Millions of pounds: A modest family of the time could live on about 150 pounds (livres) per year.
11 Did not encourage her: Barbara Strozzi (1619–77) and Leonora Baroni (1611–70). Both were singers and composers. See Bowers (1986), ‘The Emergence of Women Composers in Italy’.
Love Again
1 And some other defects: Extract from Gregorio Leti’s Il livello politico of 1678, quoted in Rodén (2000), Church Politics in Seventeenth-Century Rome, p. 81.
2 ‘Cardinal’s suitcase’ – also red: For a detailed description of a cardinal’s required clothing and other appurtenances, see ibid., p. 78ff.
3 Mainly to the Cardinal: The code they used was not deciphered until the very end of the nineteenth century, by the Swedish diplomat Baron de Bildt, an important editor of Christina’s letters. For details of the codes used, see the appendices in Bildt (1899), Christine de Suède et le Cardinal Azzolino: Lettres inédites.
4 The pleasures of love: Raymond (1994), Christine de Suède: Apologies, p. 126.
5 From Venus’ captivating toils: Andrew Marvell, ‘A Letter to Dr Ingelo’, in The Complete Poems, p. 240ff, line 60. The English translation of the Latin original is by A. B. Grosart.
6 Built a ‘romantic friendship’: The phrase belongs to Baron de Bildt, editor of Christina’s letters to Azzolino.
7 For the papal throne: See Rodén (2000), Church Politics in Seventeenth-Century Rome, pp. 93–4 for a list and brief biography of each of the eleven original members of the Squadrone Volante. The description is Pallavicino’s.
Fair Wind for France
1 The quien of Sweden: Letter of 14 April 1656 from Charles Longland in Livorno to John Thurloe in London, quoted in Garstein (1992), Rome and the Counter-Reformation in Scandinavia, p. 767.
2 Still in the Place: Quoted in Castelnau (1944), Christine, reine de Suède, p. 152.
3 The blind mystic, François Malaval: This meeting may in fact have taken place on Christina’s second visit to Marseilles, during the summer of 1657.
4 As in England: Quoted in Bernard (1970), The Emerging City: Paris in the Age of Louis XIV, p. 69.
5 Her wig is black: Quoted in Gobry (2001), La reine Christine, pp. 203–4.
6 Days of my life: Paraphrased from ibid., pp. 205–6.
7 The
list backwards, faultlessly: Menestrier had probably been trained in the ‘memory palace’ technique, a Renaissance practice which survived in Jesuit schools. Reciting lists of unconnected words was a performance feature of this technique. See Spence (1985), The Memory Palace of Matteo Ricci.
8 A recent embellishment: The horseshoe staircase was built by Jean Androuet du Cerceau in 1634, in the reign of Louis XIII. The gardens had been laid out by his father, Henri IV, the first Bourbon King of France. See Dunlop (1985), Royal Palaces of France. The ‘marvellous fountain’ quotation is from Dunlop (1999), Louis XIV, p. 68.
9 Oasis in the desert: The quotation is from Count Orlov (1824), Voyage dans une partie de la France, Letter XXII.
10 When I saw her: Madame de Montpensier, Mémoires (1985), Vol. 1, p. 399.
The Rising Sun
1 Taste, wit, and gallantry: Molière, Les Précieuses ridicules, Act 1, Scene ix.
2 And millions of clerks: Loret’s verse is quoted in Gobry (2001), La reine Christine, pp. 210–11.
3 Owes to Her virtue: Patru, ‘Harangue de Monsieur Patru faite en 1656’, p. 78. Olivier Patru was elected to the Académie in 1640, and at his first attendance gave such an eloquent speech of thanks that a harangue de réception was thenceforth required of all new académiciens. Despite more than forty years’ membership of the Académie, Patru never did win the prix d’éloquence.
