‎Theresa Kutasz Christensen, Camilla Kandare, Ylva Haidenthaller (eds)‎
‎Christina of Sweden in Context. A Celebration of Seventeenth-Century Queenship 400 Years in the Making‎

‎, Brepols, 2026 Hardback, 378 pages, Size:216 x 280 mm, Illustrations:37 b/w, 65 col., 5 tables b/w., Language: English. ISBN 9782503623214.‎

Reference : 71095

‎Summary Queen Christina of Sweden (1626-1689) has long captivated scholars and the public alike. Her abdication of the throne in 1654, refusal to marry, and decision to change her faith, together with her determination to shape her own intellectual and political path, have secured her a place among the most studied women of Early Modern Europe. Four centuries after her birth, her life and reign continue to inspire sustained and wide-ranging inquiry. This volume, produced in honour of Christina's 400th birthday, reassesses her legacy by placing her firmly within the cultural, political, and intellectual contexts of the seventeenth century. The essays explore how she negotiated the expectations imposed on her as both a woman and a queen, and how her self-fashioning shaped her reception during her lifetime and beyond. By examining her networks, movements, and influence across social, religious, artistic, and intellectual spheres, the collection counters long-standing narratives that highlight only her exceptionalism or rely on mythologized accounts of her life. Through interdisciplinary and transnational perspectives, and by revisiting both primary sources and foundational scholarship, this volume offers a nuanced and contextualized portrait of Christina, providing an essential resource for future research on this remarkable historical figure. TABLE OF CONTENTS List of Illustrations List of Abbreviations Acknowledgements Foreword by Princess Christina, Mrs Magnuson Foreword by Malin Grundberg Introduction Theresa Kutasz Christensen, Camilla Kandare, and Ylva Haidenthaller Section 1. Examining Expectations: Seventeenth-Century Queenship and the Idea of Christina 1. Queen Christina, A Fashion Icon? The Look la Christine in Late Seventeenth-Century Europe Valerio Zanetti 2. Christina in French Media after 1654: The 'libelles' and Popular Prints Martin Olin 3. Christina in Paris, 1652: The Queen of Peace Amid War in France Carrie F. Klaus 4. The Swedish Huntress: Queen Christina and the Pursuit of Hunting in Early Modern Sweden Dustin M. Neighbors 5. Queen Christina and the Art of Courtly Horseback Riding in the Seventeenth Century Kari Lawe 6. Christina as Minerva: Empowerment, Expectation, and the Challenges of a Divine Alter Ego Ylva Haidenthaller Section 2. Power Play: Performance and Agency in Christina's Public Persona 7. Queen Christina's Freethinking in Response to Early Modern Subjectivation Carin Franz n 8. Queen Christina in the Mirror of the Philosophers Susanna kerman 9. Queens at the Crossroads: Gender, Rule, Pietas, and Passion in the Coronation Tapestries of Christina Merit Laine 10. Queen Christina of Sweden: Greco-Roman Heritage and Literary Patronage Stefano Fogelberg Rota and Antonis Pontoropoulos 11. Status Concerns or Enthusiasm? Queen Christina as a Patron of Music Lars Berglund 12. Music and Musical Encounters at the Court of Christina in 1654 Maria Schildt 13. 'La regina di Svetia si diletta assai di medaglie e circa l'antichit di quelle se ne intende mediocramente bene': The Famous 'Nummophylacium Christinae Reginae Sueciae' in Rome Maria Cristina Molinari 14. Christina's Kunstkammer in Stockholm: Formation, Organization, and Arrangement Mattias Ekman Section 3. Christina's Contemporaries: Women's Networks and Influence 15. Royal Encounters and Architectural Splendour: Unveiling the Triumphal Entry of Queen Christina of Sweden into Turin (1656) Valentina Burgassi 16. 'Con special familiarit ': Queen Christina's Patronage of the Process of Canonisation for Chiara Maria della Passione Camilla Kandare 17. Kinship, Collecting, and the Kunstkammer: The Matrilineality of Queen Christina Lisa Skogh de Zoete 18. Possessing Roma: Queen Christina of Sweden and Women's Agency in the Early Modern Antiquities Market Theresa Kutasz Christensen Section 4. Impressive Impact: Christina's Posthumous Early-Modern Legacy 19. Another Christina: Queen Maria Kazimiera d'Arquien Sobieska in Rome, 1699-1714 Jaros?aw Pietrzak 20. Sculptural (Re)Collections: Elisabetta Farnese's Self-Fashioning after Christina of Sweden Aoife Cosgrove 21. 'King's Gems'. Estimation and Influence of the Sculpture Collection of Queen Christina of Sweden on Spanish Court Art Virginia Albarr n and Manuel Arias Index‎