Victoria of Baden
The Swedish Royal Family belongs to the Bernadotte dynasty, who have held the Swedish throne for over 200 years.
Victoria of Baden, 1862–1930
Sophia Maria Victoria (or Viktoria) of Baden was born in August 1862 in Karlsruhe, and was Queen of Sweden from 1907.
She was born Princess of Baden, the daughter of Grand Duke Fredrik of Baden and Louise of Prussia.
Viktoria was the great-granddaughter of King Gustav IV Adolf, and was therefore a descendent of King Gustav Vasa. Her father-in-law King Oskar II wanted to forge stronger links with Germany, and so her marriage was a political alliance in that respect. Viktoria was a cousin of the German Emperor Vilhelm II. When she married Sweden's Crown Prince Gustaf (V) in 1881, she became Duchess of Värmland, the Swedish Crown Princess and eventually Queen of Sweden. In Norway, she was also Crown Princess until the dissolution of the union in 1905.
On 11 November 1882, Viktoria and Gustaf's first child – Prince Gustaf (VI) Adolf – was born. Wilhelm was born two years later, and Erik five years after that.
Due to her weak health, she spent the latter part of her life abroad, particularly in Italy where she died in April 1930.
Crown Princess Victoria in Öland costume at Solliden Palace in the summer of 1906. In 1903, Crown Princess Victoria acquired an area of land at Borgholm Castle and had Solliden Palace – an Italianate stone villa – built to Torben Grut's design. Photo from the Bernadotte Library's archive.
