Hedvig Charlotta Nordenflycht facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Hedvig Charlotta Nordenflycht
Nordenflycht painted by Ulrika Pasch
Born	28 November 1718
Died	29 June 1763 (Aged 44)
Occupation	writer and poet
Spouse(s)	Jacob Fabricius

Hedvig Charlotta Nordenflycht (born in Stockholm, Sweden, on November 28, 1718 – died in Stockholm, Sweden, on June 29, 1763) was a famous Swedish poet and writer. She was also known as a feminist who supported women's rights and hosted a popular salon where people discussed ideas.

Her Life Story

Hedvig Charlotta Nordenflycht was the youngest of five children. Her father, Anders Andersson Nordbohm, was a wealthy official. In 1727, her father was "ennobled," which means he was given a special title and became part of the nobility. His family name then changed to Nordenflycht.

After her father retired in 1730, the family moved to their estate called Viby. Hedvig learned some Latin and German from her brother's teacher. She also taught herself philosophy and theology by reading a lot. Besides her studies, she learned about managing a home and other skills common for girls at that time.

In 1734, she was supposed to marry Johan Tideman. He was a student of a famous inventor named Christopher Polhem. Johan Tideman's ideas about nature and philosophy greatly influenced Hedvig. However, she did not want to marry him because she did not find him attractive. Luckily, their engagement ended when Johan Tideman died young.

On April 23, 1741, Hedvig married Jacob Fabricius. He had been her French teacher. Their marriage was not arranged by their families; they chose each other because they were in love. Hedvig's brother did not approve because he wanted her to marry someone who could help his own career. But her mother supported her choice. Hedvig and Jacob did not have any children. Before moving to Karlskrona with her husband, she wrote a collection of poems called Cronstedtska poemboken as a gift for her friend, Countess Margaretha Beata Cronstedt.

Sadly, Jacob Fabricius died in December 1741, only a few months after they got married. This made Hedvig very sad. She moved to a small rented cottage in Lidingö, near Stockholm, to mourn. During this time, she wrote poems called Den sörgande turtur-dufvan (The Sorrowing Turtledove). These poems described how much she missed her husband and explored feelings of sadness and loss.

After her period of mourning, Nordenflycht moved back to Stockholm. Her financial situation was not good. Her husband had not left her any money, and her brother had spent her father's inheritance. She decided to support herself by writing.

In 1742, she published her first poem, Svenska fruntimrets klagan (The Lament of the Swedish Woman). It was a poem about Queen Ulrika Eleonora. That same year, she asked the admiralty (a government department) for a pension because her husband had worked for them. The king helped her get the pension the next year, recognizing her talent as a writer.

She wrote poems for the royal family on several occasions. In 1747, Crown Princess Louisa Ulrika gave her a small allowance. Besides this allowance and her small pension, she earned money by writing poems for people who asked her. She became a very successful writer. She wrote poems for famous people like Christopher Polhem, Linné, and Abraham Bäck. She also lived for long periods with her friends, Count and Countess Cronstedt, where she was like a special poet for their household.

After the Great Stockholm Fire of 1759, Hedvig and her mother lost their home. She bravely asked the Riksdag of the Estates (the Swedish parliament at the time) for help. She even spoke to the clergy (church leaders) in person. In 1752, she was granted a yearly allowance for the rest of her life. This helped her financially, and she could focus on her writing without worrying about money.

On April 14, 1753, Nordenflycht joined Tankebyggarorden, a literary group in Stockholm. This group was formed to improve Swedish literature, similar to groups in France. Nordenflycht's special name in the group was "Uranie." She made her home a place where the group often met, creating a "literary salon." She became good friends with Gustaf Philip Creutz and Gustaf Fredrik Gyllenborg in the group. However, she often had disagreements with another member, Olof von Dahlin.

Some people have said that Nordenflycht did not like other women writers. This idea came from Olof von Dahlin, who claimed she got angry when asked why she was the only woman in Tankebyggarorden. He said she thought she was the only woman good enough for such an honor. It is true that she did not always promote other female writers in the group. However, it is important to remember that von Dahlin and Nordenflycht often argued and said negative things about each other. Also, Nordenflycht was friends with other female writers, like Catharina Ahlgren. She also supported a group of female writers in Norrköping, including Charlotta Löfgren, Hedvig Löfwenskiöld, Hedwig Walldorff, and Margareta Gryzell. She even wrote to Charlotta Löfgren in an early version of her famous work, Fruentimrets försvar.

