Ebba Sparre
   HOME

TheInfoList



OR:

Ebba Larsdotter Sparre (1626 – 19 March 1662) was a Swedish
lady-in-waiting A lady-in-waiting (alternatively written lady in waiting) or court lady is a female personal assistant at a Royal court, court, attending on a royal woman or a high-ranking nobility, noblewoman. Historically, in Europe, a lady-in-waiting was o ...
,
noblewoman A noblewoman is a female member of the nobility. Noblewomen form a disparate group, which has evolved over time. Ennoblement of women has traditionally been a rare occurrence; the majority of noblewomen were linked to the nobility by either their ...
and
favourite A favourite was the intimate companion of a ruler or other important person. In Post-classical Europe, post-classical and Early modern Europe, early-modern Europe, among other times and places, the term was used of individuals delegated signifi ...
of
Queen Christina of Sweden Christina (; 18 December O.S. 8 December">Old_Style_and_New_Style_dates.html" ;"title="nowiki/>Old Style and New Style dates">O.S. 8 December1626 – 19 April 1689), a member of the House of Vasa, was Monarchy of Sweden, Queen of Sweden from ...
. The intimate nature of her relationship with the queen has led to historical interpretations that the two women were lovers.


Early life

Ebba Larsdotter Sparre was born in 1626, the daughter of statesman and marshal and Märta Banér. Her paternal grandfather was chancellor Erik Larsson Sparre. Ebba arrived at court in 1644, and was appointed ''hovfröken'' (
maid of honour A maid of honour is a junior attendant of a queen in royal households. The position was and is junior to the lady-in-waiting. The equivalent title and office has historically been used in most European royal courts. Tudors and Stuarts Traditi ...
) to the queen. She was a celebrated beauty at the royal court, gaining the nickname ''La belle comtesse'' (), and she soon acquired several suitors. Ebba frequently played the part of
Venus Venus is the second planet from the Sun. It is often called Earth's "twin" or "sister" planet for having almost the same size and mass, and the closest orbit to Earth's. While both are rocky planets, Venus has an atmosphere much thicker ...
in the amateur
ballet Ballet () is a type of performance dance that originated during the Italian Renaissance in the fifteenth century and later developed into a concert dance form in France and Russia. It has since become a widespread and highly technical form of ...
s performed by the nobility at court.


Relationship with Queen Christina

Ebba's intimate relationship with Queen Christina gave rise to the speculation that they were lovers. This has been widely accepted by historians, who look to Christina's attitude and interactions with Ebba as proof of her sexuality. Christina's sexuality has been interpreted in various ways., p. 264. fn. 470. Most of Christina's spare time was spent with "la belle comtesse", and she often called attention to her beauty. She introduced her to the English ambassador
Bulstrode Whitelocke Sir Bulstrode Whitelocke (6 August 1605 – 28 July 1675) was an English lawyer, writer, parliamentarian, and one of the commissioners of the Great Seal during the Interregnum. Early life He was the eldest son of Sir James Whitelocke and ...
as her 'bed-fellow', assuring him that Ebba's intellect was as striking as her body. When
Raimondo Montecuccoli Raimondo Montecuccoli (; 21 February 1609 – 16 October 1680) was an Italian-born professional soldier, military theorist, and diplomat, who served the Habsburg monarchy. Experiencing the Thirty Years' War from scratch as a simple footsoldier, ...
visited Sweden, Christina invited him to exclusive dances and paired him with Ebba. Christina admitted to being in love with Ebba. However, besides Ebba and a few other ladies of the court, notably
Lady Jane Ruthven Lady Jane Ruthven or Lady Jean Ruthven, (died 1668), of noble Scottish descent, was a lady-in-waiting at the court of Queen Christina of Sweden. She served as '' hovfröken'' (maid of honour) to the queen. Ruthven was a daughter of the Scottish ge ...
and Louise van der Nooth, Queen Christina did not show any interest in her female courtiers, and generally mentions them only to express contempt over their femininity and portray herself as more masculine than them. In 1639 she mentions her attitude toward her ladies in waiting in regard to Beata Oxenstierna and her daughter, maid of honor Märta Ulfsparre: "The Mistress of the Robes Lady Beata Oxenstierna and her daughter arrived just now. The more of them that comes here the worse it is". Gossip about Christina's female relationships existed during her lifetime, though it mainly came from her French enemies, who used accusations of lesbianism and general sexual profligacy to undermine her reputation. A forged volume entitled ''Lettres Secretes de Christine, Reine de Suede'', was published in 1761, containing suggestive letters to Ebba. Bain calls Ebba " hristina'sonly female friend", and states that Ebba was Christina's "exception to her general contempt of women". According to
Nordisk familjebok (, 'Nordic Family Book') is a Swedish language, Swedish encyclopedia that was published in print from between 1876 and 1993, and that is now fully available in digital form via Project Runeberg at Linköping University. The public domain edit ...
, Ebba was Christina's only female favourite. Christina typically preferred the company of men, "not because they are men, but because they are not women." Ebba was an exception to this, during the later years of Christina's reign. Conversely, Tiernan claims that Ebba was one of many women Christina courted. Nevertheless, Christina was heavily involved with her, and her affection for Ebba was a constant in her turbulent career. Christina was outspoken on her negative views of marriage. Ebba far from agreed with the queen's views, and suffered much from the pretense she had to observe. She did not enjoy her friendship with the queen. Ultimately Christina's sexuality, and her exact relationship with Ebba, is unknown.