4 Should keep hidden: Quoted in Bernard (1970), The Emerging City: Paris in the Age of Louis XIV, p. 88.
5 Of a convert’s zeal: Madame de Montpensier (1985), Mémoires, Vol. 1, p. 408.
6 A little ‘portrait of himself’: See La Rochefoucauld, Portrait de M. R. D. fait par lui-même, in La Rochefoucauld (1999 edn), Maximes, p. 253ff.
7 The stomach of Paris: The phrase is Émile Zola’s.
8 We have our chairs: Molière, Les Précieuses ridicules, Act I, Scene ix.
9 Wicked little tale nonetheless: The young man was Louis-Henri Loménie de Brienne, son of Mazarin’s Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs.
10 Any beauty in them: Madame de Motteville’s Mémoires, quoted in Gobry (2001), La reine Christine, p. 219ff.
11 Innkeeper’s wench: Marie Mancini’s ungenerous contemporary was the Comte de Bussy-Raboutin, quoted in Dunlop (1999), Louis XIV, p. 48.
12 Things that don’t concern you: Madame de Montpensier (1985), Mémoires, Vol. 1, p. 409.
13 Of doing anything dishonourable: Christina’s letter to Azzolino, quoted in Neumann (1936), The Life of Christina of Sweden, p. 194ff.
14 Not looking very nice at all: Madame de Montpensier (1985), Mémoires, Vol. 1, pp. 409–10.
Fontainebleau
1 And I salute you: Quoted in Kermina (1995), Christine de Suède, p. 199.
2 Like a young cock: Lascaris’ letter to Azzolino of 28 December 1656, quoted in Neumann (1936), The Life of Christina of Sweden, p. 198. The original pun is a play on Lascaris’ name (lasca, a kind of fish), and cefalo (another kind of fish, but also meaning an erection).
Aftermath
1 We are all horrified: From Madame de Motteville’s Mémoires, quoted in Gobry (2001), La reine Christine, p. 242.
2 For revealing that intrigue: John Evelyn’s Diary (1908 edn), pp. 329–30. Entry for 23 September 1680.
3 To leave the country: Cardinal Mazarin’s letter to Christina, quoted in ibid., p. 243.
4 No superior save God alone: Christina’s letter to Cardinal Mazarin, quoted in Castelnau (1981), La reine Christine, p. 206.
5 Your affectionate friend, Christina: Paraphrased from Stolpe (1966), Christina of Sweden, p. 241ff.
6 Christina Alexandra: Christina’s letter to Chanut, quoted in Neumann (1936), The Life of Christina of Sweden, p. 207.
7 I will protect your interests: Christina’s letter of 15 November 1657, to Francesco Maria Santinelli, paraphrased from ibid., pp. 207–8.
8 Found on the Marchese: Christina’s published description of the events at Fontainebleau, paraphrased from Stolpe (1966), Christina of Sweden, p. 239ff.
9 Every mark of affection: Mazarin’s letter to Karl X Gustav, quoted in Kermina (1995), Christine de Suède, p. 206.
10 That you promised me: Christina’s letter to Mazarin, quoted in ibid., pp. 209–10.
11 Marks were still there: See Madame de Montpensier (1985), Mémoires, Vol. 2, pp. 23–4.
12 Make fun of me: See ibid., p. 32ff.
13 Great desire for pleasure: From Madame de Motteville’s Mémoires, paraphrased from Masson (1968), Queen Christina, p. 299.
14 The narrowest legal grounds: University debates throughout France found uniformly that Christina had acted legally. The German philosopher and jurist Leibniz later also found in her favour. He attempted to meet her during his visit to Rome in 1689, but his arrival in the city coincided with her last illness.
15 Particular esteem and affection: Quoted in Kermina (1995), Christine de Suède, p. 210.
16 Her imminent departure: Quoted in ibid., p. 211.
17 Eighty thousand écus: Mazarin’s letter to Ambassador Terlon, quoted in ibid., p. 212.
Old Haunts, New Haunts
1 Her new Palazzo Riario: Now the Palazzo Corsini, on the Via della Lungara, towards the district of Trastevere. The palazzo was extensively rebuilt during the eighteenth century.
