Christina Sofia Bielke

Christina Sofia Bielke, was a politically active Swedish Countess. She was married to Count Carl Rudenschöld and the mother of the conspirator Magdalena Rudenschöld.

She was the daughter of the Count Thure Gabriel Bielke and Countess Charlotta "Lotta" Christina Piper. Her mother died after her birth, and Christina Sofia and her siblings Eva Charlotta and Nils Adam grew up as a foster child with their grandmother Christina Piper, who opposed her father's remarriage. Her stepmother, Anna Margareta Oxenstierna, was a politically active. Christina Sofia and her sister were raised by a French governor, Mertier, and a house priest, mostly at Krageholm Castle (except in 1745-1749 at Hässelbyholm); they stayed with the grandmother until his death in 1752.

She married in 1756 with a National Councellor (later Count) Carl Rudenschöld. Her first marriage was unusually late for a woman out of the nobility at this time: she had early promised Rudenschöld to marry him, but had not received permission from her parents. The reason was that her stepmother disliked the difference, because Rudenschöld belonged to the nouveau. However, she refused to break her promise to Rudenschöld, and waited during Rudenschöld's absence in England, France and Prussia, and only after her stepmother's death, the wedding ceremony could take place.

In 1766, her husband Carl Rudenschöld and the brother had to resign from National Councellors' duties after the Hat Party's election victory, which meant a partial victory for the parliamentarians, and partial defeat to the monarchy. As a reslut of that, the family suffered from financial difficulties. They were forced to sell their country estates and live around the year round in Stockholm at a modest dwellings.

During this time, Bielke has been told to be admirably patient in dealing with her difficulties.

Bielke, however, was on a French payroll Swedes who received secret "pensions" from the French state - In return for their using their influence favoring French interests in Sweden. A trade also known as espionage.

In the late 1760s, the list contained nine named people, three of whom were women. Eva Helena Löwen was also on the list. Such pensions were not uncommon, and for women, it was often about financing a political salon for French interests. Bielke was probably hired because of her good contacts in politically influential circles: her husband is described as French-friendly, and her sister-in-law belonged to the circle of political active Queen Lovisa Ulrika. Bielke, like Löwen, were supposed to conduct French propaganda through their salons.

The interests of France in Sweden during this period were mainly to support the ambitions of the Royal House in order to expand its power at the Riksdag's (Parliament) expense, which were interests she would shared.

Her husband recaptured his position in 1769 after the Hats return to power, and with the coup d'état in 1772 which benefited the French interests and the interests of the agents of France in Sweden who also were to gain from it, including Bielke.

Christina Sofia Bielke lived in Stockholm after her husband's death in 1783. Since her daughter Caroline had married, her younger daughter Magdalena had become a Maid in Court, her sons had entered the army, she lived with one of her husband's nieces, the governor Julie "Miss Juliana "Rudenschöld, and then with the companion lady Inga Lisa Lindberg, who cared for her until her death.

Her daughter Magdalena Rudenschöld become involved in a love affair / treason scandal, and at the time of the trial of her daughter she had become blind and was in very poor health.

During the trial, Reuterholm and Duke Karl ordered that the contents of Magdalena Rudenschöld's love letters to Armfelt should not be revealed to her mother. Reuterholm, however, had them printed as a booklet "Magdalena Charlotta Carlsdotter's Letters Captured at the Old King's House, Addressed to the Treasonist, Former Baron Armfelt, Now Free to Go Under the Name of Gustaf Mauritz Magnusson, About Their Love Adventure" and to disseminate the print on the streets, so that the text should eventually wound up to Bielke.

Magdalena was sentenced to death penalty. Bielke sent a plea against death sentence to the king. Magdalena Rudenschöld was pardoned and sentenced to exile and imprisonment, if only on the countryside. Magdalena was proportionally and conditionally released from her exile in 1796 and often visited her mother untli her death.

Christina Sofia Bielke, född 1727, död 1803, var en politiskt aktiv svensk grevinna. Hon var gift med riksrådet greve Carl Rudenschöld och mor till konspiratören Magdalena Rudenschöld.

Hon var dotter till riksråd greve Thure Gabriel Bielke och Charlotta "Lotta" Christina Piper. Hennes mor avled efter hennes födelse, och Christina Sofia och hennes helsyskon Eva Charlotta och Nils Adam växte upp som fosterbarn hos sin mormor Christina Piper, som var emot faderns omgifte.