Marriage

Circa 1650, Ebba was engaged to
Bengt Gabrielsson Oxenstierna Count Bengt Gabrielsson Oxenstierna (1623–1702) was a Swedish soldier and statesman who served as Foreign Minister from 1680 to 1697. He ensured Sweden's neutrality during this period and moved the country away from its traditional alliance ...
. During his time outside of Sweden she broke the engagement to marry Count Jakob Kasimir De la Gardie (1629–1658), younger brother of the queen's favourite
Magnus Gabriel de la Gardie Count Magnus Gabriel De la Gardie (15 October 1622 – 26 April 1686) was a Swedish Empire, Swedish statesman and military man. He became a member of the Privy Council of Sweden, Swedish Privy Council in 1647 and came to be the holder of three ...
, on Christina's initiative. Christina wanted to benefit the De la Gardie family, preferably when at the same time she could anger the Oxenstierna family. Stolpe states that this claim that the engagement was broken on Christina's initiative has no basis. According to Nordisk familjebok, Ebba was unwilling to marry Jakob but reluctantly agreed to it. Berg and Stålberg state that Ebba and Jakob sought to marry, and possessed the mutual consent of their parents, but were not able to due to Christina's disapproval. Ebba and Jakob were engaged on 29 December 1651 at
Stockholm Castle Stockholm Palace, or the Royal Palace, ( or ) is the official residence and major Crown palaces in Sweden, royal palace of the Monarchy of Sweden, Swedish monarch (King Carl XVI Gustaf of Sweden, Carl XVI Gustaf and Queen Silvia of Sweden, Queen ...
. The engagement was not to the queen's liking. She approved the marriage with reluctance. By this point Christina was planning her abdication, and possibly sought to bring Ebba with her overseas. Ebba and Jakob married in Stockholm on 11 January 1653. The wedding had a splendid "Feast of the Gods" banquet, which later gave rise to the establishment of the Amaranterorden. At Ebba's wedding there were games at the castle, where all the gods and goddesses were guests of shepherds and shepherdesses. Ulfeld was Jupiter, Piementelli was Mars, and the Polish chancellor was Bacchus; the queen and courtiers appeared in shepherd's garb. A month later, Count Magnus Gabriel De la Gardie gave a torchlight ring in honor of the newly married couple, when the brother, Count Jakob, won a prize. The marriage was unhappy. Jakob was shot and killed during the siege of Copenhagen on 7 October 1658. He was buried on 24 July 1658 at
Riddarholmen Church Riddarholmen Church () is the church of the former medieval Greyfriars Monastery in Stockholm, Sweden. The church serves as the final resting place of most Swedish monarchs. Description Riddarholmen Church is located on the island of Riddarholm ...
. They had three children, who all died at an early age: * Jacob (1653–1655) * Cristina (1655–1658) * Ebba (1657–1657)


