Isabella of Portugal

For other uses of this term, see Isabel of Portugal (disambiguation).

Isabella of Portugal
Titian, Portrait of Isabella of Portugal, 1548
Holy Roman Empress, German Queen
Tenure	1530–1539
Queen consort of Castile, Galicia, Léon, Aragon, Majorca, Valencia, Naples and Sicily
Tenure	1526–1539
Consort to	Charles V, Holy Roman Emperor
Issue
Philip II of Spain Maria, Holy Roman Empress Joanna, Princess of Portugal
House	House of Aviz-Beja
Father	Manuel I of Portugal
Mother	Maria of Aragon
Born	24 October 1503 Lisbon, Portugal
Died	1 May 1539 (aged 35) Toledo, Spain
Burial	El Escorial
Signature
Religion	Roman Catholicism

Isabella of Portugal (24 October 1503 – 1 May 1539) was Holy Roman Empress, Queen of Germany, Spain, Naples and Sicily and Duchess of Burgundy as the spouse of Charles V, Holy Roman Emperor. She was the daughter of Manuel I of Portugal and Maria of Aragon. She served as regent of Spain during the absence of her spouse for long periods.

Early life

Isabella was the second child and eldest daughter of King Manuel I of Portugal and his second spouse, Infanta Maria of Castile and Aragon. She was named after her maternal grandmother, Isabella I of Castile, and her aunt Isabella, Princess of Asturias, who had been her father's first spouse.

Through her father, she was a granddaughter of Infante Ferdinand, Duke of Viseu (the second son of King Edward of Portugal and brother of King Afonso V of Portugal) and Infanta Beatrice, the daughter of Infante John, Lord of Reguengos (brother of King Edward). Through her mother she was a granddaughter of Isabella I of Castile and Ferdinand II of Aragon.

Isabella was second-in-line to the throne until the birth of her brother Louis in 1505. However, as the oldest daughter of Manuel I of Portugal, she was a rather attractive party. She married her first cousin, Charles V, Holy Roman Emperor, the son of Joanna of Castile and Philip the Handsome, Duke of Burgundy, who as Holy Roman Emperor, King of Spain, Archduke of the Habsburg dominions, titular Duke of Burgundy, and ruler of the Netherlands and the Spanish empire in the Americas and the Mediterranean and Italy was one of the most powerful men of his time.

Marriage

In 1521 Isabella's father died and her brother succeeded to the throne as king John III. The marriage negotiations between the Portuguese and Spanish began almost immediately. It was agreed that the new king would marry Catherine of Austria, Charles V's younger sister. The union between Charles and Isabella only took place three years later, by procuration in 1525. The Infanta travelled to Seville where the wedding took place on 11 March 1526. With Isabella also came a huge dowry to the Spanish finances. Although it was a political union, the marriage proved to be a love-match. Records say that during their honeymoon "when [Charles and Isabella] are together, although there are many people around, they do not notice anyone else; they talk and laugh, and nothing else distracts them."

Isabella also proved to be a competent consort; she served as regent of Spain during her husband's absences, between 1529–1532 and 1535–1539. She was noted for her intelligence and beauty.

Isabella died in 1539 after the birth of her sixth child. The Emperor was away at the time and her premature death affected him deeply. He never remarried, and he dressed in black for the rest of his life.

In 1547, the nobleman Francis Borgia conveyed her corpse to her burial-place in Granada. It is said that, when he saw the effect of death on the beautiful empress, he decided to "never again serve a mortal master", later becoming a Catholic saint.

In 1580, more than 40 years after her death, her son Philip succeeded the Portuguese throne, claiming his mother's successory rights temporarily uniting the Iberian peninsula under one crown in what would later be called the Iberian Union.

Marriage and children

Isabella married Charles V, Holy Roman Emperor on 10 March 1526. Their children were as follows:

• Philip II of Spain (1527–1598), King of Spain and Portugal.
• John of Austria (22 March 1528–1530), died young.
• Maria of Austria (21 June 1529 – 26 February 1603), married her cousin Maximilian II, Holy Roman Emperor.
• Ferdinand of Austria (19 October 1535 – 20 March 1538), died young.
• Joanna of Austria (1537–1573), married her cousin Prince John of Portugal and was the mother of king Sebastian of Portugal.
• John of Austria (30 April 1539), whose birth led to the death of his mother.

Coat of arms of Isabella of Portugal as Empress

See also

• Descendants of Manuel I of Portugal

Ancestry

Isabella of Portugal House of Aviz-Beja Cadet branch of the House of Aviz Born: 24 October 1503 Died: 1 May 1539
Royal titles
Vacant Title last held by Bianca Maria Sforza	Empress consort of the Holy Roman Empire 1530–1539	Succeeded by Maria of Spain
	Queen consort of Germany 1526–1531	Succeeded by Anna of Bohemia and Hungary
Vacant Title last held by Joan of Portugal	Queen consort of Castile and Léon 1526–1539	Vacant Title next held by Mary I of England
Vacant Title last held by Germaine of Foix	Queen consort of Aragon, Majorca, Valencia, Naples and Sicily Countess consort of Barcelona 1526–1539