Isabella of Parma (December 31, 1741 - November 27, 1763)

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Isabella of Parma (Isabella Maria Luisa Antonietta Ferdinanda Giuseppina Saveria Domenica Giovanna; 31 December 1741 – 27 November 1763) was the daughter of Infante Felipe of Spain, Duke of Parma and his wife Louise Élisabeth, eldest daughter of Louis XV of France and Maria Leszczyńska. At 18, Isabella was married to Archduke Joseph of Austria, later Joseph II, with whom she was not happy, finding more fulfilment in her close friendship with his sister Archduchess Maria Christina, who later became, by marriage, Duchess of Saxony-Teschen. The two women seemed to have a romantic lesbian affair. During the few years Isabella and Christina knew each other, they exchanged 200 letters and "billets" while living at the same court. Only the letters of Isabella have been preserved; those of Maria Christina were destroyed after her death. The difficult birth of her daughter Maria Theresa, followed by two miscarriages, affected Isabella's mental condition, and she died soon after giving birth to another stillborn daughter.

Timeline & Places:

• December 31, 1741: born.

• 1759 to 1763: lived at Schönbrunn Palace, Schönbrunner Schloßstraße 47, 1130 Wien, Austria

• November 27, 1763: died. Buried at Imperial Crypt, Tegetthoffstraße 2, 1010 Wien, Austria

References:

Queer Places, Vol. 3.2: Retracing the Steps of LGBTQ people around the World
ISBN-13: 978-1544068435 (CreateSpace-Assigned)
ISBN-10: 1544068433
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