Catherine Jagiellonica
| Catherine Jagiellon | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| Queen consort of Sweden | |
| Tenure | 30 September 1568 – 16 September 1583 |
| Born | 1 November 1526 Kraków, Poland |
| Died | 16 September 1583 (aged 56) , Sweden |
| Burial | Uppsala Cathedral, Sweden |
| Spouse | John III of Sweden |
| Issue |
Sigismund III Vasa Anna Vasa of Sweden |
| Dynasty | Jagiellon |
| Father | Sigismund I of Poland |
| Mother | Bona Sforza |
Catherine Jagiellon (Polish: Katarzyna Jagiellonka; Swedish: Katarina Jagellonica, Lithuanian: Kotryna Jogailatė; 1 November 1526 – 16 September 1583) was a Polish princess and the wife of John III of Sweden. As such, she was Duchess of Finland (1562–83), Queen of Sweden (1569–83) and Grand Princess of Finland (1581–83). Catherine had significant influence over state affairs during the reign of her spouse, and negotiated with the pope to introduce a counter reformation in Sweden.
Catherine Jagiellon was born in Kraków as the youngest daughter of King Sigismund I the Old of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth and his wife Bona Sforza of Milan. Catherine became the spouse of King John III of Sweden and mother of the future Sigismund III Vasa, King of Poland. After the death of her father in 1548, she and her sister Anna moved to Masovia with their mother. After their mother's departure to Italy in 1558, they lived there alone. The sisters were not close to their brother Sigismund II Augustus of Poland. Catherine could reportedly speak Italian and Latin, and was described as more attractive than Anna, and most marriage suggestions were directed toward her.
Duke Albert of Prussia, Archduke Ferdinand II of Austria and Tsar Ivan IV of Russia were among her suitors. A Swedish-Polish dynastic marriage alliance had been suggested already in 1526, that time between her half-sister Hedwig and King Gustav I of Sweden, and in 1555, a marriage was suggested between her and Crown Prince Eric or his brother John. In 1560, John resumed the negotiations on his own initiative and without the consent of Eric XIV.
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