Eleanor of Portugal, Empress
Encyclopedia
Eleanor of Portugal was Empress of the Holy Roman Empire.
She was a Portuguese
infanta (princess), daughter of King Edward of Portugal and his wife Leonor of Aragon
. She was the consort of Holy Roman Emperor, Frederick III
, and the mother of Emperor Maximilian I
.
on 18 September 1434, one of the nine children of King Edward of Portugal and Eleanor of Aragon. She was the third eldest daughter, but her two older sisters died when they were young, leaving Eleanor as the surviving eldest daughter.
When her father King Edward died five days before her fourth birthday, Eleanor's brother Afonso V
succeeded him as king with her mother as regent. The following March, her mother gave birth to another daughter, Joan
, who would become the notorious wife of Henry IV of Castile
.
In 1440, Eleanor's mother was forced to go into exile in Castile
after losing the litigation with her brother-in-law, Infante Peter, Duke of Coimbra, for the regency
of the young King Afonso. She left Eleanor behind because Eleanor was ill at the time.
, she married the German King Frederick III
, and the two were crowned Holy Roman Emperor and Empress three days later, on 19 March 1452 by Pope Nicholas V at St. Peter's Basilica
. Her dowry was used by her husband to alleviate his financial problems and cement his power. Frederick III was the last Holy Roman Emperor to be crowned in Rome.
With Frederick III she had five children:
Eleanor died in Wiener Neustadt
on 3 September 1467, and is buried in the Neukloster, the Cistercian monastery of that same city, where her tombstone may be seen.
The marriage was likely suggested by Isabella of Portugal, duchess of Burgundy. The arrangements was made by Eleanor's uncle, the king of Naples who, in 1448, sent artists from his court to paint Eleanor. Eleanor was also suggested to marry the king of France, but it was said, that she herself preferred to marry Frederick, because this would give her the title empress instead of queen. The practical negotiations was made in Naples and completed in 1451. During the sea travel, the fleet escorting Eleanor to Italy was tormented by pirates and storms, and there were rumours that she had been lost at sea. Eleanor and Frederick met in Sienna : Frederick was to have paled when he saw her, out of excitement but also worry that she would have troubles giving birth because of her frail appearance. The marriage took place in Rome. Upon her coronation, she was also given the name Helena, but she never used this name. The festivities was hosted by her uncle, the king of Naples.
Eleanor and Frederick were dissimilar, and her interest for dance, gambling and hunting was not shared by Frederick, and their relationship was affected by their differences. Frederick sent Eleanor's Portuguese entourage home after the wedding because of the cost, and she suffered from homesickness; he also blamed her for having caused the death of several of their children by letting them eat Portuguese food, and therefore took over the upbringing of the remaining children entirely for himself. During the period of captivity in Vienna, when people were forced to eat rats, cats and dogs, she cheered people up. History have claimed that Eleanor was taken from a splendid court in Portugal to a cultural wasteland in Vienna because of her spouse's strict economic sense.
She was a Portuguese
Portugal
Portugal , officially the Portuguese Republic is a country situated in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula. Portugal is the westernmost country of Europe, and is bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the West and South and by Spain to the North and East. The Atlantic archipelagos of the...
infanta (princess), daughter of King Edward of Portugal and his wife Leonor of Aragon
Leonor of Aragon (1402-1445)
Eleanor of Aragon was queen consort of Portugal as the spouse of Edward I of Portugal and the regent of Portugal as the guardian of her son. She was the daughter of Ferdinand I of Aragon and Eleanor of Alburquerque....
. She was the consort of Holy Roman Emperor, Frederick III
Frederick III, Holy Roman Emperor
Frederick the Peaceful KG was Duke of Austria as Frederick V from 1424, the successor of Albert II as German King as Frederick IV from 1440, and Holy Roman Emperor as Frederick III from 1452...
, and the mother of Emperor Maximilian I
Maximilian I, Holy Roman Emperor
Maximilian I , the son of Frederick III, Holy Roman Emperor and Eleanor of Portugal, was King of the Romans from 1486 and Holy Roman Emperor from 1493 until his death, though he was never in fact crowned by the Pope, the journey to Rome always being too risky...
.
Background
Eleanor was born in Torres VedrasTorres Vedras
Torres Vedras is a city and a municipality in the district of Lisbon, Portugal, about 50 km north of Lisbon. It belongs to the Oeste subregion and the Centro region.The municipality covers an area of 405.89 km² distributed over 20 freguesias...
on 18 September 1434, one of the nine children of King Edward of Portugal and Eleanor of Aragon. She was the third eldest daughter, but her two older sisters died when they were young, leaving Eleanor as the surviving eldest daughter.
