Ebba Eriksdotter Vasa
| Ebba Eriksdotter Vasa | |
|---|---|
| Spouse(s) | Erik Abrahamsson Leijonhufvud |
| Noble family | House of Vasa |
| Father | Erik Karlsson Vasa |
| Mother | Anna Karlsdotter (Vinstorpa) |
| Born | circa 1491 |
| Died | 21 November 1549 Vreta Abbey |
Ebba Eriksdotter Vasa (circa 1491 -21 November 1549) was a Swedish noblewoman. She was the mother of Queen Margaret Leijonhufvud and the second cousin and mother-in-law of King Gustav Vasa.
Ebba was the daughter of the nobles Erik Karlsson (Vasa) and Anna Karlsdotter (Vinstorpa). Her father was a cousin of Erik Johansson Vasa, father of King Gustav Vasa, and she was thus the second cousin of the future king. She married riksråd Erik Abrahamsson Leijonhufvud on 18 January 1512 in Söderköping. She was, as other women of her position in contemporary Sweden, referred to as Fru Ebba ('Lady Ebba').
In 1520, her spouse was executed during the . During the bloodbath, Ebba and her children were guests in Västerås Abbey, were they had been lodged by her spouse for their safety when he departed for the coronation of Christian I in Stockholm. She and her children therefore avoided being taken to Denmark as hostages as the other women and children related to the executed of the bloodbath, such as Christina Gyllenstierna, Cecilia Månsdotter and Margareta Eriksdotter Vasa. Ebba was allowed to keep the family estates despite the execution of her spouse for heresy, likely because of the unstable political situation. She mainly resided at Lo Castle in Västergötland.
In 1523, her second cousin Gustav I became king of Sweden. She was granted certain privileges by him, such as the right to keep certain fines of the crown, and as a widow and head of her family, she performed the same duties as any noble vassal and equipped knights for the king's army. In 1525, her sister and brother-in-law Margareta von Melen and Berend von Melen became involved in the suspected attempt of Christina Gyllenstierna and Søren Norby to conquer the throne, and as a reward for her loyalty, lady Ebba was granted the confiscated property of her exiled sister in Sweden. As the king's second cousin, she likely belonged to those "highest lords and ladies of the realm" summoned to escort the new queen, Catherine of Saxe-Lauenburg to Sweden and attend the wedding of the king, during which her daughter Brita was married to the kings favored courtier Gustaf Olofsson till Torpa.
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