Elizabeth von Habsburg

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Elisabeth of Austria (1554–1592)

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For other people named Elisabeth of Austria, see Elisabeth of Austria (disambiguation).

Elisabeth of Austria

Queen consort of France

Elizabeth d'Autriche, by François Clouet (1510-1572).

Tenure 26 November 1570 – 30 May 1574

Spouse Charles IX of France

Issue

Marie Elisabeth of Valois

House House of Habsburg

House of Valois

Father Maximilian II, Holy Roman Emperor

Mother Maria of Spain

Born 5 July 1554(1554-07-05)

Vienna

Died 22 January 1592 (aged 37)

Elisabeth of Austria (5 July 1554 – 22 January 1592) was born an Archduchess of Austria, and later became Queen of France. She was the daughter of Holy Roman Emperor Maximilian II and Maria of Spain. She was married to Charles IX of France for three and a half years, until his death.

Contents

[show]

   * 1 Early life

* 2 Queen of France
* 3 Widowhood and Death
* 4 Family and Children
* 5 Ancestry
* 6 Sources
[edit] Early life

Elisabeth enjoyed a privileged and secluded childhood in Vienna, where she and her many siblings were raised as devout Catholics. With her flawless white skin, long blond hair and perfect physique, she was considered one of the greatest beauties of the era. Demure, pious and warm-hearted, she was also naive and intensely innocent because of her sheltered upbringing. She is mentioned as her fathers favourite. She was trained in religion by her devout mother personally, and reportedly took her namesake Saint Elizabeth of Thüringia as her ideal.

A marriage to the King of France was suggested already in 1562, but the negotiations did not become serious until 1569, and initially, her elder sister Anna was prefferred over her.

[edit] Queen of France

At the age of sixteen, she was married to King Charles IX of France to help cement an alliance between the Habsburg emperors and the French Crown. She was first married by proxy (with ambassador Albert de Gondi standing in for the king) in Vienna, and then in an official ceremony in Paris with immense pomp and extravagance, despite the dire state of French finances. Her wedding gown was of silver and her tiara was studded with pearls, emeralds, diamonds and rubies. On her way to her wedding, her future spouse dressed himself as a soldier and went to Sedan, were she was at the time, to observe her incognito while she was walking in the garden in the palace of Sedan: he was reportedly happy about what he saw.

Elisabeth was so delighted about Charles that she, to general amusement, did not hesitate to kiss him in front of others. Her husband, who already had a long-term mistress, Marie Touchet, was devoted to his teenage bride. Although they never fell in love, the couple had a warm and supportive relationship. Charles realised that the scandalous ways of the French Court might shock Elisabeth and, along with his mother, Catherine de' Medici, he made an effort to shield her from its excesses. She continued to hear Mass twice a day, despite being horrified at how little respect was shown for religion by the supposedly Catholic courtiers. Her one controversial act was to make a point of rejecting the attentions of Protestant courtiers and politicians by refusing them permission to kiss her hand when they paid homage to the royal family. Her mother-in-law, Catherine de Medici, made sure that she was kept out of any affairs of state. Queen Elisabeth spoke German, Spanish, Latin and Italian but not French, nor did she lean to speak it very well, and she became lonely in France; one of her few friends was her sister-in-law, Margaret of Valois.

Charles suffered periodic bouts of madness, which had to be hidden from the public as best as possible[verification needed]. Despite these hindrances, Elisabeth quickly fell pregnant and left Paris to enjoy the country air at Fontainebleau[verification needed]. It was during this seclusion that she received news of the Saint Bartholomew's Day Massacre in August 1572, when thousands of French Protestants were slaughtered on the streets of Paris. Although she loathed Protestantism, Elisabeth never publicly rejoiced at so many deaths - like other prominent Catholics did. During the massacre of St Bartholomew (24 Aug 1572), she was given petitions to speak for the innoccent, and she managed to assure a promise tospare the lives of the foreign (German) Protestants.

