Maria Sofie de la Gardie

Maria Sofie de la Gardie was a Swedish noblewoman, landowner and industrial entrepreneur referred as the first female grand entrepreneur of Sweden.

Born in a family of a wealthy nobleman and governor of Reval, Maria was raised in Swedish Estonia. At the age of 16 she married Gustaf Gabrielsson Oxenstierna, nephew of Swedish Regent and Lord High Chancellor Axel Oxenstierna. The death of her husband in 1648 and of her father four years later made Sophia one of the greatest landowners in the country. Although she was known for her beauty and education, she decided to stay unmarried. From her residence in Tyresö Palace she solely managed her vast estates around the Baltic Sea and visited court where she served as Mistress of the Robes to Queen Christina of Sweden. Interested in improving her estates, she undertake trip to the Netherlands to learn about the industry. Her interests included cattle breeding and gardening, as well as glove making and brassmakery. However, the greatest success she achieved in textile industry by manufacturing the broadcloth and textiles which equipped to the army. In 1667, she bought Krapperup Castle and managed a colliery for export. She built ships, exported timber and grain, founded paper mills and fabricated linseed oil. The status of the first female grand entrepreneur in country started to fade with measures introduced by the King Charles XI of Sweden in the 1680s who expanded royal power at the expense of the higher nobility. Most of her property was confiscated by the state at that period. She died in 1694.