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383:. The queen was originally in favour of Thomas' courtship of Helena but changed her mind and refused to consent to a marriage: Helena was a marchioness, and by marriage the Queen's kinswoman, Gorges yet only a gentleman. Helena married Thomas Gorges secretly in about 1576. When Elizabeth learned of their clandestine act, Helena was exiled from the court, and Thomas was incarcerated in The
243:, second-eldest daughter of King Gustav I. Cecilia and her retinue departed Sweden in Autumn 1564 on a voyage to England, at the invitation of Queen Elizabeth I. It was rumoured that Cecilia was journeying to England to press the suit of her half-brother King
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and
Wiltshire. The marchioness was still highly regarded by Queen Elizabeth and often acted as her deputy at the baptism of the children of distinguished noblemen, particularly towards the end of the reign, when the queen's health was deteriorating.
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Helena and Thomas had eight (surviving) children. The couple's first child was born in June 1578 and named
Elizabeth (1578–1659) after the queen, who stood as godmother; Elizabeth would marry twice, first Sir Hugh Smyth and second
624:, son of Charles IX (which project was prevented by Anne of Denmark, her mother). Sir Thomas Gorges died on 30 March 1610 at the age of seventy-four, after which Marchioness Helena increasingly retreated from public life.
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Helena had two brothers and three sisters who survived childhood and had children of their own. Helena was baptized and given the name of her paternal grandmother, Elin
Ulfsdotter Roos af Ervalla, of the Norwegian house of
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Margravine
Cecilia left England in April 1566 in order to escape her creditors. Helena then became one of the maids of honour to Queen Elizabeth I, and remained in the country for the rest of her life. She was promoted to
418:. Helena persuaded Thomas Gorges to rebuild his property at Longford. The mansion had been damaged by fire when he acquired it and a replacement was completed at great expense by 1591, under the final supervision of
258:. The party is also reported to have been hampered by bad weather, and the last leg by seasickness. The journey lasted almost a year until they reached their destination - they arrived on 8 September 1565 at
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dressed in the latest styles in London to send to her sister Karin in Sweden. Marchioness Helena's last preserved letter, dated 8 September 1634, to her grandson, is signed with a clearly wavering hand.
688:
320:
did not acknowledge subsequent marriages of divorced persons until the death of the previous spouse. Anne died in 1571, and
Northampton married Helena almost immediately, with the queen's approval.
177:, king of Sweden. By all accounts, Helena was a beautiful woman, with large brown eyes, red hair, and a pink and white complexion. She was described as having a strong will and independent mind.
351:) to the crown, so she was left with little financial support. Elizabeth I stepped in and paid for Northampton’s funeral. She gave Helena lands worth £400 a year and gave her a job in her
254:
was hostile towards Sweden, they were forced to take a roundabout, land route. They travelled through
Finland, Livonia, Poland and Germany, which was a lengthy journey, until they reached
293:. On their arrival many prominent members of the English nobility received the party, including Queen Elizabeth. Helena Snakenborg caught the interest of the elderly (then 52 years old)
445:
In 1582, Thomas was sent as
English envoy to Sweden and met Helena's family members. Helena also had continuous correspondence with relatives in Sweden, as well as the
407:. They had two more daughters, Frances Gorges (1580–1649) and Bridget Gorges (1584-c1634), and four more sons, all of whom were later knighted: Edward Gorges, first
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refused to undertake the role and King James had not yet arrived in London. In the funeral procession, she walked close behind the Queen's coffin, supported by the
919:
Sjöström (2007): "Scandinavian medieval descendants of
Charlemagne: A detailed genealogy of the issue of Agnes Haakonsdottir, of the so-called Fairhair dynasty",
17:
94:
343:. They had no children. The marquess died suddenly on 28 October 1571, five months after the marriage. Nothampton had not yet provided Helena with a
984:
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635:, the manor of her son Sir Robert Gorges. Letters show that Helena had close contact with her children and grandchildren. In April 1604 she had a
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near the City of London. This meant that Thomas and Helena were able to live with their children while also serving at the Royal Court.
