Queen of Spain and Portugal
Elisabeth of France
or
Isabella of Bourbon
(22 November 1602 ? 6 October 1644) was
Queen of Spain
from 1621 to her death and
Queen of Portugal
from 1621 to 1640, as the first spouse of King
Philip IV & III
. She served as
regent of Spain
during the
Catalan Revolt
in 1640?42 and 1643?44.
[1]
Life
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Childhood
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Elisabeth was born at
Chateau de Fontainebleau
on 22 November 1602, the eldest daughter of King
Henry IV of France
and his second wife,
Marie de' Medici
. According to the court, her mother showed a cruel indifference to her, because she had believed the prophecy of a nun who assured her that she would give birth to three consecutive sons.
[2]
Shortly after her birth, she was betrothed to
Philip Emmanuel, Prince of Piedmont
, son and heir of
Charles Emmanuel I, Duke of Savoy
, by
Catherine Michaela
, daughter of King
Philip II of Spain
. However, Philip Emmanuel died of smallpox in 1605.
[3]
[4]
As a daughter of the King of France, she was born a
Fille de France
. As the eldest daughter of the king, she was known at court by the traditional
honorific
of
Madame Royale
. The early years of
Madame Royale
were spent under the supervision of the
royal governess
Francoise de Montglat
at the
Chateau de Saint-Germain-en-Laye
, a quiet place away from the Parisian court, in which she shared education and games with her legitimate siblings, as well as illegitimate half-siblings; children who were the result of her father's constant love affairs.
[2]
Besides the
Dauphin Louis
, the other
Enfants de France
(Henry IV's legitimate children) were
Christine Marie
, later Duchess of Savoy;
Nicholas Henri, Duke of Orleans
, who died in infancy;
Gaston, Duke of Orleans
; and
Henrietta Maria
, later Queen of England. When King Henry IV was assassinated outside the
Palais du Louvre
in
Paris
on 14 May 1610, her brother the Dauphin (with whom Elisabeth had a very close relationship) succeeded him to the throne as King
Louis XIII of France
under the
regency
of their mother Marie de' Medici.
In 1612, when Elisabeth was ten years old,
negotiations
were begun for a double marriage between the royal families of France and Spain; Elisabeth would marry the
Prince of Asturias
(the future
Philip IV of Spain
) and her brother Louis, the Spanish Infanta
Anne
.
Marriage
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After her proxy marriage to the Prince of Asturias and Louis's proxy marriage to the Infanta Anne, Elisabeth and her brother met their respective spouses for the first time on 25 November 1615 on
Pheasant Island
, a small island in the River
Bidassoa
that divides France and Spain between the French city of
Hendaye
and the Spanish city of
Fuenterrabia
. This was the last time Louis would see his sister. In Spain, Elisabeth's French name took on the Spanish form of
Isabel
. The religious ceremony took place in the
Cathedral of Saint Mary of Burgos
. At the time of her marriage, the thirteen-year-old
Isabel
became the new Princess of Asturias.
This marriage followed a tradition of cementing military and political alliances between the Catholic powers of France and Spain with royal marriages. The tradition went back to 1559 with the marriage of King
Philip II of Spain
with the French princess
Elisabeth of Valois
, the daughter of King
Henry II of France
, as part of the
Peace of Cateau-Cambresis
. The
Exchange of the Princesses at the Spanish Border
was painted by
Peter Paul Rubens
as part of his
Marie de' Medici cycle
.
Queen
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Elisabeth was renowned for her beauty, intelligence and noble personality, which made her very popular in Spain. In 1621, the couple had ascended to the throne of Spain upon the death of
Philip III of Spain
. The new queen of Spain was aware that her husband had mistresses.
Elisabeth herself was the subject of rumors about her relations with the noted poet Peralta (
Juan de Tassis, 2nd Count of Villamediana
), who was her gentleman-in-waiting. On 14 May 1622, a fire broke out while the Peralta
masque
La Gloria de Niquea
was being acted before the court. Peralta carried the queen to a place of safety, which caused suspicion about their relationship to deepen. Peralta neglected a significant warning that his life was in peril, and "he was murdered as he stepped out of his coach. The responsibility for his death was divided between Philip IV and
Olivares
" (at the time, prime minister and king's favorite).
