Background
 
    Queen Christina was born in 1626 in Stockholm, Sweden to King Gustavus II and Marie-Eleanore of Brandenburg.  Her father valued education and helped to improve the schooling of his Swedish subjects.  He founded a Swedish University and after he conquered parts of Germany he looted their libraries for books to give to the university.  Most of the upper class received a rudimentary grammar school education, and that was all.  The Swedish schools stressed languages and liturature but not science or philosophy.  King Gustavus loved his only child, Christina, very much and since she would one day inherit the throne, she was given the education of a prince.  Her studies included extensive work in language (German, French, Italian, Spanish, Latin, Greek, Hebrew, and Arabic), literature, science, and music.
 
    In 1632, when Christina was six years old, her father was killed at the Battle of Lutzen of the Thirty Years War in which he was fighting to save Protestantism.  Chancellor Count Axel Oxenstjerna governed Sweden for twelve years until 1644; the year that Christina turned eighteen.  Because of her father's great influnence in her early years, her advanced education, and her new "manly" position as ruler of a nation, Christina developed a very masculine personality.  She made a point of neglecting her appearance, wearing mannish attire and no jewelry, and participated in sports, such as hunting.  She supported the idea of marriage and a family, yet she refused to get married, because she felt it would ruin her freedom.
 
    Eventually, Christina grew tired of ruling Sweden because she began to dislike the Protestant religion (the religion of Sweden).  She ignored the feelings of her subjects and spent more time with her foreign guests.  She also refused to get married and create a successor to the throne.  In 1654, at the age 28, she left the throne to her cousin, Charles X.  She traveled (disguised as a man) to Innsbruck, Austria where she converted to the Catholic faith and was christened "Alexandra."  She felt the Catholic faith appealed more to her emotions and gave her the truth she was seeking.  She then moved onto Rome where she remained, promoting the arts and filling her thirst for knowledge and truth.  Christina was welcomed by the most prominent people, not only as the former queen of Sweden but as a great patroness.

Patronage in Music 
 
    During Christina's reign in Sweden, she wished to be educated in all fields, especially music and philosophy.  After the alliance with France in 1635, the French culture came to Sweden.  Christina was very interested in French ballet and imported the French dancing master, Antoine de Beaulieu, to produce ballet in Sweden.  To make the ballet more authentic, Christina added six French violinists to her court of musicians.
    One of Christina's passions was philosophy.  She had read some of Descartes theories and invited him to her court to teach.  His first assignment however, was to write the libretto for the ballet La Naissance de la Paix which was to be performed in honor of Christina's role as guarantor at the Peace of the Westphalia in 1648.  The ballet was performed on her Birthday and it describes the horrors of war and the cultural achievements made possile by the Queen's protection of peace.
    Arcangelo Corelli, considered by many to be the foremost violinist of his time as well as the leading composer of violin music, dedicated his first printed sonatas to Christina, because of her support of the music performed in Rome.  He developed the form for the concerto grosso which became Vivaldi and Handel's major influence for their concertos.  Corelli was also famous for his trio and violin sonatas. Another important composer that held a postition in her court was Marco Marazzoli.  He was one of the leading seventeenth century composers of cantatas and oratorios.  He dedicated his opera,La Vita Humana, to her in 1656. Also his opera,Le Armi e Gli Amori, was revived especially for the queen. In 1654, Marazzoli became her virtuoso da camara. Christina associated with many other leading musicians in Rome, some such as, Marazzoli, Pasqualini, Vittori, Francesco Bianchi, and Giuseppe Melani.

Patronage of Opera
 
    During the second half of the seventh century, Rome had no public theaters.  The Teatro Barberini closed after 1656 because of the plague.  Few performance were for a paying public to attend.  All theatrical activities took place in the courts of the high nobility and relied solely on the patronage of those such as Christina.  She had her own theater in the Palazzo Farnese where smaller scale operas and plays were performed such as, Acciaioli's comedy, l' Empio Punito.  Since Christina's stage was only of moderate size she could not put on full scale operas with movable sets that required a full scale orchestra.
    So Christina could produce any type of work, she opened and rebuilt the theater, Il Teatro di Tor di Nona as the first public opera house in Rome shich opened January 8, 1671.  She opened the theater with Cavalli's new opera, Scipione Afficano.  Christina paid an annual rent for five boxes which were situated on the second tier center stage.  The middle box was her own private chamber and had a crown seal en crested on the front.  She commissioned Scarlatti's first opera, Gli Quivoci nel Sembiante and the next year she made him her maestro di cappella and produced his next opera, L'Honesta Negli Amori.  Christina herself also wrote for theater.  With Abbe Alessandro Guidi, Christina wrote the libretto to Clore e Damone and asked Scarlatti to compose the music.
 
Academics
 
    In January 1656, Queen Christina established herself as a leading cultural figure in Rome by founding an academy.  The academy was a prestigious organization made up of the high nobility in Rome, where the leading artists, musicians and scholars came to "show off" their new work or idea.  Here the nobility were able to discuss important matters and new philosophies, to patronize new artists, and musicians and to gossip.  Every meeting of the academy ended with a concert premiering a new masterpiece.  Also in 1680 Christina founded a second society in memory of Pope Clement IV, where a sinfonia and a vocal work were performed at every meeting.
    Christina has done so much in promoting the academic and cultural atmosphere in Rome.  She patronized many famous comosers, built the first public opera theater and founded two academies.  Chrisina died in 1689 and she was buried in the Vatican.  The Arcadian Academy was founded in her memory and has for decades lived on in Europe as a well respected institution.