Gender and Politics in Eighteenth-Century Sweden

In 1744, Princess Louisa Ulrika of Prussia married Adolf Friedrich of Holstein-Gottorp, crown prince of Sweden, and seven years later, following her husband's accession to the throne, she became queen consort of Sweden. This book traces her life and experiences, showing how she took an active role in political matters in a period that was difficult for the monarchy, in which it was deprived of many of its traditional royal prerogatives following Sweden's defeat in the Great Northern War. More than just a biography, this book places Louisa Ulrika within the wider European context, thus shedding light on gender and politics in the early modern period.

Elise M. Dermineur is a Pro Futura Scientia fellow both at the Swedish Collegium for Advanced Study and at Umeå University, Sweden.