Her daughter, Marie-Elisabeth, was born a few months later, on 27 Oct 1572. Her daughter Marie-Elisabeth was named after herself and her husbands lover.

[edit] Widowhood and Death

In 1574, two years later, when France was devastated by another religious civil war, Charles IX died, with Elisabeth at his bedside - weeping "tears so tender, and so secret," according to one eyewitness. She retired to the countryside, rejecting her father's proposition that she attempt to marry her dead husband's brother - now King Henry III of France. As a widow, she was given the title Duchess of Berry. After having compleeted the 40 days mourning period, she left France for Vienna in December 1575, leaving her daughter behind.

She made half her fortune available to her sister-in-law - Marguerite de Valois - who was ostracised from the rest of the royal family. Her last great tragedy came on 9 April 1578, when her six year-old daughter died of an unknown infantile infection. After the death of her daughter in 1578, she bought land upon which she founded a convent of the order of Saint Clare, were she spent the rest of her life, refusing all offers of marriage, including one from her uncle, King Philip II of Spain. She also wrote two books.

Elisabeth died in 1592, by which time the House of Valois had been destroyed and a new royal family ruled France.

[edit] Family and Children

Elisabeth and Charles IX had one child:

   * Marie Elisabeth of Valois (27 Oct 1572 - 9 April 1578), who died at the age of six

This page was last modified on 5 June 2010 at 18:09

Elisabeth of Austria (1554-1592)

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Elisabeth of Austria (June 5, 1554 – January 22, 1592), was born an Archduchess of Austria, and later became Queen of France. She was the daughter of Holy Roman Emperor Maximilian II and Maria of Spain. She was married to Charles IX of France for three and a half years, until his death.

Elisabeth enjoyed a privileged and secluded childhood in Vienna, where she and her many siblings were raised as devout Catholics. With her flawless white skin, long blonde hair and perfect physique, she was considered one of the greatest beauties of the era. Demure, pious and warm-hearted, she was also naïve and intensely innocent because of her sheltered upbringing. At the age of sixteen, she was married to King Charles IX of France to help cement an alliance between the Habsburg emperors and the French Crown. Her wedding was celebrated with immense pomp and extravagance in Paris, despite the dire state of French finances. Her wedding gown was of silver and her tiara was studded with pearls, emeralds, diamonds and rubies.

Her husband, who already had a long-term mistress, Marie Touchet, was devoted to his teenage bride. Although they never fell in love, the couple had a warm and supportive relationship. Charles realised that the scandalous ways of the French Court might shock Elisabeth and, along with his mother, Catherine de' Medici, he made an effort to shield her from its excesses. She continued to hear Mass twice a day, despite being horrified at how little respect was shown for religion by the supposedly Catholic courtiers. Her one controversial act was to make a point of rejecting the attentions of Protestant courtiers and politicians by refusing them permission to kiss her hand when they paid homage to the royal family.

Charles suffered periodic bouts of madness, which had to be hidden from the public as best as possible. Despite these hindrances, Elisabeth quickly fell pregnant and left Paris to enjoy the country air at Fontainebleau. It was during this seclusion that she received news of the Saint Bartholomew's Day Massacre in August 1572, when thousands of French Protestants were slaughtered on the streets of Paris. Although she loathed Protestantism, Elisabeth never publicly rejoiced at so many deaths - like other prominent Catholics did. Her daughter, Marie-Elisabeth, was born a few months later, on 27 Oct 1572.

Two years later, when France was devastated by another religious civil war, Charles IX died, with Elisabeth at his bedside - weeping "tears so tender, and so secret," according to one eyewitness. She retired to the countryside, rejecting her father's proposition that she attempt to marry her dead husband's brother - now King Henry III of France. She made half her fortune available to her sister-in-law - Marguerite de Valois - who was ostracised from the rest of the royal family. Her last great tragedy came on 9 April 1578, when her six year-old daughter died of an unknown infantile infection.

Elisabeth died in 1592, by which time the House of Valois had been destroyed and a new royal family ruled France.