Anna Karlsdotter
| Anna Karlsdotter (Vinstorpa) | |
|---|---|
| Spouse(s) | Erik Karlsson (Vasa) Erik Eriksson (Gyllenstierna) |
| Noble family | Vinstorpa |
| Father | Karl Bengtsson |
| Mother | Karin Lagesdotter Sparre |
| Died | 1552 |
Anna Karlsdotter (Vinstorpa) (died 1552), was a Swedish noble and landholder. By her daughter Ebba Eriksdotter Vasa, she was the maternal grandmother of Margaret Leijonhufvud and thereby great grandmother of king John III of Sweden and king Charles IX of Sweden. She is remembered as one of several possible people later identified with the famous legend of Pintorpafrun.
Biography
Anna Karlsdotter was the daughter of noble riksråd Karl Bengtsson (1454-1495) of the Vinstorpa family and Karin Lagesdotter Sparre, and sister of knight and riksråd Örjan Karlsson (1488-1500). She was the last descendant of the Vinstorpa family III. In 1488 she married first to riksråd Erik Karlsson (Vasa), a cousin of Erik Johansson Vasa (father of Gustav I of Sweden) and became a widow when her husband was shot in 1491. In 1492 she remarried Erik Eriksson (Gyllenstierna) the younger, who was killed in 1502. She had twelve children. Twice widowed, she acquired the large estate Pinntorp in Sudermannia in 1508, and devoted the rest of her life to her estate. Anna is described as a firm and energetic person who was not afraid to argue with king Gustav and process about the inheritance after her husbands.
In contrast to her daughter Ebba Eriksdotter Vasa and granddaughter Margaret Leijonhufvud, Anna does not appear to have been a supporter of the Catholic church. During the Swedish Reformation, Anna Karlsdotter was involved in a conflict with Gustav I of Sweden. After the new law of 1527, which allowed people to retract property donated to the church by their ancestors, Anna confiscated property from the church in Skara more or less by force, after having obtained documents which identified it as previously donated to the church by her ancestors[1] She was, however, forced by the monarch to return them[2] In 1536, King Gustav I of Sweden married her granddaughter Margaret Leijonhufvud.
Anna has been pointed out as one of the possible role models for the famous pintorpafrun, "The Pintorpa Lady", who was known in legends for her sadistic abuse and torture of her tenants. There are, however, no sources which points her out as cruel. Another person pointed out as the historical person behind pintorpafrun is Barbro Eriksdotter (Bielke).
