Isabella of Parma

Isabella of Bourbon-Parma (, ; 31 December 1741 – 27 November 1763) was a princess of Parma and infanta of Spain from the House of Bourbon-Parma as the daughter of Philip, Duke of Parma. She became an archduchess of Austria and princess of Bohemia and Hungary in 1760 by her marriage to Archduke Joseph of Austria, the future Joseph II, Holy Roman Emperor.

Although her husband loved her, she did not fully return his feelings and found more fulfillment in her (likely romantic, possibly sexual) relationship with her sister-in-law, Archduchess Maria Christina. The loss of her beloved mother, an arranged marriage in which she was unhappy, a court life that did not fit her, and a difficult birth followed closely by two miscarriages and another hard pregnancy all affected her mental health, leading to a depression. She died at the age of 21 from smallpox.

Life

Early life

The ''Infanta'' ''Isabel María Luisa Antonieta Fernanda Josefa Javiera Dominica Juana'' of Spain was born on 31 December 1741 at Buen Retiro Palace in Madrid, Spain as the first child of the Infante Philip of Spain (1720–1765) and his wife, born Princess Louise Élisabeth of France, ''Madame Royale'' (1727–1759).

Isabella's parents were first cousins once removed with an age difference of almost seven years, Louise Élisabeth being only 12 years old when she married then-19-years-old Philip. She considered it beneath her, the firstborn daughter of the king of France, to marry anyone who was not a monarch or an heir apparent, and Philip was only the third son of his father. She also had a contentious relationship with her mother-in-law Queen Elisabeth, the ''de facto'' ruler of Spain. Because of the unhappy marriage of her parents, Isabella remained an only child for ten years but eventually had two siblings. As a result of these factors, Louise Élisabeth had a very close relationship with her daughter, whom she had at the age of 14.

For the first seven years of her life, she was raised at the Madrid court of his paternal grandfather, Philip V, King of Spain. Between December 1748 and December 1749, she spent a year in Versailles when her mother visited her family. Following the 1748 Treaty of Aix-la-Chapelle, her father became the Duke of Parma, a title formerly belonging to the House of Farnese, his mother's family. This made Isabella a princess of Parma and a member of the new House of Bourbon-Parma. She arrived in her new home with her mother in December 1749. When Louise Élisabeth's twin sister Princess Henriette of France (1727–1752) died in early 1752, Isabella's mother visited her grave in the Basilica of Saint-Denis, spending almost a year in France and returning to Parma in October 1753. This time, she did not take her children with her.

In September 1757, the Duchess of Parma and her daughter travelled to Versailles again to participate in the ongoing negotiations between France and the Habsburg monarchy. It was during this time that her mother arranged Isabella's marriage with the Archduke Joseph of Austria (1741–1790), the eldest son and heir of Francis I, Holy Roman Emperor(1708–1765) and Empress Maria Theresa, ruler of the Habsburg monarchy (1717–1780). While still in the French royal court, Louise Élisabeth caught smallpox and died on 6 December 1759, at the age of 32, devastating her daughter, who might have become convinced at this time that she, too, would die young. This belief was only strengthened by a prediction Isabella received from a Romani woman in Parma, who told her that she would only live for a few more years, and might have said that she would not reach her 22nd birthday.

Marriage

Background

Maria Theresa, Holy Roman Empress followed a marriage policy intending to strengthen the relationship between the Houses of Bourbon and Habsburg. Influenced by his maîtresse-en-titre Madame de Pompadour (1721–1764) Louis XV, King of France (1710–1774) also decided to shift alliances and join forces with Austria against England and Prussia. When Maria Theresa's eldest son and heir, the Archduke Joseph (1741–1790) reached the right age, he was presented with a list and portraits of marriageable princesses fitting his mother's goals. He chose the Infanta Isabella, who had been endorsed by the Austrian ambassador to France, the Count of Mercy-Argentau. He mostly relied on the opinions of his strong-willed mother and was not enthusiastic about marrying because of his low opinion of women. After the betrothal, the two courts decided to wait for some time so that the young couple could mature. Shortly before the wedding, Joseph wrote to a friend that he would do everything to win his bride's respect and trust, but that he considered it ''"impossible for imto be agreeable, to pose as a lover"''.

Wedding

Following a marriage by proxy, Isabella was sent with Joseph Wenzel I, Prince of Liechtenstein (1696–1772) to Vienna in late 1760. They travelled from Parma through the Alps, were greeted at the border by the widowed Countess Miklós Erdődy, born Countess Antónia Battyhány of Németújvár, her newly appointed ''Oberhofmeisterin'' and reached a castle near Vienna at the end of September, where they were received by her future father-in-law, Francis I, Holy Roman Emperor. They travelled together to Laxenburg castles and seeming coldness"'' is mixed in her love for her children. She stated that her death will not be a great loss for her mother-in-law, but will nevertheless cause her pain and that she will ''"transfer all of the friendship she feels for [Isabella] to [Maria]"''.

