"The Queen's [Christinas] attention was now [in 1646] fixed on one of her own ladies-in-waiting, a quiet young beauty who had been left in her care on the death of her courtier father some years before. Her name was Ebba Sparre, but in compliment of her loveliness, Christina called her Belle. Apart from their age, the two had little in common. Belle was timid, feminine, and sedentary, with no particular interest in learning or high culture, but she accepted Christina's attentions, and seems to have returned her affection. They commonly shared a bed, no unusual matter at the time for two young unmarried women, but Christina enjoyed the provocative possibilities of the situation. She drew deliberate attention to it before the prudish English Ambassador, Bulstrode Whitelock, whispering into his reddening ears that Belle's 'inside' was 'as beautiful as her outside'. Her insinuations quickly ossified into supposed fact, and before long it was widely believed that the Queen was a lesbian ... Her reluctance to marry added weight to the charge ... and there was plenty of circumstantial evidence to be brought to bear: her mannish ways of walking, her love for hunting, her gruff voice, her flat shoes ... Christina did nothing to quench the little flames [der Gerüchte], declaring in round terms her aversion to the idea of sex with a man. 'I could not bear to be used by a man the way a peasant uses his fields,' she said. ... Christina was clearly fond of Belle, and may even have loved her ... Christina persuaded her to break off the engagement [mit Bengt Oxenstierna (1623-1702), einem Sohn des Reichsadmirals Gabriel Bengtsson Oxenstierna], and to marry instead Jakob Casimir De la Gardie [(1629-1658)]... Belle's own epitaph was not happy. There was no real affection between Jakob and herself, and even after the wedding, she continued to live with the Queen. She had three children, but all died in infancy, and within a very few years she became a widow. Thereafter, despite Christina's continuing affection for her, Belle's young life declined into illness and sadness." (in: Veronica Buckley: Christina - Queen of Sweden, id., pp. 97-98).
als Buch bei amazon.de: 552 Seiten, mit Stammtafeln und 292 sw Bildern, Independently published, 1. Auflage, ISBN 978-1-9768-8527-3, € 31,84 (großes Buchformat: 21 x 27 cm)
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Frauen in der Renaissance – 30 Einzelschicksale
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Wer ist Mona Lisa? – Identifizierung einer Unbekannten mit Hilfe historischer Quellen
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