In her private life, she became entangled in a string of love affairs with maids to an extent that she was given a bad reputation for being a promiscuous man.
Maria Johansdotter represents a unique case among the women put on trial for having posed as men, as she freely stated that she was guilty of all charges without any display of remorse or fear for the court.
Maria Johansdotter was sentenced by Svea Hovrätt in 1706 to eight days prison on water and bread and Uppenbar kyrkoplikt for having dressed in male attire.
To pose as the opposite sex was a serious crime who could at the time result in a death sentence in accordance to the law inspired by the Bible.
Normally it was about women serving as soldiers, but Maria Johansdotter was not unique for having posed as a man to gain access to civilian professions.
In Säby in 1571, a shoe maker apprentice was discovered to be a pregnant woman, and Karin Johansdotter from Kangasala in Finland served as a male servant in 1723-1726 because the salary was better for a man.
The usher Petter Cederlöf, was discovered to be a female after his death in 1780, then engaged to a woman, and Gustafva Juliana Cederström (1746-1801) became widely known for having performed several different male professions reserved for men by posing as a man.