The King's Daughter in the Blue Tower
On a fateful day in 1663, the king's daughter Leonora Christina Ulfeldt was imprisoned in the Blue Tower in Copenhagen Palace. In the years before, Leonora and her husband, the former Steward of the Realm Corfitz Ulfeldt, had allied themselves with the Swedish king Gustav Adolf in his war against Leonora's half-brother, the Danish king Frederik III.
Leonora's capture was the beginning of a 22-year imprisonment in the Blue Tower. Along the way, she wrote an autobiography that would later become unique in Danish literature, Memoirs of Leonora Christina.
In the Ruins under Christiansborg Palace you can experience the still existing foundation of the Blue Tower and see models of medieval Copenhagen Palace, where Leonora as a child grew up just a few meters from the same Blue Tower that would prove to be a big part of her life. The Blue Tower housed some of the kingdom's most prominent prisoners and later nothing less than a king's daughter.
The king's daughter Leonora Christina Ulfeldt is one of the most famous and fascinating protagonists in Danish history. With her unusual will to power for her time and gender, she takes on the role of both villain and heroine. A favorite among King Christian IV's many children, she was born to a position at the very top of society.
At the age of 15, she married the nobleman Corfitz Ulfeldt, who achieved the kingdom's highest office as Steward of the Realm under Christian IV. Together they embarked on a lifelong journey to the pinnacles of power that would prove fatal for them both. From their Gaard on what is now Gråbrødretorv in the center of Copenhagen, they cultivated a wide-ranging network of political and international connections and a scholarly environment. Leonora Christina was painted several times by court painter Karel van Mander, who can be seen at Frederiksborg Palace and Rosenborg.
Leonora Christina Ulfeldt has been the subject of countless artistic works, books and biographies, especially since the discovery and publication of the autobiography Memoirs of Leonora Christina in 1869. Leonora Christina remains one of the most described and fascinating characters in Danish history.