Above: Ebba Sparre.
Sources:
Berättelser ur Swenska historien, volume 13, by Anders Fryxell
Svenskt biografiskt lexikon, 1907:
Courage and Grief: Women and Sweden's Thirty Years' War, by Mary Elizabeth Ailes, 2018:
Sparreska gravkoret vid Norrsunda kyrka, Årsboket Uppland, 1957:
The exact date and year of Ebba's birth have been lost to history. Older sources give her birth year as 1626, but it is now generally agreed that she was born in 1629. Her parents were statesman Marshal Lars Eriksson Sparre and Märta Banér. Her titles were Countess of Rossvik, Baroness of Sundby, and Countess of Läckö and Arensberg.
Ebba became an orphan, and in 1645, probably sometime after her father's death in 1644, she arrived at court and was appointed as Kristina's hovfröken, or maid of honour. The young countess was a celebrated beauty at court, nicknamed La Belle Comtesse ("The Beautiful Countess"), and therefore she was given the part of Venus when performing ballets in the castle theater. Kristina hated most women in general, finding them and their femininity ridiculous and weak and priding herself/himself/themself on being more masculine than others, but made an exception for Ebba, admiring her beauty and intellect. She/he/they nicknamed her Belle, who quickly became one of his/her/their favourites. Kristina often called attention to Ebba's beauty, which of course did not go unnoticed by others. But despite her famous reputation, Ebba was often nervous (though not to an extreme), indecisive, deeply humble and lacking in confidence.
It is recorded that in 1653, Kristina introduced Ebba to the English ambassador Whitelocke as her/his/their "bedfellow" and remarked that her "insides" were as beautiful as her "outside", although it is unknown whether or not they ever had a sexual relationship or how sexual it was if they did. Regardless of whether or not they had sex, it was very clear that Kristina had become very attached to Ebba, and that she/he/they loved her passionately. Ebba seems to have reciprocated Kristina's feelings, but, as we shall see, things weren't always so harmonious between the two. Their closeness eventually lead to rumours claiming that Kristina was a lesbian.
Above: An artist's imagining of an incident where Kristina got amusement from making Ebba read from a "profane" book that they had caught Claude Saumaise reading while visiting him.
Above: An artist's imagining of an incident where Kristina got amusement from making Ebba read from a "profane" book that they had caught Claude Saumaise reading while visiting him.
Ebba was originally engaged to her cousin, Bengt Gabrielsson Oxenstierna (1623-1702), but in 1651 this engagement was broken off at Kristina's request due to her/his/their displeasure with the Oxenstierna family and preference for the de la Gardies, wanting to further prove her/his/their favour for them. As a result, Kristina made it her/his/their mission to get a reluctant Ebba engaged to the family's youngest son, Count Jakob Kasimir (1622-1658). The more Kristina pushed, the more the equally determined Ebba resisted.
The Countess could also have been used to feed Kristina information about the latter family, especially after Jakob's older brother Magnus found himself in disgrace and exiled from court.
Above: Bengt Oxenstierna.
Above: Bengt Oxenstierna.
Ebba nicknamed herself Ariana and Bengt was Melinto. Bengt's sister's (probably) nickname was Fillis, and Myrtillus and Diana were nicknames for others in the family. Their nicknames, or rather codenames, for Kristina were "den förnämsta" — meaning "the boss" — and "den mägtigaste" — "the (most) powerful one". These and other codenames were used in letter correspondences, with Ebba referring to herself and Bengt in the third person.
The engagement problem was a major drama for Ebba. "Fillis" did not appreciate Kristina's treatment of Ebba at all, writing to Bengt on May 3, 1651:
The engagement problem was a major drama for Ebba. "Fillis" did not appreciate Kristina's treatment of Ebba at all, writing to Bengt on May 3, 1651:
"Den förnämsta är ganska ond på oss alla och talar hårdt till Ariana samt vill, att denna skall förlofva sig med den andra herrn. Men Ariana står emot, så länge som möjligt."
Translation (my own):
"The Boss is quite terrible toward all of us, speaks harshly to Ariana and wants her to be engaged to the other gentleman. But Ariana will resist for as long as possible."
Said "other gentleman" was Count Jakob Kasimir de la Gardie.