When her father King Edward died five days before her fourth birthday, Eleanor's brother Afonso V
Afonso V of Portugal
Afonso V KG , called the African , was the twelfth King of Portugal and the Algarves. His sobriquet refers to his conquests in Northern Africa.-Early life:...
succeeded him as king with her mother as regent. The following March, her mother gave birth to another daughter, Joan
Joan of Portugal
Joan of Portugal was Queen consort of Castile as the second wife of King Henry IV of Castile and a Portuguese infanta, the posthumous daughter of King Edward of Portugal and his wife Eleanor of Aragon...
, who would become the notorious wife of Henry IV of Castile
Henry IV of Castile
Henry IV , King of the Crown of Castile, nicknamed the Impotent , was the last of the weak late medieval kings of Castile...
.
In 1440, Eleanor's mother was forced to go into exile in Castile
Kingdom of Castile
Kingdom of Castile was one of the medieval kingdoms of the Iberian Peninsula. It emerged as a political autonomous entity in the 9th century. It was called County of Castile and was held in vassalage from the Kingdom of León. Its name comes from the host of castles constructed in the region...
after losing the litigation with her brother-in-law, Infante Peter, Duke of Coimbra, for the regency
Regent
A regent, from the Latin regens "one who reigns", is a person selected to act as head of state because the ruler is a minor, not present, or debilitated. Currently there are only two ruling Regencies in the world, sovereign Liechtenstein and the Malaysian constitutive state of Terengganu...
of the young King Afonso. She left Eleanor behind because Eleanor was ill at the time.
Marriage and children
On 16 March 1452 in RomeRome
Rome is the capital of Italy and the country's largest and most populated city and comune, with over 2.7 million residents in . The city is located in the central-western portion of the Italian Peninsula, on the Tiber River within the Lazio region of Italy.Rome's history spans two and a half...
, she married the German King Frederick III
Frederick III, Holy Roman Emperor
Frederick the Peaceful KG was Duke of Austria as Frederick V from 1424, the successor of Albert II as German King as Frederick IV from 1440, and Holy Roman Emperor as Frederick III from 1452...
, and the two were crowned Holy Roman Emperor and Empress three days later, on 19 March 1452 by Pope Nicholas V at St. Peter's Basilica
St. Peter's Basilica
The Papal Basilica of Saint Peter , officially known in Italian as ' and commonly known as Saint Peter's Basilica, is a Late Renaissance church located within the Vatican City. Saint Peter's Basilica has the largest interior of any Christian church in the world...
. Her dowry was used by her husband to alleviate his financial problems and cement his power. Frederick III was the last Holy Roman Emperor to be crowned in Rome.
With Frederick III she had five children:
- Archduke Christopher (1455–1456)
- Maximilian I, Holy Roman EmperorMaximilian I, Holy Roman EmperorMaximilian I , the son of Frederick III, Holy Roman Emperor and Eleanor of Portugal, was King of the Romans from 1486 and Holy Roman Emperor from 1493 until his death, though he was never in fact crowned by the Pope, the journey to Rome always being too risky...
(1459–1519) - Archduchess Helena (1460–1461)
- KunigundeKunigunde of AustriaKunigunde of Austria was an Austrian Archduchess member of the House of Habsburg and by marriage Duchess of Bavaria-Munich and since 1503 over all Bavaria....
(1465–1520), married Albert IV, Duke of BavariaAlbert IV, Duke of BavariaDuke Albert IV of Bavaria-Munich , , from 1467 Duke of Bavaria-Munich, from 1503 Duke of the reunited Bavaria.-Biography:... - John (1466–1467)
Eleanor died in Wiener Neustadt
Wiener Neustadt
-Main sights:* The Late-Romanesque Dom, consecrated in 1279 and cathedral from 1469 to 1785. The choir and transept, in Gothic style, are from the 14th century. In the late 15th century 12 statues of the Apostles were added in the apse, while the bust of Cardinal Melchior Klesl is attributed to...
on 3 September 1467, and is buried in the Neukloster, the Cistercian monastery of that same city, where her tombstone may be seen.
Empress
Eleanor and Frederick were dissimilar, and her interest for dance, gambling and hunting was not shared by Frederick, and their relationship was affected by their differences. Frederick sent Eleanor's Portuguese entourage home after the wedding because of the cost, and she suffered from homesickness; he also blamed her for having caused the death of several of their children by letting them eat Portuguese food, and therefore took over the upbringing of the remaining children entirely for himself. During the period of captivity in Vienna, when people were forced to eat rats, cats and dogs, she cheered people up. History have claimed that Eleanor was taken from a splendid court in Portugal to a cultural wasteland in Vienna because of her spouse's strict economic sense.