578:
Queen
Elizabeth died in March 1603. Marchioness Helena was the chief mourner in the royal funeral procession as senior peeress because
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411:(b 1582/3, d in or before 1652), Theobald Gorges (1583–1647), Robert Gorges (1588–1648), and Thomas Gorges (b 1589, d after 1624).
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for a brief period. However, Helena was later reinstated, possibly with the help of her influential friend, Lord
Chamberlain
316:, was still living. They had divorced in 1552, and he had since remarried, his second wife having died in 1565; however, the
388:
199:, who held the title). And also contrary to claims in some genealogies, she seems not to have descended from the sister of
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family, and his wife, Agneta Knutsdotter, of the Lillie af Ökna family, heiress of Norrnes. Her father was a supporter of
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to Helena and Thomas for their life. It was a former monastery directly north from the queen's chief residence, the
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689:"Elizabeth I's Swedish lady of the privy chamber: Helena Ulfsdotter née Snakenborg, marchioness of Northampton"
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647:. It has been claimed that Helena had no fewer than ninety-eight direct descendants at the time of her death.
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Contrary to claims presented in some genealogies, Helena's ancestry has not been proven to include medieval
169:, in either 1548 or 1549, as a younger daughter of Ulf Henriksson, lord of Fyllingarum (d. c. 1565), of the
587:
312:
Lord Northampton hoped to marry Helena but there was a difficulty because his first, though divorced, wife
141:
for her red hair, (1548/1549 – 10 April 1635) was a Swedish-born noblewoman, Maid of Honour of Queen
262:. Cecilia of Baden was at the time in her ninth month of pregnancy. Helena had become ill on the journey.
621:
236:
570:
403:. Helena's first son, Francis Gorges (c.1579–1599), was allegedly named after their close friend, Sir
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of the royal privy chamber. She was subsequently granted many privileges, such as her own lodgings at
969:
44:
631:. Most of the time she resided at her house of Sheen, near the Court, but in the end retreated to
590:. This is mentioned as the apogee of her career. In July 1603, Helena and Thomas took part in the
327:, and for the few months of their marriage, the couple divided their time between their houses in
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735:
John Nichols's The Progresses and Public Processions of Queen Elizabeth: Volume I: 1533 to 1571
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Monument in Salisbury Cathedral of Helena Snakenborg and her second husband Sir Thomas Gorges
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Helena was one of six young Swedish noble ladies who were Maids of Honour in the retinue of
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Helena brokered the king's relations with Sweden; for example the Swedish attempt to have
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The accession of James I meant that Helena was demoted from the chamber of the new queen,
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Helena died at the age of 86 on 10 April 1635 at Redlynch, and was buried on 14 May in
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The wedding took place on 6 May 1571 in Elizabeth's presence in the queen's closet at
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Sophie Pitman, 'Dolled Up', Serena Dyer, Jade Halbert, Sophie Littlewood,
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Gunnar Sjogren (9 September 1978). "Helena, Marchioness of Northampton".
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Helena Snakenborg, Marchioness of Northampton, in coronation robes, 1603.
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602:. Shortly afterward, they moved to Longford from plague-ridden London.
498: in this section. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed.
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A Young Lady Aged 21 in 1569, possibly a portrait of Helena Snakenborg
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William Page, Granville Proby, S. Inskip Ladds (editors) (1932).
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185:, and her paternal grandfather's grandmother, Elin Snakenborg.
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Elizabeth's Bedfellows, An Intimate History of the Queen's Court
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Foundations - Journal of the Foundation for Medieval Genealogy
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Disseminating Dress: Britain's Fashion Networks, 1600-1970
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Elin Ulfsdotter Snakenborg, Marchioness of Northampton
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was the model for the 'Castle of Amphialeus' in Sir
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Anne Clifford's Autobiographical Writing, 1590–1676
207:and thus possibly a descendant of the Danish kings
447:Duke Charles of Sudermannia, later king Charles IX
434:. Thomas Gorges of Longford was knighted in 1586.