Fillis further clarified the situation in a later letter dated July 21 of the same year:
"Ariana är i stor frestelse. Den förnämsta vill ändtligen ha sin vilja fram och säger, att Ariana måste rätta sig derefter, eljest skall hon icke hafva något godt mer att vänta. Den förnämsta har hotat, att icke allenast Ariana utan ock alla, de henne tillhöra, skola förnimma, hvad den förnämstas hat kan göra. Deremot skall Ariana blifva så lycklig, som hon kan önska, om hon blott lyder den förnämstas råd; hvilka dock i detta mål lyckas ett rätt tvång vara. Den förnämsta sade ytterligare till Ariana: förlita dig icke för mycket på min gunst och pröfva ej för länge mitt tålamod! ty du är i min magt, och jag kan göra med dig, hvad jag vill. Men när Ariana icke lät skrämma sig, befallte henne den förnämsta att genast gå ur rummet; hvilket hon ock gjorde. Några dagar derefter sökte hon med goda ord vinna den, som hon icke med de onda kunnat skrämma. Men när också detta blef förgäfves, grep den förnämsta åter till hotelser och sade: om du tager någon annan än grefve Jakob Kasimir, så skall jag söka din makes undergång. Bengt Oxenstierna kan du dessutom aldrig få; ty jag skall förbjuda ett sådant äktenskap emellan syskonebarn. Oaktadt dessa den förnämstas hårda ord ämnar Ariana dock framhärda i sin trohet mot Melinto, så att hennes redlighet skall häri blifva spord. Hon har sagt köpsvennen sina tankar och bedt honom ingenting hoppas; ty, sade hon: om jag ock med våld föres till brudstolen, skall man likväl icke kunna förmå mig att säga Ja! Den mägtigaste kan göra mig olycklig; men icke tvinga min tunga att uttala de ord, jag icke vill. Men oaktadt dessa Arianas ord har den mägtigaste försäkrat köpsvennen, att hon skal skaffa honom det efterlängtade Ja-ordet."
Translation (italics also my own):
"Ariana is in great temptation. The Boss wants to have her way at last and says that Ariana must follow suit, she must have no good to wait any longer. The Boss has threatened that not only Ariana, but also all those who belong to her, will feel what the Boss's hatred is capable of. But on the other hand, Ariana will be as happy as can be if she only obeys the Boss's advice; which, however, in this case would succeed via a proper coercion. The Boss added: 'Don't rely too much on my favour and do not try my patience for a long time, because you are in my power and I can do whatever I want with you!' But when Ariana didn't let this scare her, the Boss ordered her out of the room, and she went. A few days later, she tried to win her over with nice words after the bad ones failed to do anything. But this ended up being in vain too. The Powerful One started using threats and said: 'If you take anyone other than Count Jakob Kasimir, then I will seek your husband's downfall. You can never have Bengt Oxenstierna, because I forbid such a marriage between cousins!' But regardless of the Boss's harsh words, Ariana intends to persevere in her allegiance to Melinto, so that her integrity will be asked (?) here. She has told the Merchant her thoughts and told him not to get his hopes up, because she said, 'If I am brought to the altar by force, one must not not expect me to say I do. Yes, the Powerful One can make me unhappy; but do not force my tongue to utter the words I do not want to say!' But despite Ariana's words, the Powerful One has assured the Merchant that she will give him the longed-for 'yes'."
"The Merchant" was another codename for Jakob Kasimir.
Fillis updated Bengt again on September 16, 1651:
"Köpsvennen talar ej mycket i saken; men hans föräldrar bullra högt. Den förnämsta drifver också hårdt sin vilja, och hotar att förbjuda äktenskapet mellan så närskylda personer som Melinto och Ariana."
Translation:
"The Merchant doesn't talk much on the matter, but his parents are making a big fuss. The Boss keeps on pushing and pushing her will, and is threatening to forbid the marriage between persons so closely related as Melinto and Ariana."
"Ariana" continued to resist, but after half a year, she began to crack and gave in, exhausted, her desire to please having won out. She wrote to Bengt on November 14 that she didn't want to belong to anyone other than "Melinto". She added:
"Men drottningen har förklarat, att det aldrig får ske. Då jag bad, att i detta mål få följa min egen vilja, svarade hon: det bifaller jag aldrig; ty jag har härutinnan fattat mitt beslut och skall drifva det igenom, så sannt jag vill blifva salig. Jag bad morbror riksskattmästaren tala vid henne; men han kunde ingenting uträtta. Hon har orubbeligt lofvat den andre min hand. Jag måste ock bekänna, att denne visar mig en parfait amour och talar anständigt och förståndigt om allting, äfven om sit medfriare. Jag ville likväl mycket häldre ega min Melinto, om det tillätes. Men när nu hela verlden ser, att jag till det yttersta gjort allt, hvad i min magt står, då må man väl förlåta, om jag icke skulle längre kunna stå emot alla dessa bemödanden; o.s.v."