In 1762, Nordenflycht moved to a small house she had built in the countryside near Skokloster. She called it Lugnet, which means "Calmness." At this time, she was in love with Johan Fischerström, who was seventeen years younger than her. Johan Fischerström was a student from Lund University with new ideas and an interest in literature. They had met through the Tankebyggarorden group. When Nordenflycht moved to Lugnet, she helped Fischerström get a job at Sjöö Castle, which was the home of her friend Cathérine Charlotte De la Gardie.

Her last poems were written during a difficult time in the winter of 1762–63. It seemed like there was a love triangle between Nordenflycht, Fischerström, and De la Gardie. Johan Fischerström became the manager of the estate and started to show interest in De la Gardie. This made the situation very hard for Nordenflycht. Her prose work Fröjas räfst describes simple, natural love. Her famous poem Öfver en hyacint shows her clear understanding and acceptance of the disappointment of love.

Hedvig Charlotta Nordenflycht was ill when she died. The symptoms she described were similar to those of cancer.

Her Writing Career

Hedvig Charlotta Nordenflycht published Den sörgande turtur-dufvan (The Sorrowing Turtledove) in 1743. The next year, she published her late husband's works, called Amaranter.

In 1746, she wrote a patriotic poem called Den frälsta Swea to impress the Riksdag of the Estates (parliament). She became known outside of Sweden with her poem Vigtiga frågor til en lärd (Important Questions to a Scholar). In this poem, she asked Ludvig Holberg to help make sense of the confusion between religion and science.

Nordenflycht showed a feminist approach early in her writing. In her first published poem, she spoke up for women. She named her collected works, which filled four books, Qvinligit tankespel (Female Reflections). At first, she used the pen name En Herdinna i Norden (Shepherdess of the North). But later, she started publishing under her own name, which was not common for women at that time. Her willingness to be a public writer showed her support for women's right to be smart and active. She wanted to prove that women were just as capable intellectually.

Even in her unpublished Cronstedtska poemboken, she included a poem called Fruentimbers plikt at upöfva deras vett (The Duty of Women to use their wit). Her writings often defended women's intelligence. Her most famous work on this topic is Fruntimrens försvar (Defense of Women) from 1761. She wrote this poem to argue against the ideas of Rousseau, who often had negative views about women. In her poem Friarekonsten (Art of Proposing), she warned women that men's promises of friendship often turned into demands for obedience after marriage.

Nordenflycht supported the scientific Age of Enlightenment. However, she was a bit unsure if scientific knowledge alone could bring happiness. She thought that emotional and spiritual understanding was also important. She expressed this doubt in her poem Till Criton (1754), written for her cousin Carl Klingenberg. Carl Klingenberg was a strong supporter of rational science until his death in 1757, which made her very sad.

Working closely with other members of the Tankebyggarorden literary group, Gustaf Philip Creutz and Gustaf Fredric Gyllenborg, she published two books called Witterhets arbeten (1759–62). These books are seen as a breakthrough for "classicism" in Swedish literature. During the 1750s, her writing style became more classical. She became well-known and liked in Germany. She even received an award from Empress Elizabeth of Russia for a poem she wrote for the Russian heir to the throne.

As a poet, Nordenflycht is known for writing about the big questions of her time. She explored the conflict between religion and science during the Enlightenment. She also wrote beautifully about human emotions like love and sorrow. She was known as a sensitive and emotional person. But she was also practical, logical, and strong-willed when it came to defending her own writing and her belief in women's intellectual abilities.

What She Left Behind

In the National Portrait Gallery (Sweden) at Gripsholm Castle, which opened in 1822, Hedvig Charlotta Nordenflycht was one of the first six Swedish women to have her portrait included. The others were Bridget of Sweden, Vendela Skytte, Barbro Stigsdotter (Svinhufvud), Sophia Rosenhane, and Sophia Elisabet Brenner. This shows how important she was considered in Swedish history.

Selection of Her Work

• 1743 : "Den sörjande Turturduvan" (The Sorrowing Turtledove)
• 1744 : Qvinligit Tankespel, av en herdinna i Norden (A Woman's Play of Thoughts, by a Shepherdess in the North), in four volumes between 1744 and 1750
• 1744 : Fruentimbers Plikt att upöfwa deras Wett (Women's duty to train their sense)
• 1752 : Våra Försök (Our Efforts), together with the other academy members
• 1761 : Fruntimrens försvar (To the Defense of Women)
• 1762 : Öfwer en hyacinth (Over a hyacinth)

See also

In Spanish: Hedvig Charlotta Nordenflycht para niños

• Anna Maria Lenngren
• Sophia Elisabet Brenner