Catherine Charlotte De la Gardie

Catherine Charlotte De la Gardie has been described as talented, brave, beautiful and clear sighted, without prejudices and with an open mind.

[1] She married Count Pontus Fredrik De la Gardie, brother of scientist Eva Ekeblad, in 1748.

De la Gardie is regarded as one of the pioneers of smallpox vaccination, as she actively sought to encourage the public to implement it.

[6] The parliament issued an investigation, the accused were all freed, and Governor Ekman, who had accepted charges of witchcraft and had allowed torture, was sentenced to jail and stripped of his position.

For this act, she was nationally hailed as a heroine and was in 1761 awarded a medal by Riddarhuset with the inscription: Catharina Charlotta Taube, comitissa De la Gardie, Fulcrum infelicibus, Ob XII ab injuria servatos cives Ordo R. Equ.

[4] The Latin inscription on the medal read in translation: Catherine Charlotte De la Gardie was a friend of the poet Hedvig Charlotta Nordenflycht, whose most famous poem, Öfver en Hyacint, is a love poem which describes Nordenflycht's love for the young Johan Fischerström.