Later life

Christina abdicated her throne on 6 June 1654, and left Sweden immediately after. Ebba was upset on Christina's leaving, and subsequently kept in touch with the queen via many letters. Such emotional letters were relatively common at that time, and Christina would also use the same style when writing to women she had never met, but whose writings she admired. From Rome on 6 January 1565, Christina wrote:
How happy I should be if only I could see you, Beautiful One. But I am condemned by Destiny to love and cherish you always without seeing you; and ..I cannot be completely happy when I am separated from you. Never doubt this fact, and believe that, wherever I may be, I shall always be entirely devoted to you, as I always have been. ..Good-bye, Beautiful One, good-bye. I embrace you a million times.
Christina wrote to Ebba again on 27 March 1657, after her return from France, pressing her to come and stay with her in Italy.
But whether I am sure if I will never see you, I am sure that I will always love You, and You would be cruel if You doubted this. A friendship that has been tried under three years of absence must not be suspect to you, and if You have not forgotten the favour You have over me, shall You also be reminded that it is already twelve years since I came into possession of the presence of your love. I belong to you in a way that makes it impossible for You to leave me, and it will never happen before the end of life, that I will stop loving You.
In 1661, Christina invited Ebba to visit her in
Hamburg Hamburg (, ; ), officially the Free and Hanseatic City of Hamburg,. is the List of cities in Germany by population, second-largest city in Germany after Berlin and List of cities in the European Union by population within city limits, 7th-lar ...
. She also wished to see Ebba during her visit to Sweden in 1660, but this was prevented by Ebba's family.Kjell Lekeby (Swedish): ''Kung Kristina - Drottningen som ville byta kön'' (King Christina - the queen who wished to change sex) Stockholm, Vertigo (2000) p. 44 It was probably prevented by Magnus Gabriel De la Gardie himself. Another explanation for the missed trip was Ebba's state of health. Ebba became ill for a long time, and she died from fever on 19 March 1662. She was buried in Stockholm on 19 October.


Legacy

French artist
Sébastien Bourdon Sébastien Bourdon (; 2 February 16168 May 1671) was a French painter and engraver. His ''chef d'œuvre'' is ''The Crucifixion of St. Peter'' made for the cathedral of Notre Dame de Paris, Notre Dame. Biography Bourdon was born in Montpellie ...
, who was appointed First Painter by Christina, painted a portrait of Ebba in 1652 or 1653. The portrait was probably commissioned by Christina, and was among Christina's goods sent to Rome. It has been suggested that Ebba Sparre was the subject of Skogekär Bergbo's ''Venerid'', a collection of 101
sonnet A sonnet is a fixed poetic form with a structure traditionally consisting of fourteen lines adhering to a set Rhyme scheme, rhyming scheme. The term derives from the Italian word ''sonetto'' (, from the Latin word ''sonus'', ). Originating in ...
s. Historians have varying interpretations of Christina's sexuality, which has led to different perspectives on Ebba's relationship with her queen. In ''Christina of Sweden'' (1930), in which Margaret L. Goldsmith asserts that Christina was a lesbian, Ebba is depicted as a faithless, passive noblewoman with no initiative who opts for a conventional heterosexual marriage.
Sarah Waters Sarah Ann Waters (born 21 July 1966) is a Welsh novelist. She is best known for her novels set in Victorian society and featuring lesbian protagonists, such as '' Tipping the Velvet'' and '' Fingersmith''. Life and education Early life Sara ...
criticised Goldsmith's biography for
cherry picking Cherry picking, suppressing evidence, or the fallacy of incomplete evidence is the act of pointing to individual cases or data that seem to confirm a particular position while ignoring a significant portion of related and similar cases or data th ...
evidence to suggest a sexual dimension to Christina and Ebba's relationship.


