Eleonor Magdalene of the Palatinate-Neuburg
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| Eleonor Magdalene of the Palatinate-Neuburg | |
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| Holy Roman Empress Queen of Bohemia and Hungary |
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| Spouse | Leopold I, Holy Roman Emperor |
| Issue | |
| Joseph I, Holy Roman Emperor Maria Elisabeth Maria Anna, Queen of Portugal Charles VI, Holy Roman Emperor Maria Magdalena |
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| House | House of Wittelsbach House of Habsburg |
| Father | Philipp Wilhelm, Elector Palatine |
| Mother | Elisabeth Amalie of Hesse-Darmstadt |
| Born | 6 January 1655 Düsseldorf |
| Died | 19 January 1720 (aged 65) Vienna |
Eleonor Magdalene of the Palatinate (6 January 1655 – 19 January 1720, Vienna) was Holy Roman Empress as the spouse of Leopold I, Holy Roman Emperor.[1] Through her marriage, she was also Queen of Bohemia and Hungary, German Queen, and Archduchess of Austria. She served as Interim Regent in 1711.
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[edit] Birth and family
Born in Düsseldorf, Eleonore was the oldest daughter of Philipp Wilhelm, Elector Palatine and his wife Elisabeth Amalie of Hesse-Darmstadt. Among her siblings were Maria Sophia, future wife of Peter II of Portugal and Maria Anna, future wife of Charles II of Spain.
[edit] Marriage
Eleonor married Emperor Leopold I in 1676. She was a good candidate as a bride for the emperor already in 1673 because of her family's reputed great fertility and connections, and although Claudia Felicitas of Austria was chosen before her in 1674, she was chosen in 1676. She accepted without enthusiasm to make her parents happy: Eleonor was brought up to an extreme degree of Catholicism and had originally wished to become a nun.
[edit] Empress
Eleonor was active within social work. She suffered from depression and was described as self-destructive. She introduced a more economical household at court: she hosted a court affected by her strong religious views: strict, simple and conventlike and, as it was said, in an atmosphere which reminded of an eternal mourning period, which was regarded as somewhat ridiculous and exaggerated. She was drawn to the pentative side of Catholicism, and often dressed in black as if she was in mourning.
She was politically active and did not lack influence over her spouse: it is reported how she received and opened important political documents while the Emperor stood waiting beside her "as a secretary". She made great efforts to provide favors, positions and lucrative posts for her relatives, and secured high positions for her brothers. In addition, she was the protector of the chancellor Theodor Strattmann. She accompanied her spouse on his travels, and she also saw to the upbringing of her children personally.
She became widowed in 1705. As an Empress Dowager, she strived to keep her political influence through her daughter-in-law, Empress Wilhelmina Amalia.
[edit] Regent
After the death of her son in 1711, she served as interim Regent, during which she had conflicts with Grafen Wratislaw and Prince Eugen. She managed to stop Feldmarschall Johann Graf Pálffy von Ungarn, brother of the royal mistress of the late Emperor Joseph, Marianne Pálffy, to unite with the rebels of Hungary, after which she signed the treaty of Szatmár. She presided over the congress to determine the succession and election of an new Emperor, and favoured the election of Emperor Charles. When Charles returned from Spain, she resigned from court and retired to charity and penance.
[edit] Issue
She had 11 children, amongst whom were two emperors:
- Joseph I and
- Charles VI.[1]
Their other children were:
- Christina (1679-1679)
- Maria Elisabeth (1680-1741), Archduchess, governor of the Austrian Netherlands Archduchess Maria Elisabeth of Austria (1680–1741)
- Leopold Joseph (1682-1684)
- Maria Anna (1683-1754), Archduchess, married John V of Portugal, King of Portugal
- Maria Theresia (1684-1696)
- Maria Antonia (1686-1692)
- Maria Josepha (1687-1703)
- Maria Magdalena (1689-1743)
- Maria Margaretha (1690-1691)
[edit] Ancestry
[edit] References
[edit] Sources
- Wheatcroft, Andrew (1995). The Habsburgs: Embodying Empire. London: Penguin Books. ISBN 0670854905.
- Konrad Kramar und Petra Stuiber: „Die schrulligen Habsburger – Marotten und Allüren eines Kaiserhauses“. Ueberreuter, Wien 1999, ISBN 3-8000-3742-4.
- Kaiserin Eleonore Magdalena Theresia (1655-1720)
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Eleonor Magdalene of the Palatinate-Neuburg
Born: 6 January 1655 Died: 19 January 1720 |
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| German royalty | ||
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| Preceded by Claudia Felicitas of Austria |
Empress of the Holy Roman Empire, Archduchess consort of Austria 1676-1705 |
Succeeded by Wilhelmina Amalia of Brunswick |
| German Queen 1676-1690 |
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| Queen consort of Hungary 1676-1687 |
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| Queen consort of Bohemia 1676–1705 |
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| Preceded by Jelena Zrinski |
Princess consort of Transylvania 1691–1705 |
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