Editing Christina, Queen of Sweden (section)

=== Religion and health ===
[[File:Cristina de Suecia a caballo (Bourdon).jpg|thumb|''Christina of Sweden'', by [[Sébastien Bourdon]] (1653). [[Prado Museum|Museo del Prado]]<ref>{{cite journal |title=Sébastien Bourdon's equestrian portrait of queen Christina of Sweden—Addressed to "his Catholic Majesty" Philip IV |date=2008-09-01 |doi=10.1080/00233608908604229 |volume=58 |issue=3 |journal=Konsthistorisk Tidskrift |pages=95–108|last1 = Danielsson|first1 = Arne}}</ref><ref>Arne Danielsson (1989) Sébastien Bourdon's equestrian portrait of Queen Christina of Sweden –addressed to― His Catholic Majesty Philip IV. Konsthistorisk tidskrift, Vol. 58, no. 3, p. 95.</ref><ref name="Popp 2010"/>]]

Her tutor, Johannes Matthiae, influenced by [[John Dury]] and [[John Amos Comenius|Comenius]], who since 1638 had been working on a new Swedish school system, represented a gentler attitude than most Lutherans. In 1644, he suggested a new church order, but it was voted down as this was interpreted as [[Crypto-Calvinism]]. Queen Christina defended him against the advice of Chancellor Oxenstierna, but three years later, the proposal had to be withdrawn. In 1647, the clergy wanted to introduce the [[Book of Concord]] ({{langx|sv|Konkordieboken}})&nbsp;– a book defining correct Lutheranism versus heresy, making some aspects of free theological thinking impossible. Matthiae was strongly opposed to this and was again backed by Christina. The Book of Concord was not introduced.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.wlsessays.net/bitstream/handle/123456789/1390/ErlandssonFormula.pdf?sequence=1&isAllowed=y|title=The Formula of Concord in the History of Swedish Lutheranism, p. 6 By Docent Seth Erlandsson, Uppsala|access-date=10 July 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160422042629/http://www.wlsessays.net/bitstream/handle/123456789/1390/ErlandssonFormula.pdf?sequence=1&isAllowed=y|archive-date=22 April 2016|url-status=dead}}</ref>

In 1651, after reigning for almost twenty years, working at least ten hours a day, Christina had a [[nervous breakdown]] or [[burn out|burnout]]. For an hour, she seemed to be dead. She suffered from [[Hypertension|high blood pressure]] and complained about bad eyesight and her crooked back. She had already seen many court physicians.{{efn|[[Petrus Kirstenius]] was invited to become her personal physician in 1636.  [[Grégoire François Du Rietz]] became the physician in 1642. Around 1645 she appointed [[De Castro family (Sephardi Jewish)#Benedict (Baruch) Nehamias de Castro|Benedict (Baruch) Nehamias de Castro]] from Hamburg. Johan van Wullen was her physician since 1649. [[Hermann Conring]] was invited in 1650, but he seems to have rejected the offer. At some time, Sven Broms and [[Andreas Sparman]] were appointed.  Du Rietz was called when she suddenly collapsed in 1651.<ref>{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=uYyS-aPo9BYC&pg=PA165|title=Pierre Chanut, ami de Descartes: un diplomate philosophe|first=Jean-François de|last=Raymond|date=10 July 1999|publisher=Editions Beauchesne|access-date=10 July 2017|via=Google Books|isbn=9782701013831}}</ref> In 1652 it was [[Pierre Bourdelot]]. Otto Sperling met Christina in Sweden in the winter of 1653. In July 1654, the English physician [[Daniel Whistler]] returned to London. In Rome, [[Giuseppe Francesco Borri]] came to see her in 1655, and after 1678 when he was released from prison. [[Romolo Spezioli]] was appointed after 1675.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.biusante.parisdescartes.fr/ishm/vesalius/VESx2004x10x02x061x066.pdf|title=The physician Romolo Spezioli (1642 -1723) and his private library in the Public Library of Fermo|access-date=10 July 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160304205228/http://www.biusante.parisdescartes.fr/ishm/vesalius/VESx2004x10x02x061x066.pdf|archive-date=4 March 2016|url-status=dead}}</ref><ref>{{cite journal|url=https://www.academia.edu/1243901|title=Romolo Spezioli, medico di Cristina di Svezia |journal=Letters from Queen Christina's Court. Italians Meet the North Europes |first=Vera Nigrisoli|last=Wärnhjelm|access-date=10 July 2017}}</ref> [[Nikolaes Heinsius the Younger]] arrived in Rome in 1679, when he became her personal physician until about 1687. Cesare Macchiati was her physician until her death.<ref>FABIOLA ZURLINI, UNIVERSITA DEGLI STUDI DI MACERATA The Correspondence between the Personal Physician of the Queen Christina of Sweden Cesare Macchiati and the Cardinal Decio Azzolino Junior in the Seventeenth Century</ref>}} In February 1652, the French doctor [[Pierre Bourdelot]] arrived in Stockholm.  Unlike most doctors of that time, he held no faith in [[bloodletting|blood-letting]]; instead, he ordered sufficient sleep, warm baths, and healthy meals, in contrast to Christina's hitherto ascetic way of life. She was only twenty-five; and advising that she should take more pleasure in life, Bourdelot asked her to stop studying and working so hard<ref>Lanoye, D. (2001) Christina van Zweden : Koningin op het schaakbord Europa 1626–1689, p. 24.</ref> and to remove the books from her apartments.

