Queen Christina

Queen Christina of Sweden is a popular monarch who is loyal to her country. However, when she falls in love with a Spanish envoy, she must choose between the throne and the man she loves. Queen Christina of Sweden is a dominant European ruler in the 17th century, and has never thought of romance. However, she accidentally and secretly falls in love with an emissary from Spain, even though a marriage between the two seems out of the question. —Ed Lorusso Following the death of her father King Gustavus Adolphus during the Thirty Years' War in 1632, six year old Christina ascends to the throne of Sweden. The ruling Christina grows into an adult who loves literature and the arts, and who often dresses as a man to appear more authoritarian. But the war rages on with massive casualties on both sides. Despite the Swedish side seemingly winning the war, Christina would rather have peace. In addition to the successes of the war, the queen's loyal subjects also have her love life on their minds, as a married queen who produces an heir will ensure longevity of the nation. Most believe she will and should marry Prince Charles Gustavus, the hero of many a battle in the war in name of the queen and of Sweden. Count Magnus, the Lord Treasurer, mistakenly believes he himself can have the queen. But she has forsaken the pursuit of love for the pursuit of knowledge and the attention she has paid to fighting the war. Her thoughts change when she meets Antonio, the visiting envoy to King Philip of Spain, in a snowbound inn. As she falls in love with him in their forced time together at the inn, he falls in love with her, not knowing her true identity. Once he learns her true identity, they have to decide how their relationship fits into the bigger scheme of her life as a queen and his as a representative to one of her suitors. Their troubles increase when Count Magnus, wanting Christina for himself, incites a public uprising against Antonio all in the public name of patriotism. —Huggo Queen Christina of Sweden ascended to the throne at the age of six and as an adult has proven to be a wise and just ruler. There is much speculation about who she will marry - and produce an heir - but she is not interested in any of the possibilities mentioned, including Prince Charles. She does fall in love with the Spanish ambassador, Antonio, but marriage is out of the question given that he is a Roman Catholic. Some of those around her, such as Count Magnus, demand that she send him away and the mob rises openly against him. She insists that she has right to be happy and is forced to choose between love and her duties as queen. Hers is not a happy future however. —garykmcd