A SCANDALOUS RELATIONSHIP
Was the queen really in love with her lady-in-waiting?
Without a doubt, Queen Christina’s most famous same-sex relationship was her rumoured affair with Countess Ebba Sparre. Sparre was frequently described as a traditional, feminine beauty, a direct contrast to Christina, whose masculine appearance and mannerisms increased assumptions that she was homosexual – especially when she made it clear that she had no intention of ever marrying or having children in her future.
The women were known to share a bed together, which was not an uncommon practice at the time, but the queen enjoyed shocking those around her. Christina relished the opportunity to provoke others about her relationship with Sparre and what they got up to together when they were alone and in private. Nevertheless, the queen was also responsible for arranging Sparre’s marriage to Count Jakob Kasimir de la Gardie, the younger brother of one of her male favourites.
Christina and Sparre frequently wrote letters to one another and they continued this practice even after the queen had abdicated and settled in Rome. Christina’s letters to Sparre were often full of passionate language, with the queen giving her the nickname Belle. But she also wrote similar, emotional letters to other women too, including those that she had never met.
Although there has been much emphasis placed on their relationship by historians, we don’t know for certain what the true nature of Christina and Sparre’s relationship was. Even so, there is no denying that the speculation around the supposed love affair has continued to play a major role in the narratives that are written about Christina today.