Known for: Habsburg princess, marriage to Charles IX of France
Occupation: Queen Consort of France
Dates: July 5, 1554 - January 22, 1592
Also known as: Archduchess Elisabeth of Austria
Predecessor as Queen Consort of France: Mary, Queen of Scots, 1559-1560
Successor as Queen Consort of France: Louise of Lorraine (1575 - 1589)
Background, Family:
- Mother: Maria of Spain, Holy Roman Empress, daughter of Isabella of Portugal and Charles V, Holy Roman Emperor. Maria's grandmothers were Juana (Joanna) of Castile and Maria of Aragon, sisters.
- Father: Maximilian II, Holy Roman Emperor, son of Anne of Bohemia and Hungary and Ferdinand I, Holy Roman Emperor.
- Ferdinand I was a brother of Charles V, making Maria and Maximilian first cousins.
- Elisabeth was also a descendant of King Edward III of England
- Siblings who lived past childhoood:
- Anna of Austria who married her uncle, Philip II of Spain
- Rudolf II, Holy Roman Emperor
- Ernest
- Matthias, Holy Roman Emperor
- Maximilian
- Albert
- Margaret of Austria, a nun
Marriage, Children:
- husband: Charles IX of France (married 1570)
- one child:
- Marie Elisabeth of Valois (1572 - 1578)
Elisabeth of Austria Biography:
Elisabeth, the fifth child and second daughter born to her parents, was well educated; she studied with the tutor of her older brothers.
As a royal princess, Elisabeth's primary value was in her marriage prospects. Potential husbands who were considered for her included King Charles IX of France, King Frederick II of Denmark, and Sebastian I of Portugal.
Her sister Anna was considered as a wife for Charles IX of France, but instead married their uncle, Philip II of Spain, as his fourth wife. She was the mother of Philip III of Spain.
Elisabeth was married to Charles of France on October 22, 1570, by proxy, then in France in person on November 26. Elisabeth learned French after her marriage. Her mother-in-law, Catherine de Medici, encouraged Charles to keep his relationship with is mistress, keeping Elisabeth out of any circles of power.
Elisabeth, already uncomfortable with French customs, was appalled at the St. Bartholomew's Day Massacre (August 24, 1572), when Protestants were murdered.
Her daughter by Charles, Marie Elisabeth, was born on October 27, 1572. She was named for Maria of Spain and for Elizabeth I of England.
Charles died on May 30, 1574. Elisabeth refused to marry her husband's brother and successor, Henry III, as she was expected to do. She left her daughter in the care of Catherine de Medici and returned to Austria in December 1575. Marie Elisabeth died at age six.
In 1580, her sister Anna died. A marriage to Anna's widower, Philip II of Spain, was proposed; Elisabeth refused and never married.
Elisabeth supported the Jesuit order and founded a convent of Poor Clares. She exchanged letters with Margaret of Valois, Queen of France and Navarre, her husband's sister.
Elisabeth died in 1592 of pleurisy and was buried at the convent she had founded. In 1782, her remains were moved to St. Stephen's Cathedral in Vienna.
More women's history biographies, by name:
A | B | C | D | E | F | G | H | I | J | K | L | M | N | O | P/Q | R | S | T | U/V | W | X/Y/Z
