14 Facts About Martha Leijonhufvud

Martha Leijonhufvud was the sister of Queen Margaret Leijonhufvud and sister-in-law of King Gustav I of Sweden: she was the maternal aunt of Queen Catherine Stenbock and the daughter-in-law of the regent Christina Gyllenstierna.

Martha Leijonhufvud used both her sister and later her niece, Queens in succession, successfully as her channel to the monarch.

Martha Leijonhufvud was acquitted by the court, but the case created hostility among the nobility toward the King.

Martha Leijonhufvud traveled to Svartsjo with her daughter Anna to seek an audience with the King, but they were not allowed in the castle and instead placed under guard in the village outside the castle.

Martha Leijonhufvud sent an appeal to Karin Mansdotter to speak to the King in favor of the prisoners, and she sent an appeal to the King's daughter Virginia Eriksdotter.

Martha Leijonhufvud was brought to Uppsala under guard by boat, during which she was reportedly exposed to mockery by the public.

Martha Leijonhufvud ordered for the rest of the prisoners to be killed with the exception of "Lord Sten", which resulted in the killings of the spouse and second son of Martha, Svante and Erik, as well as two more noblemen, while Sten Eriksson Leijonhufvud and Sten Axelsson Baner were spared because of the order of the King to spare "Lord Sten", and as it was unknown which Lord Sten he meant, both by that name were spared.

The clothes worn by Svante, Nils and Erik Sture at the time of their deaths were kept by Martha Leijonhufvud, and are now on display in Uppsala Cathedral's northern tower.

Martha Leijonhufvud was calmed by Karin Mansdotter and brought back to the capital, where he was isolated for several weeks.

Martha Leijonhufvud placed the bloody clothes worn by her spouse and sons upon their graves in the church.

Martha Leijonhufvud refused, and instead, she used the "blood bricks", as she called the silver bricks, to finance the rebellion of the King's brothers, the Dukes, which led to the deposition of Eric XIV in 1568.

Martha Leijonhufvud had the blood bricks melted to coins with the image of the King's brothers John and Charles in Vadstena, which were used to equip the Dukes' troops, and had words spread about the atrocities of the King through her acquaintances in Europe to justify the coup, which successfully replaced Eric XIV with John III.

Martha Leijonhufvud convinced her royal nephew the king to arrest Erik and confiscate his property.

Martha Leijonhufvud was eventually released and his property was restored to him, after the siblings and spouse of the king as well as his own family, among them his aunt Queen Dowager Katarina Stenbock, had united in convincing the king to accede to it, and married Malin in 1574.