Stockholm Woman: Your Choice
Today we visited the statue of Kristina Gyllenstierna. She was born into a Swedish noble family and played a significant role in Sweden's history. She married a Regent of Sweden, who had a very influential family. Her husband passed a way, leaving her with the responsibility to defend Sweden against Danish attacks/invasions. She commanded the Swedish resistance and defended Stockholm against the invasion by King Christian II of Denmark. The Danes finally took Stockholm, despite her best attempts. In what became known as the Stockholm Bloodbath, King Christian II ordered the murder of several Swedish nobles once they were captured. After being jailed, Kristina was eventually let free.
Kristina's contributions for Sweden were important for several reasons. In particular, Kristina Gyllenstierna was crucial in preventing Danish rule, especially in the chaotic time before the Stockholm Bloodbath. Her leadership was essential in defending Stockholm against King Christian II of Denmark's invading armies. Her actions served as a symbol of the great desire for Swedish self-determination and the country's resiliency against foreign rule, even if the city finally gave in. Her backing of Gustav Vasa, the future King Gustav I of Sweden, and the resulting independence struggle was crucial. The victorious uprising of Gustav Vasa against Danish domination resulted in the creation of the independent Swedish kingdom.
I think Kristina Gyllenstierna is commemorated relatively well. Her statue is in a well visited area of town and it certainly is no small feat having a statue of a woman. I think statues are a great way to commemorate those who did impactful things. Visitors or able to visualize what the individual looked like and hopefully learn more about them via placard, something I think all statues should have. Also, I speculate that she is taught in Swedish history. She is presumably taught in Swedish schools and included in history textbooks as a significant player in the fight for Swedish independence. Her efforts will be remembered by future generations thanks to this emphasis on education.
Presh! Learning about this woman definitely teaches us so much about Stockholm and its rich history. It is so cool that they had a woman in power, and the fact that they still revere her today is wonderful. They recognize her accomplishments, even though she was knocked out of power by Gustav. I think that this is part of a good cultural capital - embracing history and the people who were an important part of it no matter their gender.
ReplyDeleteNice post! As you said, Christina faced a lot of challenges. Being among the first women in a position of power, she felt immense pressure to set an example for future generations of women. Despite her great impact, these issues persist today. Women in powerful roles, and even in everyday life, are often held to higher standards than men. While these problems still exist, Christina made a substantial advancement for women in this regard.
ReplyDeleteLove this post, Laynee! I like how you talked about how great it was for them to have woman in power, and how that really paved a path for women now! They recognize and pay tribute to all of her work she accomplished, and that contributes greatly to a good cultural capital!
ReplyDeleteLoved getting to read this post Laynne!! Kristina Gyllenstierna is a fascinating person to learn about. I think learning about her deepens our understanding of Sweden. We are able to learn about the history of Sweden when we learn about her. She helped protect Stockholm from invaders. If I had not learned about her I don’t think I would have known that the King of Denmark was trying to invade Stockholm. Learning about history through a woman is a great way to deepen our understanding of her city.
ReplyDeleteHey Laynee! One barrier Kristina Gylennstierna had to overcome was during the time period she lived in women’s leadership was consistently delegitimized. Often other males in leadership decide that women can’t lead and I feel like during this period they often retaliated with violence. Kristina’s story reminded me a bit of Joan of Arc and how even though she tried to save her country she was punished more harshly because she was a woman. I think it is interesting to note how the consequences have changed over time for female leadership.
ReplyDeleteGreat post Laynee! Kristina face a lot of opposition as Queen of Stockholm. After she came to power, a tyrant in Denmark immediately tried to take over Sweden. He sieged Stockholm and won. Denmark was always fighting Sweden but if there was a King they might have not attacked. This happens today where women in positions of power are unfairly attacked but men are often not.
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