The Girl King depicts the early life of Kristina and her rise to the crown. A central focus of the film is Kristina's relationship with Ebba Sparre, one of her ladies-in-waiting. While the movie is accurate in showing Kristina's unique upbringing, the nature of her relationship with Ebba Sparre as depicted in the film cannot be verified in the historical record.

Growing Up Like a Boy

The movie shows Kristina as a headstrong, clever young woman. She fences, doesn’t ride sidesaddle, and seems to enjoy the outdoors a great deal. Basically, the film depicts her as an untraditional woman. ​This representation is largely accurate; her upbringing was unusual for a girl. The activities she learned and the education she received was much more common for a wealthy young man of that time period. She learned to wield a sword, she became familiar with horses, and she liked to hike and hunt. She received a thorough education and learned six languages.(1)

Because of this, Kristina did not act like many people thought a lady should. “She is nothing feminine about her except her sex. Her voice, her manner of speaking, her walk, her style, her ways are all quite masculine,” the Jesuit priest Mannerschied (the Spanish Ambassador's confessor) commented in 1653.(2) Some people wondered if she was a hermaphrodite.(3) Not only was she much more educated than other women of her time, but she also refused to conform to standards of dress. As was depicted by the costumes in the movie, she only dressed as a woman part of the time; she also wore men’s clothes. It is likely that Kristina used her status to allow her this luxury. If others of lower class had dressed as the opposite sex, they would have been severely punished.(4)

Relationship to Women and Men

The film has strong lesbian themes throughout. However, Kristina’s relationship to women (and men) was perhaps slightly different than the strong female attraction the film presents. Kristina wrote she had “an aversion and an invincible antipathy to all that women are and say.”(5) On the one hand, it seems Kristina had a strong revulsion to women; it is recorded that she would call pregnant women “cows.” She did not like talking to them. Other women’s lack of education made topics of conversation hard to find.(6)
However, as the film clearly shows, Christina also had a deep appreciation for and fascination with female beauty. In the film, this appreciation is portrayed in Kristina’s lesbian relationship with Ebba Sparre, her lady-in-waiting. The historical Ebba was indeed employed by Kristina, and there are multiple historical accounts describing the close relationship they had. Because of most women’s lack of education, it is likely the close relationship Kristina had with Ebba was inspired because of Ebba’s physical attributes and not because of the conversation. There are multiple aspects of their relationship in the film that are accurate; Kristina is heard calling Ebba “Belle,” which the real Kristina did as well.(7) They did share a bed, which was common at the time. It is also evident that Kristina cared deeply for Ebba. After Ebba left Kristina’s court, Kristina wrote to her, “I am condemned for ever [sic] to love and adore you without being allowed to see you… happy I cannot be so long as I am far from you… in me you will find one who is devoted to you as ever.”(8)

However, while it is clear that Kristina and Ebba shared a close relationship, and it is clear that Kristina had an appreciation for beautiful women, it cannot be proven that Kristina and Ebba were ever in a romantic relationship.(9) However, it is certainly a possibility that the filmmakers took a chance to explore. And yet, while the movie sheds light on many social issues surrounding same-sex relationships both in the seventeenth century and today, there is no historical evidence that Kristina engaged in lesbian relations.

There is also evidence that she fell in love with men. The film accurately portrays her complete aversion to marriage; she was extremely deterred by the idea of sexual union. She was frustrated by the authority marriage would give a man over her, and had no desire to experience pregnancy and childbirth. However, something the film does not portray is that Kristina also expressed a desire for men. There is evidence that she was once in love with her cousin Karl Gustav at a young age, but when he came back from war, it seems Kristina had fallen out of love. Later in her life and after her move to Rome, she uncharacteristically said she had a desire to submit to Cardinal Decio Azzolinio, who was another potential love interest. (10)

Class Differences and Authority Figures  

Some scholars believe that Queen Kristina was a lesbian, and the reaction towards that would have been much greater at that time than in contemporary society.  Homosexuality was seen as a sin in most Scandinavian countries in the seventeenth century. However, those in power did not follow the same rules as the peasants. For example sex outside marriage would be more common for those in power then peasants.  

In the 1600s there was a widespread belief that Judgment Day was near. If sinners were not punished, then God might to punish the entire community. This view had enough with the fact that it was hard times and struggle for resources. The distance was short between life and death. Europe had not recovered yet after the Black Death, which ravaged in the 1300s.  (11)