Eleonora de' Medici

Eleonora de' Medici
Portrait of Eleonora de' Medici
Reign	14 August 1587 - 9 September 1611
Spouse	Vincenzo I Gonzaga
Issue
Francesco IV, Duke of Mantua Ferdinando I, Duke of Mantua Margerita, Duchess of Lorraine Vincenzo II, Duke of Mantua Eleonora, Holy Roman Emperess
Full name
Eleonora de' Medici
House	House of Medici House of Gonzaga
Father	Francesco I de' Medici, Grand Duke of Tuscany
Mother	Joanna of Austria
Born	February 28, 1567 Florence, Italy
Died	September 9, 1611 Cavriana, Italy

Eleonora de' Medici (February 28, 1567 – September 9, 1611) was the eldest child of Francesco I de' Medici and Johanna of Austria. She was a family member of the famous House of Medici.

Family

In 1578, when Eleonora was eleven her mother died, and her father later married Bianca Cappello. Medici was one of seven children. One of her sisters Marie de' Medici became queen of France and was the mother of Louis XIII of France, Marie made her sister Eleonora the godmother of Louis. Eleonora and Marie also had another sister called Anna who died at the age of 14, the rest of Eleonora and Marie's siblings died during childhood also.

Marriage

Medici married Vincenzo I Gonzaga on April 29, 1584, for her husband it was his second marriage after he divorced Margherita Farnese. Three of her sons would become Dukes of Mantua and Montferrat and her daughter Eleonore would become a Holy Roman Empress. Her children were:

1. Francesco IV Gonzaga (May 7, 1586 – December 22, 1612), Duke of Mantua and Duke of Montferrat between February 9 and December 22, 1612.
2. Ferdinando I Gonzaga (April 26, 1587 – October 29, 1626), Duke of Mantua and Duke of Montferrat from 1612 until his death.
3. Guglielmo Dominico (1589 – 1591), died during childhood
4. Margerita Gonzaga (2 October 1591 – 7 February 1632) , wife of Henry II, Duke of Lorraine
5. Vincenzo II Gonzaga (January 7, 1594 – December 25, 1627), Duke of Mantua and Marquess of Montferrat from 1626 until his death.
6. Eleonore Gonzaga (September 23, 1598 – June 27, 1655), wife of Ferdinand II, Holy Roman Emperor.

Her two daughters were possible second wives to Philip III of Spain, after the death of his wife Margaret of Austria. In 1608 she arranged the marriage of her eldest son Francesco to Margaret of Savoy, this marriage produced three children, only the eldest daughter Maria reached adulthood, Maria was the mother of Eleanor Gonzaga who became Holy Roman Empress by her marriage to Ferdinand III, Holy Roman Emperor, they were the parents of four children, among them were Eleonora Maria Josefa of Austria and Maria Anna Josepha, Archduchess of Austria.

Eleonora died on September 9, 1611 in Cavriana, Italy, when she was 44. Her husband outlived her by only one year, dying in 1612., their son Francesco succeeded them, however Francesco was hardly Duke of Mantua for a year before his death also in 1612. Francesco was succeeded by his brothers, Eleonora's father died without a surviving male child so his brother Ferdinando succeeded him as Grand Duke of Tuscany.

Ancestry

Eleonora's mother was a descendant of Ferdinand II of Aragon and Isabella I of Castile. Isabella is a descendant of John of Gaunt, 1st Duke of Lancaster. John is the son of Edward III of England and Philippa of Hainault. Edward's mother was Isabella of France, who is a descendant of the French King and Edward's father was Edward II of England, who was a descendent of English kings.

See also

• Descendants of Cosimo I de Medici
• Marie de' Medici
• House of Medici
• The Gonzaga Family in Adoration of the Holy Trinity