Eleonora Gonzaga (1598–1655)
For other women of the same name, see Eleanor Gonzaga (disambiguation)
| Eleonora Gonzaga | |
|---|---|
|
Holy Roman Empress, German Queen, Queen consort of Hungary and Bohemia | |
 Eleonora Gonzaga | |
| Born |
23 September 1598 Duchy of Mantua |
| Died |
27 June 1655 (aged 56) Vienna, Austria |
| Spouse | Ferdinand II, Holy Roman Emperor |
| House |
House of Gonzaga (by birth) House of Habsburg (by marriage) |
| Father | Vincenzo I Gonzaga |
| Mother | Eleonora de' Medici |
Eleonora Gonzaga (23 September 1598 – 27 June 1655) was the second wife of Ferdinand II, Holy Roman Emperor, Archduchess consort of Austria, Queen of Germany, Queen consort of Hungary and Bohemia.[1]
Biography
Engraving of Eleonora Gonzaga
Born in Mantua in 1598, Eleonora was the youngest daughter of duke Vincenzo I of Gonzaga of Mantua and Eleonora de' Medici.
Eleonora spent her childhood at the court of Mantua. Famous for her singular beauty, she married Ferdinand in Innsbruck on 2 February 1622. Ferdinand's previous wife Maria Anna of Bavaria had died in 1616, but the Gonzaga family did not — as expected — profit from this connection, because some of Ferdinand's counsellors rejected the marriage. The Imperial troops even captured and destroyed Mantua in the War of the Mantuan Succession (in 1630).
The papal Nuncio Caraffa described Eleonora not only as beautiful but also as pious. For example she established Carmelite convents in both Graz and Vienna.
The royal couple had no children, but Eleonora became stepmother to Ferdinand's four surviving children from his previous marriage.
Eleonora died in Vienna in 1655 and was first buried in the Carmelite convent of the Austrian capital until her body was transported in 1782 into the St. Stephen's Cathedral of the same city.
Ancestry
References
- Brigitte Hamann: Die Habsburger. 1988, p. 78f.
Portraits of Eleonore Gonzaga
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Wikimedia Commons has media related to Eleonor Gonzaga (1598–1655). |
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Eleonore as a child, possible work of Peter Paul Rubens
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Eleonore as a widow
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BMVB - Joost Susterman - Leonor de Màntua, 1681
| Eleonora Gonzaga (1598–1655) Born: 23 September 1598 Died: 27 June 1655 | ||
| Royal titles | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by Maria Anna of Bavaria |
Archduchess consort of Inner Austria 1622–1637 |
Succeeded by Maria Anna of Spain |
| Preceded by Anna of Austria |
Empress of the Holy Roman Empire 1622–1637 | |
| German Queen 1622–1637 | ||
| Queen consort of Hungary 1622–1625 | ||
| Queen consort of Bohemia 1622–1627 | ||
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