Editing Christina, Queen of Sweden (section)

===Descartes===
In 1646, Christina's good friend, the French ambassador [[Pierre Chanut]], met and corresponded with the philosopher [[René Descartes]], asking him for a copy of his ''[[Meditations on First Philosophy|Meditations]]''. Upon showing the queen some of the letters, Christina became interested in beginning a correspondence with Descartes. She invited him to Sweden, but Descartes was reluctant until she asked him to organize a scientific academy. Christina sent a ship to pick up the philosopher and 2,000 books.<ref>{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=IRvIQkLFD60C&pg=PA273|title=Cogito, Ergo Sum: The Life of René Descartes|first=Richard|last=Watson|date=10 July 2017|publisher=David R. Godine Publisher|access-date=10 July 2017|via=Google Books|isbn=9781567923353}}</ref> Descartes arrived on 4&nbsp;October 1649. He resided with Chanut and finished his ''[[Passions of the Soul]]''. It is highly unlikely Descartes wrote a "Ballet de la Naissance de la Paix," performed on her birthday.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://andrefabre.e-monsite.com/pages/histoire-de-la-medecine/descartes-in-sweden.html|title=René Descartes in Sweden|access-date=2014-12-21|archive-date=2014-11-05|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141105143616/http://andrefabre.e-monsite.com/pages/histoire-de-la-medecine/descartes-in-sweden.html|url-status=dead}}</ref> On the day after, 19&nbsp;December 1649, he probably started his private lessons for the queen. With Christina's strict schedule, he was invited to the cold and draughty castle at 5:00 am daily to discuss philosophy and religion. Soon, it became clear they did not like each other; she disapproved of his mechanical view, and he did not appreciate her interest in [[Ancient Greek]].<ref>{{cite book|url=https://archive.org/details/isbn_9780385517539|url-access=registration|page=[https://archive.org/details/isbn_9780385517539/page/30 30]|title=Descartes' Bones|publisher=Knopf Doubleday Publishing Group|isbn=9780385528375|last1=Shorto|first1=Russell|date=2008-10-14}}</ref> On 15 January Descartes wrote he had seen Christina only four or five times.<ref>{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=IRvIQkLFD60C&pg=PA294|title=Cogito, Ergo Sum|isbn=9781567923353|last1=Watson|first1=Richard|year=2007|publisher=David R. Godine Publisher }}</ref> <!--Christina went for three weeks to [[Uppsala]]; Descartes was disappointed.--> On 1&nbsp;February 1650, Descartes caught a cold. He died ten days later, early in the morning of 11 February 1650, and according to Chanut, the cause of his death was [[pneumonia]].<ref>{{cite web| url = http://rue89.nouvelobs.com/2010/02/12/il-y-a-des-preuves-que-rene-descartes-a-ete-assassine-138138%C2%AB| title = Il y a des preuves que René Descartes a été assassiné »| access-date = 2014-12-21| archive-date = 2016-11-27| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20161127073358/http://rue89.nouvelobs.com/2010/02/12/il-y-a-des-preuves-que-rene-descartes-a-ete-assassine-138138%C2%AB| url-status = dead}}</ref>{{efn|Over time there have  been speculations regarding the death of the philosopher.<ref>{{cite book|url=https://archive.org/details/historychristin00lacogoog|page=[https://archive.org/details/historychristin00lacogoog/page/n107 96]|title=The History of Christina|publisher=G. Kearsly|last1=Lacombe|first1=Jacques|author-link=Jacques Lacombe (writer)|year=1766}}</ref> Theodor Ebert claimed that Descartes did not meet his end by being exposed to the harsh Swedish winter climate, as philosophers have been fond of repeating, but by [[arsenic poisoning]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.stockholmnews.com/more.aspx?NID=4867|title=Was Descartes murdered in Stockholm?|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141215213819/http://www.stockholmnews.com/more.aspx?NID=4867|archive-date=2014-12-15}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://philosophyonthemesa.com/tag/theodor-ebert/|title=Theodor Ebert – Philosophy On The Mesa|access-date=2014-12-15|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141215233640/http://philosophyonthemesa.com/tag/theodor-ebert/|archive-date=2014-12-15|url-status=usurped}}</ref> It has been suggested Descartes was an obstacle to Christina's becoming a true Catholic.<ref>{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=WzYqyFuvwEYC&q=Jacques+Viogu%C3%A9&pg=PA157|title=Nothing Matters: a book about nothing|first=Ronald|last=Green|date=26 August 2011|publisher=John Hunt Publishing|access-date=10 July 2017|via=Google Books|isbn=9781780990163}}</ref>}}