Translation:
"But the Queen has declared that this must never happen. When I asked that in this case I might follow my own will, she replied: 'I will never agree to that; for I have made my decision from here and shall go through with it, so surely I will be happy'. I asked my uncle the treasurer to speak to her; but he could do nothing. She has firmly promised the other man my hand. I must also confess that he shows me a perfect love and speaks decently and prudently about everything, even about his fellow hopeful. But I'd really rather have my Melinto, if it's allowed. But now that the whole world sees that I have done everything that is in my power, to the utmost, it must be forgiven if I could no longer resist all these efforts."
Kristina, on the other hand, wasn't even close to exhausted, and the pushing and threats continued.
The aforementioned uncle-treasurer, Bengt's father Gabriel Oxenstierna, wrote to his son:
"Din fästmö är alltför vankelmodig. Hon lärer ofta både inför drottningen och andra påstått, att hon aldrig formligen bifallit förlofningen med dig. Du skall af hennes egna systrar få i detta hänseende höra ganska mycket. Säkert är, att, om jungfru Ebba hade från början visat en bestämd vilja, skulle nog hennes majestät hafva gifvit efter. Men tacka nu Gud, att du slapp en så vankelmodig person! För att rentvå dig själv, bör du emellertid hemskicka de bref, hvaruti hon lofvat dig trohet, o.s.v."
Translation:
"Your fiancee is too indecisive. She often learns both before the Queen and others allegedly that she never officially accepted the engagement with you. You will hear from her own sisters in this regard quite a lot. Certainly, if young Ebba had initially shown a definite will, Her Majesty would probably have given in to her. But thank God now that you have left such a fickle person! However, to cleanse yourself, you should return the letters in which she promised you allegiance, etc."
But Ebba seems to have already been regretting "her" decision:
"Ariana beder, att hennes Melinto icke genom några vådliga företag störtar sig sjelf i olycka och sin Ariana i än djupare sorg. Eländet är redan stort nog. Arianas enda tröst är, om Melinto lugnar sig. Hon vill sjelf och ensam bära qvalet och de olyckliga följderna; ty hon har ensam tillställt villervallan och hon kan med hela sitt lif icke tillräckligt plikta, för hvad hon gjort. Hennes samvete är redan förut nogsamt beträngdt, utan att någon Melintos ytterligare olycka tillkommer. Icke någon otrohet, utan blott olycka och försagdhet hafva lockat Ariana till denne ostadighet. Hädanefter blir henne ock lifvet bittrare än döden o.s.v."
Translation:
"Ariana asks that her Melinto not, through some dire companies, plunge herself into unhappiness and his Ariana into even deeper grief. The misery is great enough already. Ariana's only consolation is that Melinto calms down. She wants herself and only herself to bear the grief and the unfortunate consequences; for she alone has provided this chaos, and with all her life she cannot pay enough for what she has done. Her conscience has already been carefully overwhelmed, without any further misfortune from Melinto. No infidelity, but merely an accident and despair, have brought Ariana to this unsteadiness. Henceforth, her life will be even more bitter than death, etc."
Ebba was married to Jakob Kasimir on January 11, 1652 (some sources say 1653), and Kristina officiated at their wedding. Their wedding was themed, with the guests dressed as Roman gods and goddesses while Kristina and the other higher-ups wore shepherd costumes.
Johan Ekeblad wrote about the wedding, short but in detail (italics my own):
"I går den 10 hujus stod Grefve Jacobs brölop på Slottet med den sköna Sparren, med stor pragt. Förleden tre Kongars dag blef det spelet hållet på Slottet, om huru alla Gudarne voro till gäst hos Herdarne och Herdinnorne; det hafver varit mycket vackert att se på, och hafva de lekt alt intill klockan 7 om morgonen. RiksHofmästaren Ulfeldt var Jupiter eller den förnämste bland Gudarne; den Spanske Envoijén var Mars, och den Pålske Canzleren, Bacchus, med et hiskeligt stort stop i handen fullt med vin. Dronningen och Hertig Adolph voro med hela Hoffolket klädde i Herdekläder."
