Drottning Kristinas hovfester

Queen Christina’s court has been described as one of Europe’s most splendid and pleasure-loving. At a time when Sweden’s new status as a great power needed to be displayed, festivities became a political tool – and an unparalleled spectacle.

Court ballets, banquets, tournaments, animal baiting and fireworks were not merely entertainment, but part of the staging of power.

Curator Sofia Nestor talks about these grand 17th-century events and how entertainment, politics and culture were woven together in Queen Christina’s world.