
While several European nations will next have a queen on their throne, Sweden is the only nation to have two generations of queens-in-waiting. However, the future Queen Victoria will not be the first female regnant of Sweden. Which women have ruled Sweden in the past?
Margaret I of Denmark (1389-1412)
Queen Margaret of Denmark was Queen of Denmark, Queen of Norway, and Queen of Sweden. Margaret’s life was marked by considerable political and military upheaval. In 1380, she placed her son Olaf on the throne; as Olaf was still a child, she ruled through him as regent.

In 1389, after several military victories, she was declared ruler of Denmark, Norway, and Sweden.Â
Queen Christina (1632-1654)
Queen Christina of Sweden inherited the throne from her father at the age of seven, although she did not rule for herself until she reached the age of majority (18). She was an academic who prized learning and an amateur actress and art collector.

Christina was an eccentric ruler and converted to Catholicism in 1652, an issue for the ruler of Protestant Sweden. She abdicated in 1654 in favour of her cousin, Charles Gustav.Â
Ulrika Eleanora (1718-1720)
Ulrika Eleanor the Younger had the shortest reign as Queen of Sweden. She inherited the throne on 5 December 1718 and abdicated on 29 February 1720 in favour of her husband.

Notably, Ulrika’s claim to the throne was based on being a closer relative to her father (King Charles XI) than her nephew had been.
Following her abdication, Ulrika Eleanora became queen consort of Sweden but also, bizarrely, heir to the throne. She retained that position when her marriage to King Frederick produced no children. On her death, in 1741, a succession crisis ensued.