Anna Hogenskild

Anna Klemetsdotter Hogenskild (1513-1590), also known as fru Anna till Åkerö ('lady Anna of Åkerö') and fru Anna till Hedensö ('lady Anna of Hedensö'), was a Swedish court official and landowner. She served as hovmästarinna to queen Catherine Stenbock of Sweden, and then to the daughter and sisters of Eric XIV of Sweden.

Anna Hogenskild was the daughter of the nobleman Klemet Bengtsson Hogenskild of Åkerö (d. 1512) and lady Anna Hansdotter Thott of Bjurum (d. 1549). She belonged to a prominent noble family: her mother was the maternal granddaughter of princess Christina, daughter of Charles VIII of Sweden, and related to Sten Sture the Elder.

She married nobleman Jacob Krumme (d. 1531) in 1530, and nobleman Nils Pedersson Bielke (d. 1550) in 1537. In her second married she became the mother of three sons and a daughter: riksråd baron Hogenskild Bielke (1538-1605), Carin Nilsdotter Bielke (1539-1596), riksråd baron Claes Nilsson Bielke (1544-1623) of Vik, and riksråd Ture Nilsson Bielke (1548-1600).

She had good connections at court, where her family was in service. Her second spouse was a court official and a trusted confidant of king Gustav I of Sweden, her eldest son Hogenskild Bielke became the playmate of prince Magnus, Duke of Östergötland and later (1556) courtier of king Gustav; and her second son Claes married Elsa Fleming, the sister of queen Gunilla Bielke. Anna Hogenskild herself was eventually appointed hovmästarinna (Chief lady-in-waiting or Mistress of the Robes) to king Gustav's last queen, Catherine Stenbock. As such, she was made responsible for all the ladies-in-waiting in the household of the queen.

Anna Hogenskild had been highly regarded by King Eric XIV already when he was a crown prince, and during his reign, he displayed his favor upon her and her children. After he succeeded to the throne in 1560, he had no queen, but he gave her the office of hovmästarinna in the household of the princesses, his sisters: Princess Cecilia, Anna, Sophia and Elizabeth of Sweden. She was also given the responsibility for the household of his illegitimate daughter Virginia Eriksdotter. As Mistress of the Household of the Princesses, she was known to have used her position to benefit her family: in 1563, eight of the thirteen maids-of-honour to the princesses where related to her. She was, however, apparently both well liked and respected at court, and was not known to be too strict: in fact, king Eric appointed her brother-in-law Ture Pedersson as chamberlain in the household of the princesses because he did not trust Anna Hogenskild to be able to keep his sisters sufficiently under control. Anna left court service after the deposition of Eric XIV: his brother and successor John III of Sweden suggested that the deposed king was to be imprisoned in one of the estates of Anna, Vik Castle, but she did not encourage this and the plan was not put in practice.

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