2 Spirits of both sides boiling: Notably differences over the 1659 Treaty of the Pyrenees between France and Spain, in which the Pope had refused to allow Louis a free hand in the granting of bishoprics and abbeys.
3 Used to save them: Quoted in Kermina (1995), Christine de Suède, p. 223.
4 This disagreeable picture: Quoted in ibid., pp. 223–4.
5 Speak to her boldly: Paraphrased from Masson (1968), Queen Christina, p. 317.
6 Dust from the roads: From a report from the Venetian Ambassador, quoted in Neumann (1936), The Life of Christina of Sweden, p. 224.
7 2,000 manuscripts alone: The basis of Christina’s manuscript collection was the loot brought back to Sweden during the Thirty Years War, particularly from Prague. The Queen added to this by buying complete collections of manuscripts, notably those belonging to Hugo Grotius, Gerard Vossius, Pierre Bourdelot, and above all, Alexandre Petau. It was a diverse collection, including classical, religious, medical, and philosophical works, a large number of Old French literary texts, and astronomical treatises, including some autographed by the Danish astronomer, Tycho Brahe. See Christina, Queen of Sweden: A Personality of European Civilization (1966), p. 529ff.
8 Every other night with comedies: Edward Browne writing of Christina in January 1665, quoted in The Diary of John Evelyn (1908), p. 329, note 1.
9 With royal Magnificence: Hollingworth (1927), The History of the Intrigues & Gallantries of Christina, Queen of Sweden, p. 216.
10 ‘Deserved that name’ at all: Whitelocke (1855), A Journal of the Swedish Embassy, Vol. 2, pp. 289–90.
11 With Fruits and Comfitures: Hollingworth (1927), The History of the Intrigues & Gallantries of Christina, Queen of Sweden, p. 215.
12 Little merit, and much vanity: ibid., p. 146.
Débâcle
1 Forgets them in the middle: Neumann (1936), The Life of Christina of Sweden, p. 225.
2 Vehicle for the next world: Letter from Christina in Hamburg to Hugues de Lionne, 11 December 1666, quoted in Bildt (1899), Christine de Suède et le Cardinal Azzolino, p. 284.
3 Doesn’t ask too often: Letter from Christina in Hamburg to Azzolino, 17 November 1666, quoted in ibid., p. 265.
4 Ruined Church and State: Letter from Christina in Hamburg to Azzolino, 29 September 1666, quoted in ibid., p. 232ff.
5 Peace with the Dutch: The Great Fire of London burned from 12–16 September 1666. Peace was not made until the following May.
6 How to keep quiet: Letter from Christina in Hamburg to Azzolino, 22 June 1667, quoted in Bildt (1899), Christine de Suède et le Cardinal Azzolino, p. 369ff.
7 A word of any of them: Neumann (1936) The Life of Christina of Sweden, p. 230.
8 Territory of Hälsingborg: Karl X Gustav had taken Hälsingborg from the Danes in 1658.
9 Nicodemus Tessin: This was Tessin the Elder (1615–81). His son, Tessin the Younger (1654–1728), completed the palace and designed its first gardens.
10 Succeed the Queen: Christina’s letter to Macchiati of 24 June 1667, quoted in Bildt (1899), Christine de Suède et le Cardinal Azzolino, p. 368.
11 Letter from Christina in Jönköping to King Karl XI, 24 May 1667, quoted in ibid., p. 354.
12 Even if his own King were present: Letter from Pontus De la Gardie in Norrköping to King Karl XI, 21/31 May 1667, quoted in ibid., p. 355.
13 Such hard work in my life: Letter from Count Pontus De la Gardie at Skarhult to King Karl XI, 27 May/6 June 1667, quoted in ibid., p. 357.
14 Remain in Sweden: Letter from Christina in Helsingør to the French Ambassador Terlon at Copenhagen, 6 June 1667, quoted in ibid., p. 356.
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