Ulrika Eleonora I of Sweden

Life & Legacy

Ulrika Eleonora or Ulrica Eleanor (23 January 1688 – 24 November 1741), also known as Ulrika Eleonora the Younger, was Queen of Sweden from 5 December 1718 until her abdication on 29 February 1720 in favour of Frederick, her husband. Upon his accession, as King Frederick I, she served as his queen consort until her death on 24 November 1741.
Ulrika Eleonora was the youngest child of Sweden's King Charles XI and his wife, Ulrika Eleonora of Denmark. She was named after her mother, who became known as Ulrika Eleonora the Elder. In 1715, the younger Ulrika married Frederick of Hesse-Kassel. After the death of her brother Charles XII in 1718, she claimed the Swedish throne. By primogeniture, Charles Frederick of Holstein-Gottorp, son of Hedvig Sophia, her deceased elder sister, had the better claim; but citing the precedent of Queen Christina, Ulrika Eleonora asserted that, by proximity of blood, she was the closest surviving relative of the late king. After agreeing to renounce the powers of absolute monarchy established by her father, she was recognized as successor by the Riksdag. She abdicated on 29 February 1720.