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Catherine Vasa of Sweden

Stockholm, 16 Jun 1539 – Berum, 21 Dec 1610

9 facts1 source

Facts and their sources

A life in time

  1. 16 Jun 1539

    Born in Stockholm

  2. 1562–1582

    3 children are born

  3. 21 Dec 1610

    Dies in Berum, aged 71

Family

See the tree

Parents

Partner

Children · 3

During her lifetime

She lived through 9 decades. Pick one to hear and see what it was like around Stockholm.

General history, not a record about the family: each item says where it comes from.

The 1530s · Catherine is born in Stockholm

In the news1531

Church bells sacrificed for state debt

King Gustav ordered the sacrifice of one church bell from every parish to help pay the national debt to Lübeck.

Getting around

Travel by foot, horse, and winter sledge

In the 16th century, common modes of transport included walking, traveling on horseback, or using sledges in winter, with water routes often preferred over land for their speed. A day's journey could cover 30–40 km on foot, 50 km on horseback, or 70–80 km by sledge during winter.

In the news1539

First Swedish censorship law established

A law introduced in 1539 mandated that all printed materials be checked by the government before distribution to the public.

Daily life

Cramped shared living spaces with livestock

Most rural homes were single-room cottages serving as both kitchen and bedroom, where families often lived in cramped conditions alongside livestock like calves, sheep, and pigs during winter.

What people wore

Marital Status Shown by Headwear

To signal their status, married women wore a wimple as a head covering, whereas unmarried young girls were distinguished by wearing their hair uncovered.

Music

Popular instruments of the time

Common instruments included the flute, drum, fiddle, and jaw harp. Bagpipes were also popular, though they were sometimes depicted in church art as sinful or associated with the devil.

At the table

Beer as a primary daily beverage

Water was often avoided due to quality concerns, so people frequently drank large quantities of beer, including warm spiced beer known as bragott. In some religious institutions, nuns were served as much as 1.3 liters of beer with their dinner.