Ulrika Eleonora var Wilhelm Edstedt - en gudfruktig man och syndig kvinna : En diskursanalys av rättegången 1729 mot Ulrika Eleonora Stålhammars förklädning till man

The essay Ulrika Eleonora was Wilhelm Edstedt - a godly man and sinful woman: A discourse analysis of the trial in 1729 against Ulrika Eleonora Stålhammar's disguise as a man, aims with the case of Ulrika Eleonora Stålhammar to shed light on the legal treatment of women in early modern times, and what notions of femininity and masculinity existed about women who wore men's clothes. This was done with Ulrika Eleonora's trial record from 1729 as source material. The theory was based on Scott's four interrelated levels of gender as an analysis category. Eva Österberg's and Erling Sandbmo's theory of law as a social and discursive arena where power was exercised was also taken into account. Ulrika Eleonora Stålhammar came from a noble family, but when her father had mismanaged the finances Ulrika Eleonora was in poverty when she became an orphan. She then chose to disguise herself as a man, enlist as a soldier in Kalmar and marry Maria Löhnman. In 1729, Ulrika Eleonora was facing trial for a change of gender and marriage to a woman. The case was unique and the town hall court requested a review by the court of appeal. They stated that she had violated God's word, but since she had been a godly man in her disguise as Wilhelm Edstedt, she should be spared the death penalty. The case eventually reached the judiciary, which sentenced her to one month in prison. Ulrika Eleonora's mild punishment was mainly due to her priest's statement that she had lived godly, but probably had her noble relative Sofia Drake's contacts an impact too. This study has concluded that legal contexts in Sweden in early modern times were dominated by Christian values and norms where the church's regulations on how people should live permeated society. Ulrika Eleonora did not live up to these standards. She was judged to be a sinful woman, but in the guise of Wilhelm Edstedt, she had been a godly man