She was regent of Spain during the
Catalan Revolt
and supported the Duke of Nochera against the Count-Duke of Olivares in favor of an honorable withdrawal from the Catalan Revolt.
Prior to 1640, the queen does not appear to have had much influence over state affairs, which was largely entrusted to Olivares. Elisabeth did not get along with Olivares, who reportedly assisted Philip IV in his adultery, and prevented her from achieving any political influence and once famously remarked, when she presented a political view to the king, that priests existed to pray as well as queens existed to give birth.
[1]
Between 1640 and 1642, Elisabeth served as regent for the king in his absence during the Catalan revolt and was given very good marks for her efforts.
[1]
She was reputed to have influenced the fall of Olivares as a part of a "women's conspiracy" alongside the duchess of Mantua, Ana de Guevara, Maria de Agreda and her chief lady-in-waiting
Luisa Manrique de Lara, Countess Paredes de Nava
.
[1]
The fall of Olivares made the king consider her his only political partner, and when the king left again for the front in 1643, Elisabeth was again appointed regent assisted by Juan Chumacero Carrillo y Sotomayor.
[1]
Her second regency was also well received, and she was credited by the king for her efforts to provide vital supplies for the troops as well as for her negotiations with the banks to provide finances for the army, offering her own jewelry as security.
[1]
It was rumored that she was intending to follow the example of Queen
Isabella the Catholic
and lead her own army to retake
Badajoz
.
[1]
The Queen died in Madrid on 6 October 1644 at the age of forty-one, leaving two children:
Balthasar Charles
and
Maria Theresa
. After her death, her husband married his niece
Mariana of Austria
. Elisabeth's last child, Infanta Maria Theresa of Spain, would later become queen of France as the wife of her nephew, the future
Louis XIV
. Unlike her husband and sister-in-law, she would not see the wedding that cemented the peace between her homeland and adopted country, Spain; the countries would be
at war until 1659
. One of her great-grandsons, Philip,
Duke of Anjou
, became King
Philip V of Spain
, and through him, Elisabeth is an ancestor of the subsequent Spanish monarchs.
Issue
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- Maria Margaret of Austria, Infanta of Spain (14 August 1621 – 15 August 1621), died in infancy
- Margaret Maria Catherine of Austria, Infanta of Spain (25 November 1623 – 22 December 1623), died in infancy
- Maria Eugenia of Austria, Infanta of Spain (21 November 1625 – 21 August 1627), died in infancy
- Isabella Maria Theresa of Austria, Infanta of Spain (31 October 1627 – 1 November 1627), died in infancy
- Balthasar Charles of Austria, Infante of Spain, Prince of Asturias
(17 October 1629 – 9 October 1646),
Prince of Asturias
.
- Maria Anna Antonia Dominica Jacinta of Austria, Infanta of Spain (17 January 1636 – 5 December 1636), died in infancy
- Maria Theresa of Austria, Infanta of Spain
(10 September 1638 – 30 July 1683), married
Louis XIV of France
and had issue.
Elisabeth also suffered at least three miscarriages:
- A miscarried daughter (16 November 1626)
- A miscarried daughter (1640)
- A miscarried son (1644)
Gallery
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-
Elisabeth portrayed by Rodrigo de Villandrando
-
Elisabeth portrayed by Velazquez
-
Elisabeth portrayed by Velazquez, 1632
-
An equestrian portrait of Elisabeth by Velazquez, 1632
Ancestors
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Ancestors of Elisabeth of France
[5]
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Since 1987, the spouses of infantes are no longer infantas.
- *also an Infanta in her own right
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*also an infanta of Spain by marriage
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also a princess of Tuscany by marriage
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also an archduchess of Austria in her own right
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