Isabelle de Bourbon-Parme's Passionate Letters to Archduchess Marie-Christine Published

Éditions Phébus has published a collection of letters from Isabelle de Bourbon-Parme (1741–1763) to Archduchess Marie-Christine, her sister-in-law. Edited by philosopher Elisabeth Badinter, the correspondence reveals the princess's secret love for Marie-Christine, expressed in fervent and explicit terms. Isabelle, granddaughter of Louis XV and Philip V of Spain, died of smallpox at age 22. Despite her public role as the apparently submissive wife of the future Emperor Joseph II, she was a rebellious intellectual who wrote political and military commentaries at seventeen. Badinter describes her as belonging to the exclusive club of philosopher princesses, but also as a tormented soul consumed by jealousy and morbidity. The letters highlight the relative tolerance of 18th-century attitudes toward female same-sex relationships, which were often viewed as innocent games. Isabelle's audacity and literary talent shine through in this intimate correspondence.