203:. She was, however, a descendant of the statesman
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627:She reportedly remained a devoted member of the
792:A History of the County of Huntingdon: Volume 2
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923:2: 4 (2007, July), ISSN 1479-5078, pp 253–276
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195:(she was related to, but not descended from,
795:. Victoria County History. pp. 309–314.
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265:The welcoming party at Dover was led by Sir
118:(1536–1610). Erected after her death in 1635
839:. Oxford University Press. pp. 278–.
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818:CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (
613:and the royal wardrobe and garden there.
558:Learn how and when to remove this message
452:In 1584, the queen granted the estate at
437:Queen Elizabeth granted Helena manors in
267:William Parr, 1st Marquess of Northampton
151:William Parr, 1st Marquess of Northampton
80:Learn how and when to remove this message
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765:A Historical Dictionary of British Women
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277:, and brother of the late Queen consort
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43:This article includes a list of general
985:Swedish emigrants to the United Kingdom
915:Oxford Dictionary of National Biography
873:Tracts during the reign of King James I
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355:. In 1574 she was granted the manor of
269:(1513–1571), the only surviving son of
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314:Anne Bourchier, 7th Baroness Bourchier
219:as well as European royals, including
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894:Queen Elizabeth's Wardrobe Unlock'd
833:Jessica L. Malay (4 January 2018).
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49:it lacks sufficient corresponding
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18:Helena, Marchioness of Northampton
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939:Svenskt kvinnobiografiskt lexikon
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297:, who soon started to court her.
888:(London: Bloomsbury, 2022), 33:
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762:Cathy Hartley (15 April 2013).
483:needs additional citations for
1020:Burials at Salisbury Cathedral
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732:John Nichols (December 2013).
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375:, a second cousin of the late
163:Elin Ulfsdotter of Fyllingarum
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1015:17th-century Swedish nobility
1010:16th-century English nobility
975:16th-century Swedish nobility
863:, Bloomsbury Publishing 2013.
738:. OUP Oxford. pp. 442–.
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592:coronation of the new monarch
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768:. Routledge. pp. 708–.
588:Lord High Admiral of England
367:Helena's second husband was
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910:Svenskt Biografiskt Lexikon
347:, and his estate reverted (
289:In London, they settled at
247:to marry Queen Elizabeth.
161:She was born in Sweden, as
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1045:17th-century Swedish women
1005:17th-century English women
1000:16th-century English women
995:16th-century Swedish women
687:histparl (14 March 2024).
285:Marchioness of Northampton
237:Princess Cecilia of Sweden
147:Marchioness of Northampton
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1035:Swedish ladies-in-waiting
693:The History of Parliament
309:, servants, and a horse.
106:Monument and effigies in
449:, her childhood friend.
990:British maids of honour
875:(London, 1809), p. 388.
409:Baron Gorges of Dundalk
295:Marquess of Northampton
64:more precise citations.
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307:Hampton Court Palace
201:St Bridget of Sweden
896:(Maney, 1988), 157.
645:Salisbury Cathedral
584:Lord High Treasurer
507:"Helena Snakenborg"
373:Longford, Wiltshire
165:in the province of
149:by her marriage to
108:Salisbury Cathedral
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618:Princess Elizabeth
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231:Journey to England
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157:Family and lineage
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859:Whitelock, Anna,
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167:Ostrogothia
62:introducing
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651:References
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464:Later life
70:March 2014
45:references
801:cite book
349:escheated
335:, and at
329:Guildford
698:29 March
586:and the
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432:Arcadia
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333:Surrey
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256:Calais
190:Viking
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47:, but
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525:books
454:Sheen
371:, of
341:Essex
260:Dover
241:Baden
841:ISBN
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721:(9).
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