Catherine of Sweden (1584–1638)

Catherine of Sweden
Catherine of Sweden as painted by Jacob Heinrich Elbfas
Born	(1584-11-10)10 November 1584 Nyköping
Died	13 December 1638(1638-12-13) (aged 54) Västerås
Spouse	John Casimir of Palatinate-Zweibrücken
Issue	Christina Magdalena Charles X Gustav of Sweden
House	Vasa
Father	Charles IX of Sweden
Mother	Maria of Palatinate-Simmern

Catherine of Sweden (Swedish: Katarina av Sverige) (10 November 1584 – 13 December 1638) was a Swedish princess and a Countess Palatine of Zweibrücken as the consort of her second cousin John Casimir of Palatinate-Zweibrücken. She is known as the periodical foster-mother of Queen Christina of Sweden.

Catherine was the daughter of King Charles IX of Sweden and his first spouse Maria of the Palatinate-Simmern. Her personality was described as "A happy union of her father's power and wisdom and her mother's tender humility". Her mother died in 1589, and she was placed in the care of the German Euphrosina Heldina von Dieffenau, whom she praised much later in life. In 1592, her father remarried to Christina of Holstein-Gottorp. She reportedly got along well with her stepmother and was close to her half siblings, especially her eldest brother, the future King Gustavus Adolphus, who is noted to have been very affectionate toward her. In later letters to her consort, however, it seems that she was not always as much in agreement with her stepmother as she gave the impression to be. Her father became regent in 1598, and was crowned king in 1607.

In 1611, her brother succeeded her father as King Gustavus Adolphus. Her brother found her sensible and wise, and she is reported to have acted as his confidante and adviser on several occasions. Catherine married late for a Princess of her period. Although she was a great heiress, her status on the international royal marriage market was uncertain because of the political situation in Sweden after her father had conquered the throne from his nephew Sigismund. Her parents marriage had been an alliance with the anti-Habsburg party in Germany, which in turn was allied with King Henry IV of France and the French Huguenots, and in 1599–1600, there were plans to arrange a marriage between her and the Protestant French Prince Henri, Duke of Rohan, leader of the French Huguenots. Henry married Marguerite de Béthune in 1603. After the Treaty of Knäred in 1613, her status became more secure. With the support of her stepmother Queen Dowager Christina, the queen dowager's brother Archbishop John Frederik of Bremen arranged the marriage between Catherine and her relative (Count Palatine) John Casimir of Palatinate-Zweibrücken. Though relatively poor, he had contacts which were deemed valuable to Sweden, though Count Axel Oxenstierna opposed the marriage.