In translation (my own, with my comment):
"Yesterday on the 10th of this month, Count Jakob's wedding took place at the Castle with the beautiful Sparre, with great pomp. This past Epiphany [on the wedding day (too)?] the play was held at the Castle about how all the gods were guests to the shepherds and shepherdesses. It was very lovely to behold, and it all went on until 7 in the morning. Court Steward Ulfeldt was Jupiter, the foremost of the gods, the Spanish envoy was Mars, and the Polish chancellor was Bacchus, with a terribly big goblet of wine in hand. The Queen and Duke Adolf, along with all the nobility, dressed in shepherds' clothes."
But the marriage was unhappy, probably because Jakob's mother, Ebba Brahe (1596-1674), did not like her daughter-in-law, although she came to pity her later on. The couple had three children: Jakob, Kristina (who was probably and likely named after the Queen/King) and Ebba, Jr., all of whom died in infancy. Ebba also outlived her husband, who died during the Siege of Copenhagen in 1658.
Above: Ebba Brahe, Ebba Sparre's mother-in-law.
Above: Ebba Brahe, Ebba Sparre's mother-in-law.
Ebba remained loyal to Kristina even after she/he/they abdicated and converted to Catholicism. We can see from letters that Kristina wrote that she/he/they loved and missed Ebba deeply, felt anxiety that Ebba might not still love her/him/them, and repeatedly wished she/he/they could see her again. Here is a letter that Kristina wrote to Ebba in 1656:
"Que je serois heureuse s'il m'étoit permis de vous voir, Belle, mais je suis condamnée du sort à vous aimer & vous estimer toûjours sans vous voir jamais; & cette envie que les astres portent aux felicités humaines, empéche que je ne sois entiérement heureuse, puisque je ne la puis être, étant éloignée de vous. Ne doutez pas de cette vérité, & croïez qu'en quelque lieu du monde que je me trouve, vous y avez une personne qui vous est entiérement acquise, comme je l'ai toûjours été. Mais est-il possible, Belle, que vous vous souveniez encore de moi? Vous suis-je encore aussi chère que je vous l'étois autrefois? Ne me suis-je pas trompée, lorsque je me suis persuadée que j'étois la personne du monde que vous aimiez le plus? Ha, si cela est, me me détrompez pas: laissez-moi plûtôt mon erreur, & ne m'enviez point la félicité imaginaire que me donne l'opinion d'être chérie de la plus aimable personne du monde. Conservez-moi, s'il se peut, ce bien, & ne souffrez pas que le tems ni l'absence me privent de la satisfaction d'être aimée de vous, & croïez que quoiqu'il puisse arriver, je ne cesserai d'être à vous. Adieu, Belle, adieu. Je vous embrasse un million de fois.
de Rome le 6 Janvier 1656.
Christine Alessandre."
de Rome le 6 Janvier 1656.
Christine Alessandre."
Translation:
"How happy I would be if I were allowed to see you, Belle, but I am doomed to love and esteem you without ever seeing you; and this envy that the stars have for human happiness prevents me from being entirely happy, since I cannot be, since I'm so far away from you. Do not doubt this truth, and believe that in whatever part of the world I find myself, you have someone who is wholly yours, as I have always been. But is it possible, Belle, that you still remember me? Am I still as dear to you as I once was? Am I not mistaken when I persuaded myself that I was the person in the world you loved most? Ah, if that's the case, do not reveal it. Just leave me in my error, and do not forget the imaginary happiness which the memory of being beloved by the most amiable person in the world gives me. Let me keep, if it is possible, this good, and do not allow time or absence to deprive me of the satisfaction of being loved by you, and believe that whatever happens, I will never stop being yours. Goodbye, Belle, goodbye! I kiss you a million times.
Kristina Alexandra
Kristina Alexandra
From Rome, January 6, 1656."
Kristina even tried to get "Belle" to visit her in Hamburg in 1660, but their reunion was prevented, probably by Count Magnus de la Gardie, Ebba's brother-in-law. At her/his/their cousin's death that same year, Kristina returned to Sweden and tried again to see Ebba, and tried yet again to arrange a visit during her/his/their four-month stay in Nyköping, but was again refused because of her/his/their new religion.
