Anna Maria Clodt

Anna Maria Clodt (died 1708), was a Swedish courtier. She served as a Danish agent at the Swedish Royal Court and was widely reputed and consulted by supplicants for her contacts and acquired a great deal of influence.

She was the daughter of Baron Gustaf Adolph Clodt and Brita Stuart and married Baron Åke Rålamb in 1689. She served as lady-in-waiting to Queen Hedvig Eleonora in 1668-1680, Queen Ulrika Eleonora in 1680-1693 and to Princess Ulrika Eleonora of Sweden in 1693-1708.

She used her position as a courtier by creating a net of influential contacts, which she could use to forward requests and make recommendations from supplicants to power holders at court in exchange for money. This was a common way for a female courtier to earn money, but Clodt was very successful in her line of business, especially since she was somewhat of a favorite of Queen Ulrika Eleonora. Already in 1673, she stated in a letter that she was consulted so often by clients that she had grown weary of it. She also accepted foreign clients, which in fact made her a spy: she acted as an informer of Bolle Luxdorph, (Danish envoy to Sweden in 1691-1698).

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