Gunilla Bielke

Gunilla Bielke; Swedish: Gunilla Johansdotter Bielke af Åkerö (25 June 1568 – 19 July 1597) was Queen of Sweden as the second wife of King John III. Queen Gunilla is acknowledged to have acted as the political adviser to John III and to have influenced his religious policies in favor of Protestantism. Early life Gunilla Bielke was the daughter of the cousin of John III, the former governor of Östergötland Johan Axelsson Bielke, and Margareta Axelsdotter Posse. Orphaned early, she was raised at the royal court since she was ten years old as a playmate of the King's daughter, Anna. In 1582, she was made maid of honour to the Queen, Catherine Jagellon. About half a year after the death of his first queen in 1583, John III chose her to be his next consort, after first having considered Sigrid Brahe. Bielke is described by her contemporaries as a beautiful blonde, though the portraits preserved by her are considered to be too stylistic to give a true image of her appearance. It was acknowledged that the reason to the marriage was that the king was attracted to her beauty, and this was also the reason John III himself stated for his reason to marry a member of his own nobility rather than a foreign princess. Asked why he did not marry a member of a princely house, he openly stated that he wished to have a beautiful consort and that portraits of foreign princess was not to be trusted. Therefore, it would be wiser: "To marry a person in this country, of which whom you have already seen". Similar to the mother and step-mother of John III, Margareta Leijonhufvud and Katarina Stenbock, Gunilla was engaged when the King decided to marry her. She was engaged to the noble Per Jonsson Liljesparre, and initially refused the king's proposal on her own initiative. According to tradition, the King was so enraged by her refusal that he slapped her in the face with his gloves. Her family, however, forced her to agree, retract her refusal, and consent to the marriage. Her engagement was broken, and her wedding to the king was arranged.