September 1
Polish princess Katarina Jagellonica (1526-1583) was born on September 1 in Krakow, Poland as the youngest daughter of Sigismund I of Poland and Bona Sforza of Milan. Jagellonica married Johan III of Sweden (then not yet king) in 1562 and had three children with him: Isabella Johansdotter of Sweden, Sigismund and Anna Johansdotter of Sweden. Prior to her marriage, one of her suitors was Tsar Ivan IV of Russia. Jagellonica and Johan III set up house in Turku Castle in Finland, but because of her husband’s dealings in Livonia, his brother King Erik XIV declared war on him. Jagellonica and Johan were taken to Sweden and imprisoned in Gripsholm Castle. They were released in 1568 and she was crowned Queen of Sweden in 1569, after her husband deposed Erik and usurped his throne. As a queen, she had political influence and did much to influence her husband on behalf of Catholicism. Because of this, King Johan III launched a new church order called “The Red Book,” which was a mix between Protestantism and Catholicism. Jagellonica strongly supported and often visited the old Vadstena Abbey, where the last nuns still lived. The first version of the later famous royal palace of Drottningholm (The Queen's Islet) was founded for and named after her. In her final years, she suffered from gout, died in Stockholm in 1583 and was buried in the royal crypt of Uppsala Cathedral.

September 4
Lieutenant General Count Axel von Fersen was born in Stockholm on September 4 in 1755, as the son of statesman Field Marshal Axel von Fersen the Elder and the countess Hedvig Katarina De la Gardie. In 1779 he entered the French military service with the Royal-Bavière Regiment. He accompanied the French commander in chief General Rochambeau's expedition to America and also acted as an interpreter between Rochambeau and Washington. Von Fersen distinguished himself militarily, notably at the siege of Yorktown in 1781, and in 1785 was made proprietary colonel of the regiment Royal Suédois. At the close of the American Revolution, he became an original member of The Society of the Cincinnati. He is famous as a lover and had affairs with various women, especially the Italian-born adventuress Eleanore Sullivan, and the Royal Duchess Hedwig Elizabeth Charlotte of Holstein-Gottorp, married to the future King Karl XIII of Sweden. Von Fersen is also famous in history as the alleged lover of Queen Marie Antoinette of France. In 1938, von Fersen was portrayed by Tyrone Power in the film “Marie Antoinette,” opposite Norma Shearer as Marie Antoinette. In the 2006 film with the same name, he was played by Jamie Dornan. It had been believed that von Fersen and his sister were behind the death of Prince Karl August (chosen as heir to the Swedish throne), and during Karl August’s funeral procession, von Fersen was attacked and brutally beaten to death in what was one of the most sensational murders in Swedish history. Axel von Fersen and his sister were eventually exculpated from the murder accusations. He is buried in Ljungs Church between Linköping and Motala.

September 13
Swedish fashion model and actress Emma Wiklund (née Sjöberg) was born on September 13 in 1968. The blue-eyed blonde walked the runway for Thierry Mugler, Christian Lacroiz and Lanvin, and was signed to Elite Model Management. She can also be seen in George Michael’s music video for “Too Funky” alongside other models such as Linda Evangelista. Wiklund began her acting career in 1994, and with the four “Taxi” movies (made between 1998-2007) she became a popular actress in France. In Sweden she is a known television show host and a regular in the fashion world. In February 2003 she married Hans Wiklund and they have two children, daughter Tyra and son Elis.

September 20
Swedish soccer player Henrik Larsson was born on September 20 in 1971. He is the current manager of Landskrona BoIS. Before he retired from playing, he was a striker whose main attributes were good pace and the ability to turn and shoot in tight areas. Larsson began his career with Högaborgs BK. He moved to Helsingborg, where he was one of the key players when they won promotion to the Allsvenskan in 1993. Larsson then moved to Feyenoord for four years before leaving for Celtic in 1997. He won four league titles in seven years with Celtic, scoring 242 goals in 315 competitive matches, before moving to FC Barcelona in 2004, where he won two league titles and the 2006 Champions League. Following the expiration of his contract at Barcelona, Larsson returned to his hometown club of Helsingborg, and joined Manchester United on a brief loan spell between January and March 2007. He announced his retirement from soccer on 20 October 2009. Larsson played for Sweden in three World Cups and three European Championships and is a former captain of the national team. Larsson ended his international career with 37 goals in 106 matches.