For years, Christina knew by heart all the poems from the [[Ars Amatoria]] and was keen on the works by [[Martial]]<ref>Quilliet, B. (1987) Christina van Zweden : een uitzonderlijke vorst, p. 79–80.</ref> and [[Petronius]]. The physician showed her the 16 erotic sonnets of [[Pietro Aretino]], which he kept secretly in his luggage. By subtle means, Bourdelot undermined her principles. Having been [[stoicism|Stoic]], she now became an [[Epicureanism|Epicurean]].<ref>{{cite web| url = https://www.gutenberg.org/files/4693/4693-h/4693-h.htm| title = FAMOUS AFFINITIES OF HISTORY THE ROMANCE OF DEVOTION by Lyndon Orr}}</ref> Her mother and de la Gardie were very much against the activities of Bourdelot and tried to convince her to change her attitude towards him; Bourdelot returned to France in 1653 "laden in riches and curses".<ref name=Buckley>Buckley, Veronica (2004). [https://books.google.com/books?id=9sgb8ER6rQMC ''Christina, Queen of Sweden: The Restless Life of a European Eccentric''] ([[HarperCollins]], {{ISBN|9780060736187}})</ref>

The Queen had long conversations about [[Copernicus]], [[Tycho Brahe]], [[Francis Bacon]], and [[Kepler]] with Antonio Macedo, secretary and interpreter for Portugal's ambassador.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.h-net.org/reviews/showrev.php?id=26222 |title=Converts, Conversion, and the Confessionalization Thesis, Once Again |date=February 2010 |publisher=H-net.org |access-date=2012-03-09}}</ref> Macedo was a [[Jesuit]], and in August 1651, smuggled on his person a letter from Christina to his general in Rome.{{Efn|Likely [[Goswin Nickel]] rather than [[Francesco Piccolomini (Jesuit)|Francesco Piccolomini]] who had died in June of that year.}} In reply, [[Paolo Casati]] and Francesco Malines, trained in both natural sciences and theology, came to Sweden in the spring of 1652. <!--The two Jesuits had to gauge the sincerity of her intention to become Catholic.--> She had more conversations with them, being interested in Catholic views on sin, the [[immortality of the soul]], rationality, and [[free will]]. The two scholars revealed her plans to Cardinal [[Pope Alexander VII|Fabio Chigi]]. Around May 1652 Christina, raised in the [[Lutheranism|Lutheran]] [[Church of Sweden]], decided to become [[Catholic]]. She sent [[Matthias Palbitzki]] to Madrid and King [[Philip IV of Spain]] sent the diplomat [[Antonio Pimentel de Prado]] to Stockholm in August.<ref>Garstein, O. (1992) [https://books.google.com/books?id=SJxEw4nVDXQC Rome and the Counter-Reformation in Scandinavia: The age of Gustavus Adolphus and Queen Christina of Sweden (1662–1656)]. Studies in history of Christian thought. Leiden.</ref><ref>Ranke, Leopold von (2009) [https://archive.org/details/historyofpopesth0301rank  ''History of the popes; their church and state (Volume III)''] ([[Wellesley College]] Library)</ref><!-- The original material relating to Christina's adoption of the Catholic faith is generally dubious and it is only with great difficulty that any vestige of the true state of affairs can be educed.<ref>Weibull, C. (1966) Christina of Sweden, p. 53. Svenska Bokförlaget Bonniers</ref>-->