Relationship with Archduchess Maria Christina

Her sister-in-law, Archduchess Maria Christina "Marie" or "Mimi" (1742–1798) was Isabella's best friend and closest, if not only confidante in Vienna. She was the third surviving child of the imperial couple, less than five months younger than Isabella. She was the favourite child of the empress, intelligent and artistically inclined just like Isabella. The two quickly developed a very close relationship and spent so much time together that they earned a comparison with Orpheus and Eurydice. Despite living in the same place, they exchanged countless letters and small notes in French. Only those written by Isabella have survived, those of Marie were burned after her death, but even these amount to more than 200. In the beginning of their relationship, she addressed Marie formally and called her ''"my dear sister''", then ''"my dear heart"'', even later ''"my precious angel"'', ''"my worshipped sister"'', ''"my precious and holy sister"'', ''"the most excellent of all creatures"'', and ''"divine beauty"''.

The two women agreed on dates in hidden places and Isabella even wrote short notes to Marie during mass. In her letters, there are many sentences such as ''"I kiss all that you let me kiss"'', ''"I kiss your archangelic little ass"'', or saying that her face is ill but ''" arie'sfavourite place snot"''. About her feelings, she declared that ''"I worship you. If you did not exist (...) all that would remain for me would be to jump into the Danube. (...) As a saint or in a satanic way, but I love you and will love you till the grave"''. The two women gifted each other contemporary toilets, chairs with a hole under which chamber pots could be placed, and Isabella commented that she hoped Marie would think of her each time she used it. If the weather kept Joseph from going on a hunt, the sisters-in-law cancelled their date in hurried, disappointed notes.

While earlier historians dismissed the heated language of these letters as a fashionable, overly emotional expression of friendly love, later it became consensus that the two had a secret lesbian affair. Hans Bankl, who analysed the letters, concluded: "The wife of the heir to the throne was in love, and, as she wrote, "à la rage", to the point of madness. Only, not with her husband but with his sister". It seems that Marie was the great love of Isabella's life, who was not romantically or sexually attracted to her husband. From what remains, Marie looks to have been more reserved, despite returning her feelings. This inequality made Isabella unhappy in the relationship, while their shared perception of homosexuality as sinful led to feelings of guilt. Moreover, Isabella felt guilty because she did not completely return the love of her husband and properly fulfill her duty as a wife. This worsened her depression and convinced her that the only solution was death. She wrote to Marie that ''"only the Almighty knows how gladly I would part with this life in which grievance is inflicted upon Him daily"''.

After Isabella's death

There is no record of Marie's reaction to Isabella's death. In 1766, she married Prince Albert Casimir of Saxony (1738–1822). She was the only one of the empress' children to choose her own spouse and marry for love. After her death, a miniature of Isabella and her daughter Maria Theresa was found in Marie's prayer book. On its back, she had written the date and cause of Isabella's death and that she was her best and truest friend. She finished the note saying ''"this woman was endowed with all conceivable virtues, attractiveness, and advantageous properties. She lived as an angel and died as an angel"''.

Personality and appearance

Isabella was a very intelligent and well-educated woman especially interested in philosophy, morality, music, history, physics, and metaphysics. She was also artistically inclined, painted, drew, sang, played the violin (something rare even among men), and wrote poems and studies. She also studied mechanics, worked on various machinery, and enjoyed doing sports. The imperial court and even her husband, who had previously viewed chatting with women an empty pastime, considered her a witty conversationalist. Despite her shy and reserved nature, she managed to fit in everywhere and be liked by most people. She observed others consciously and analysed their personalities. When her best friend and possible lover, Archduchess Maria (Christina) wrote a description of Isabella, she mentioned being biased in favour of those she loved and changing her opinions reluctantly among her negative traits. She also stated that Isabella liked to ''"torture"'' people, but that once she had reached her goal and upset them she was devastated. Her physical appearance was the opposite of fashionable among noble ladies: she had olive skin and short hair.

Depression

Isabella was melancholic, as depression was known in the 18th century. Despite her usual liveliness and love of sports, she had sudden periods of being unable to move and sitting in her place staring in front of herself. It has been suggested by Ursula Tamussino that her depression was hereditary as both of her grandfathers (Philip V of Spain and Louis XV of France) suffered from the same illness. Burdened by her marriage, difficult pregnancies and homosexual desires, she became suicidal. She admitted to Maria that she would feel ''"great temptation"'' to commit suicide if it was not forbidden by the church. As reasons for this she listed that she felt she was good for nothing, only did bad things, and saw no way for her salvation. By 1763, her yearning for death reached the extent that she declared to have heard a voice telling her that the end is near, which put her in a ''"gentle, peaceful, festive mood"'', encouraged her to do anything and gave her a ''"mysterious power over erself''.

Issue

Isabella had five known pregnancies during the three years of her marriage to Archduke Joseph. Three of these ended in a miscarriage and the two live births produced two daughters, only one of whom survived infancy and neither of whom lived to adulthood.

Ancestry

References

Sources

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{{DEFAULTSORT:Isabella of Parma
1741 births
1763 deaths
Princesses of Bourbon-Parma
House of Habsburg-Lorraine
18th-century LGBT people
LGBT people from Spain
I
Infectious disease deaths in Austria
Deaths from smallpox
Burials at the Imperial Crypt