Ebba Eriksdotter Vasa

Who was Ebba Eriksdotter Vasa?

Ebba Eriksdotter Vasa was a Swedish noble. She was the mother of Queen Margaret Leijonhufvud and King Märta and mother-in-law of King Gustav Vasa.

Ebba was the daughter of nobleman Erik Karlsson and noblewoman Anna Karlsdotter. Her father was a cousin of Erik Johansson Vasa, the father of King Gustav Vasa.

She was married to Erik Abrahamsson Leijonhufvud on 18 January 1512 in Söderköping. In 1520, her spouse was executed during the Stockholm Bloodbath.

In 1536, her daughter Margaret became queen, and Ebba became the mother-in-law of the king. During the first years of her daughter's marriage, Ebba had an influential position in the Swedish royal court; it was said that the king did not dare to oppose her. Ebba was a stern Catholic, and in 1536 the king gave her Vreta Abbey in Östergötland, which was given her protection during the Swedish Reformation. Eventually Ebba withdrew to Vreta Abbey, where she died in 1549.