Ebba was in bad health at the time anyway. She had become ill and bedridden after her baby daughter died in 1658, and surely the stress of not yet knowing the whereabouts and fate of her husband must have exacerbated her illness. Her mother-in-law wrote to a friend in April 1658 (in translation):
"I have much heartache and agony for my daughter Ebba Sparre, who in nine weeks has not put a foot on the floor and lays in great weakness ever since her daughter died. ... Let me know where he [Jacob Kasimir] is and how he is. I have not heard anything from him since the peace was concluded. Let him know how much she [Ebba Sparre] longs for him."
The news of her husband's death came as a shock to both Ebbas and the family.
Poor Ebba never got to see Kristina again, for she passed away on March 19, 1662, at age 32 or 33. She and her babies were buried at Riddarholm Church, the traditional resting place for the remains of Swedish royalty and nobility.
Johan Ekeblad wrote:
"Den 19 hujus om natten blev den sköna grevinnan Ebba Sparre död, sedan hon en lång tid har varit mycket svag. Hon har begråtits och beklagats av alla människor."
Translation:
"On the night of the 19th of this month, the beautiful Countess Ebba Sparre passed away. She had been very weak and sick for a long time. She was mourned and missed by everyone."
But Belle was not forgotten, even after obscurity claimed most of her life in death and even after Kristina's own death. Their relationship was very briefly depicted in the 1933 American film Queen Christina (directed by Rouben Mamoulian and starring Greta Garbo in the title role, with Elizabeth Young as Ebba), was again briefly shown in the somewhat obscure 1974 film The Abdication (an adaptation of Ruth Wolff's 1973 stage drama, directed by Anthony Harvey, with Liv Ullmann as Kristina and Ania Marson as Ebba), and has more recently been depicted in much more detail and length in the 2015 Finnish-Swedish-French-German-Canadian film The Girl King (in Finnish, Tyttökuningas), adapted from Michel Marc Bouchard's 2012 French language stage drama Christine, la reine garçon, directed by Mika Kaurismäki and starring Malin Buska as Kristina and Sarah Gadon as Ebba (note: in this film Kristina seems to consistently identify as female despite her manly behaviour and attire).
The film deviates very far in some areas from how things really happened (spoiler alert for anyone who hasn't seen this film):
In the film's universe, Bengt Oxenstierna is non-existent, and Ebba willingly breaks off her engagement with Jakob Kasimir. She and Kristina have a passionate affair, but it all ends when Axel Oxenstierna's son Johan, who has been very suspicious of the relationship the whole time, has Ebba kidnapped and forces her to give up Kristina, go back to Jakob and marry him, to which Ebba reluctantly agrees. Kristina sees Ebba's decision to marry Jakob as a betrayal of her, and this plus the death of Descartes (who is film!Kristina's hero) causes Kristina to suffer a serious breakdown and fall into a deep depression; and when Ebba and Jakob get married, Kristina crashes the wedding and attempts suicide by jumping into the freezing cold river, but survives and wakes up in her throne room, where she physically lashes out at Johan and tries to attack him. Both of her losses soon become major contributing factors to Kristina's decision to abdicate and leave Sweden, which she does. The Ebba motive given deviates far from historical accuracy, but it is still an interesting and understandable interpretation of how Kristina may have felt, although the real Kristina does not seem to have taken Ebba's marriage as a betrayal.
Above: Greta Garbo and Elizabeth Young as Kristina and Ebba in Queen Christina (1933).
Above: Malin Buska and Sarah Gadon as Kristina and Ebba in a promotional photo for The Girl King (2015).
Above: Greta Garbo and Elizabeth Young as Kristina and Ebba in Queen Christina (1933).
Above: Malin Buska and Sarah Gadon as Kristina and Ebba in a promotional photo for The Girl King (2015).
Ebba is mentioned in an anonymous sonnet collection, Venerid (possibly by Gustaf Rosenhane), which was published in 1680, despite having been written over 30 years earlier:
"Hwem är så skön / hwem är begåfwad medh dhe Seder,
Som dhen migh fångat har, i Nympher ibland Eder
J säye alla thet som iagh at hon Ehr öfwergår,
Och att hon wist är wärd / dhen ähra hon aff migh får."
Som dhen migh fångat har, i Nympher ibland Eder
J säye alla thet som iagh at hon Ehr öfwergår,
Och att hon wist är wärd / dhen ähra hon aff migh får."
In translation (my own and imperfect):
"Who is the fairest, the most virtuous, among you Nymphs, whom I have captured?
You all say what I'm saying, that she surpasses you,
And that she is surely worthy of the honour I give her."
You all say what I'm saying, that she surpasses you,
And that she is surely worthy of the honour I give her."
