Christiane Sehested

Who was Christiane Sehested?

Christiane Christiansdatter Sehested was the daughter of king Christian IV of Denmark and his morganatic spouse, Kirsten Munk. She shared the title Countess of Schleswig-Holstein with her mother and siblings. She was the twin of her sister Hedevig Ulfeldt.

Christiane was engaged by her father with the noble Hannibal Sehested, viceroy of Norway, in 1636. She was married under great festivities in Copenhagen in 1642. She left for Norway with her spouse and lived with him in Akershus fortress in Oslo. Her father died in 1648. In 1651, her husband lost his position, and she was called to Copenhagen to sign a statement in which her spouse was deprived of his Norwegian estates. She also lost her status as countess. Her relationhsip with Sehested, and her siblings was not close, and in 1651–58, she lived alone in poverty in Hamburg. She returned to Denmark in 1658 to side with the invading Swedes with her spouse to avenge the loss of her status; they joined the Swedish camp outside the sieged Danish capital. In 1660, Sehested regained the trust of the court, and in 1662, she was given back her personal status as countess. In 1666, she was widowed and retired to her estates.