In film

Filmmakers have offered distinct interpretations of Ebba and Christina's relationship. American actress Elizabeth Young portrayed Ebba Sparre in
Rouben Mamoulian Rouben Zachary Mamoulian (October 8, 1897 – December 4, 1987) was an Armenian-American film and theater director. Mamoulian's oeuvre includes sixteen films (four of which are Musical film, musicals) and seventeen Broadway theatre, Broadw ...
's 1933 biographical film '' Queen Christina''. The
Pre-Code Pre-Code Hollywood was an era in the Cinema of the United States, American film industry that occurred between the widespread adoption of sound in film in the late 1920s and the enforcement of the Motion Picture Production Code censorship gui ...
film implies a relationship between Ebba and Christina by showing a chaste kiss between the two women. Bisexual Swedish actress
Greta Garbo Greta Garbo (born Greta Lovisa Gustafsson; 18 September 1905 – 15 April 1990) was a Swedish-American actress and a premier star during Hollywood's Silent film, silent and early Classical Hollywood cinema, golden eras. Regarded as one of the g ...
, who played Christina, had an influential role in shaping Christina and Ebba's relationship in the film and insisted on the scene. In dialogue, Ebba complains that Christina is "surrounded by musty old papers and musty old men," so the queen promises to spend time with her in the country. Betsy Erkkila notes that the scene is subtle enough to be missed by the censors, but "nevertheless succeeds in inscribing not only the queen's but Garbo's own bisexual nature". The scene created controversy upon its release. Later in the film, when Ebba's fiance entreats her to ask for the queen's approval to marry, Ebba is shown troubled and fearful of Christina's displeasure. She complains about the queen's "dominating" attitude. Following a scene where Christina falls in love with Spanish ambassador Antonio Pimentel de Prado ( John Gilbert), Christina adopts more feminine attire and cheerfully gives Ebba's marriage her blessing. Ebba Sparre was portrayed by Anglo-Polish actress Ania Marson in the 1974
historical History is the systematic study of the past, focusing primarily on the human past. As an academic discipline, it analyses and interprets evidence to construct narratives about what happened and explain why it happened. Some theorists categ ...
drama Drama is the specific Mode (literature), mode of fiction Mimesis, represented in performance: a Play (theatre), play, opera, mime, ballet, etc., performed in a theatre, or on Radio drama, radio or television.Elam (1980, 98). Considered as a g ...
film ''
The Abdication ''The Abdication'' is a 1974 British historical drama film directed by Anthony Harvey and starring Peter Finch and Liv Ullmann. The film's score was composed by Nino Rota. It tells a fictionalized version of the rumored love affair between C ...
''. ''The Abdication'' does touch on the concept of a relationship between Christina and Ebba, but not to the extent of ''Queen Christina''. Canadian actress
Sarah Gadon Sarah Lynn Gadon (born April 4, 1987) is a Canadian actress. She began her acting career guest-starring in a number of television series, such as ''Are You Afraid of the Dark?'' (1999), '' Mutant X'' (2002), and '' Dark Oracle'' (2004). She also ...
portrayed Ebba in the 2015 biographical film ''
The Girl King ''The Girl King'' is a 2015 biographical drama about Christina, Queen of Sweden. It was directed by Mika Kaurismäki and written by Michel Marc Bouchard who, after writing the screenplay for the film, wrote his stage play ''Christine, La Reine-Gar ...
'', which focuses on Christina's relationship with Ebba. In comparison to ''Queen Christina'', ''The Girl King'' decisively portrays Christina as a lesbian, and depicts Ebba and Christina's relationship as unmistakably sexual in nature. Although Gadon's performance was praised, Ebba's characterisation was criticised for being overly demure. The film portrays Christina as a hedonistic monarch who takes advantage of Ebba, as evident by a scene where she passionately seduces Ebba atop the
Codex Gigas The ''Codex Gigas'' ("Giant Book"; ) is the largest extant medieval illuminated manuscript in the world, at a length of . It is a Romanesque Latin Bible, with other texts, some secular, added in the second half of the book. Very large illumin ...
. In the film, Christina's affection for Ebba is manipulated by Swedish courtiers in a ploy to control the queen. Ebba's marriage to Jakob is arranged against her will, and the couple's separation hastens Christina's abdication.


References


Citations


Sources

* * * * * * *Haettner Aurelius, Eva: Drottning Kristinas Brev till Ebba Sparre - Galanta Brev Eller Kärleksbrev?’ in ''Liv, Lust Och Litteratur : Festskrift till Lisbeth Larsson'', edited by Kristina Hermansson, Christian Lenemark, and Cecilia Pettersson, 18–32. Makadam förlag, 2014. * * * * * *


Further reading

* * * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Sparre, Ebba 1626 births 1662 deaths 17th-century Swedish nobility 17th-century Swedish women Swedish ladies-in-waiting Swedish countesses People from the Swedish Empire Court of Christina, Queen of Sweden Sparre family Historical figures with ambiguous or disputed sexuality