Eleanor of Austria (1653–1697)
Eleonore Maria Josefa of Austria (born May 21, 1653 in Regensburg , † December 17, 1697 in Vienna ) was Queen of Poland and Grand Duchess of Lithuania . She was also the Duchess of Lorraine .
Life
She was the daughter of Emperor Ferdinand III. and his third wife Eleonora of Mantua born in Regensburg. On February 27, 1670 she was married to the Polish King Michael Korybut Wiśniowiecki in Lemberg . The four-year marriage was a difficult time for Eleanor. The king, lacking physical and mental strength, was not recognized by much of the nobility. His opponents spread rumors that he was gay or impotent. Eleanor rarely intervened in these disputes and retained her dignity.
After the death of King Michael on November 10, 1673, it remained until the election of his successor, King John III. Sobieski in Poland and then returned to her Austrian homeland.
Her brother, Emperor Leopold I, allowed her to marry her old love, Duke Charles V of Lorraine , who later victorious over the Turks. The wedding took place on February 6, 1678 in Wiener Neustadt . Karl was appointed governor of Tyrol and Upper Austria and the Hofburg in Innsbruck was assigned to the couple .
The couple had six children:
- Leopold (1679–1729), Duke of Lorraine
- Karl Joseph (1680–1715), Bishop of Olomouc and Archbishop of Trier
- Eleanor (1682–1682)
- Karl Ferdinand (1683–1685)
- Joseph Innocent (1685–1705), imperial general
- Franz Joseph (1689–1715), Prince Abbot of the Imperial Abbey of Stablo-Malmedy
The eldest son, Leopold, was the future father of Emperor Franz I Stephan , the founder of the Habsburg-Lothringen dynasty .
After the death of her husband, the intelligent duchess-widow endeavored energetically to fulfill Charles's last will and to achieve the return of her children to her hereditary land of Lorraine. At the Reichstag in Regensburg she submitted a motion for the restoration of Lorraine. In the peace negotiations in Rijswijk in 1697 this goal was achieved. However, Lorraine's sovereignty was significantly weakened, as the French king was granted the right of free military passage.
The Duchess died only a few months after this peace treaty. She had never set foot in Lorraine, whose name she bears and where her second husband is also buried, and was buried in the Capuchin Crypt in Vienna.
literature
- Constantin von Wurzbach : Habsburg, Eleonore Maria von Oesterreich . In: Biographisches Lexikon des Kaiserthums Oesterreich . 6th part. Imperial and Royal Court and State Printing Office, Vienna 1860, p. 161 ( digitized version ).
- Constantin von Wurzbach : Habsburg, Maria Eleonora von Oesterreich . In: Biographisches Lexikon des Kaiserthums Oesterreich . 7th part. Imperial and Royal Court and State Printing Office, Vienna 1861, p. 46 ( digitized version ).
| predecessor | Office | Successor |
|---|---|---|
| Luisa Maria Gonzaga | Queen of Poland 1670–1673 |
Maria Kazimiera Sobieska |
| personal data | |
|---|---|
| SURNAME | Eleanor of Austria |
| ALTERNATIVE NAMES | Eleonore Maria Josefa of Austria |
| BRIEF DESCRIPTION | Queen of Poland and Duchess of Lorraine |
| DATE OF BIRTH | May 21, 1653 |
| PLACE OF BIRTH | regensburg |
| DATE OF DEATH | December 17, 1697 |
| Place of death | Vienna |