Catherine Jagiellon
Queen of Sweden from 1568 to 1583
Who was Catherine Jagiellon?
Catherine Jagiellon (Polish: Katarzyna Jagiellonka; Swedish: Katarina Jagellonica, Lithuanian: Kotryna Jogailaitė; 1 November 1526 – 16 September 1583) was a princess of the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth and Queen of Sweden from 1569 as the wife of King John III. She was the mother of Sigismund III Vasa. 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 was given a thorough Renaissance education by Italian tutors: she was taught to read, write and speak Latin, German and Italian, instructed in conversation, riding, dancing, singing, and playing several musical instruments. After the death of her father in 1548, she and her unmarried sisters Anna and Sophia moved to Masovia with their mother. She negotiated with the pope to introduce Counter-Reformation in Sweden.
Historical significance
Catherine had significant influence over state affairs during the reign of her spouse.
