Sophie Hagman - Official Mistress

Official Mistress

Sophie Hagman appeared openly with the prince at court, which together with Hedvig Taube made her one of only two official royal mistresses in the history of Sweden. She was called: "My little daughter-in-law" by the Queen Dowager and "Dearest Sister-in-law" by the king. The Poet Bellman called her an image of beauty: "Her entire being was a fest to my eyes", and the King once embraced her as a sister-in-law at Gripsholm Castle. The female courtiers was initially very snobby toward her, but Sophie Hagman understood how to make herself liked by most. Eventually, even Count Axel von Fersen the Elder, known as a strict moralist and highly disproving of all extramarital sexuality, acknowledges her quality and admitted that she had made a good impression on everyone. It was said that: "She differed from other royal mistresses in that she never abused her position by enriching herself".

In 1780, the relationship was temporarily broken because of Frederick Adolf's infatuation and marriage plans to Countess Margareta Lovisa Wrangel. Sophie Hagman was met with great sympathy at court because of the good impression she had made and because she was now without means to support herself, and Gustav III therefore promised her a pension. When the marriage negotiations with Wrangel failed and the Frederick Adolf lost interested in her in 1781, he returned to Hagman and resumed the relationship with her. She was to have explained to him that she could no longer love him after he had hurt her, and after this, Frederick Adolf was never known to have been unfaithfull to her.

Sophie Hagman was given rooms at the Royal Palace, Stockholm, and became the hostess at Tullgarn Palace, the private residence of Prince Frederick Adolf. Her relationship with the prince is described as a union of mutual love and happiness, and she never asked for any financial favours from him or from any other connections she made through him. Though she apparently never asked for anything, she was given many gifts without having asked for them. She was given three country estates by Frederick Adolf, a pension of 2.000 riksdaler by Gustav III to be paid annually as an insurance if her relationship to the prince was ever to end, and promised the title of Countess by Gustav III if she and Frederick Adolf was ever to have a son.

Sophie Hagman made a lasting impression of being unselfish. Count Adolf Ludvig Hamilton said about her: "It was impossible for anyone in her place to have been more noble" and described one episode in detail. At one occasion, the prince bought her an expensive Jewelry (a ring) on credit without paying for it, and the jeweler, who was in a difficult economic position, was waiting in the chamber of the prince day after day. Hagman noticed him, and when he described the situation, she said: "The prince are at present not in the possession of money, I can all too well live without this ornament, but not without your welfare," after which she returned the jewel to the jeweler in return for his promise to say nothing of the episode. Nevertheless, this story became well known and contributed to her good reputation.

In 1784, Axel von Fersen the Elder reported that Prince Frederick Adolf lived a quite private life with Sophie Hagman in a circle of close friends, and in 1786, Princess Hedvig Elisabeth Charlotte confirms that the prince isolated himself with Hagman at his estate, completely taken by her beauty. Sophie Hagman followed him to the royal palaces and to his official tasks.

About Sophie Hagman as the hostess of Tullgarn Palace she was described by Ehrensvärd:

"Mamsell Hagman was quite like a lady of the court. Her conversation was relaxed and pleasant. She displayed modesty and respect but no shyness or submission. The ladies showed her utmost respect. The gentlemen counted themselves lucky if the gave them but a minute"; she handled her role as a hostess: "Not with the arrogant pride of a Princess, but with the natural politeness of the middle class. And such a hostess this was! The appearance of a Venus, the manners of a Juno, the virtues of a Hebe."

This was later referred to this as "The Golden Age of Miss Sophie Hagman". There are a lot of episodes about the period of Sophie Hagman at Tullgarn, referred to as "Tullgarnsminnerna" (English:"The Tullgarn memories"). Frederick Adolf was an eager hunter, and Hagman participated in the hunt with his male hunting friends. A poem was published abouth one of these hunts in 1847, named "Hertig Fredrik, Mamsell Hagman och gamla Margaretha" (English:"Duke Frederick, Mamsell Hagman and old Margaretha"), where the male hunting party was to have directed their attention to her rather than to the hunt itself, and during which Hagman met a beggar, old Margaretha, which she helped in the way with was associated with her; this episode was to have happened in 1791.

The 20 February 1787, a baby girl was baptised to Sophia Fredrica with Frederick Adolf and Sophie Hagman as godparents. The other godparents was Count Adolf Piper, Count Carl Posse, the nobles Pehr Reinhold Tersmeden and Pehr Sparre and professor Schulzenheim. The records states that "The parents shall remain unrecorded", but she is believed to have been the daughter of Frederick Adolf and Sophie Hagman. There are no more information about Sophia Fredrica.

During the Russo-Swedish War (1788–1790), Frederick Adolf came in conflict with the King, refused to serve under his brother Charles and left the army in December 1788. Both Gustav III, Princess Hedvig Elisabeth Charlotte and Princess Sophie Albertine of Sweden recommended that they should ask for Hagman's intervention, but there are no mention whether they actually did. During the absence of Frederick Adolf in Finland during the war, Sophie Hagman was courted by Anders Hahr (1764–1845), "a handsome young landlord", and when Frederick Adolf returned, she was pregnant by Hahr. Both Sophie Hagman and Ander Hahr expressed themselves willing to marry each other, but the prince refused to end his relationship with her. Frederick Adolf later returned to the war. While leaving for his permission in 1789, Gustav III uttered: "I expect he has left to attend to his Hares." Despite the fact that Sophie Hagman was said to have been pregnant at several occasions, there are no information which confirms that she had any children.