Mauritia Eleonora of Portugal
Mauritia Eleonora Princess of Portugal ( May 10, 1609 - June 25, 1674 in Bergen op Zoom ) was the ninth of ten children of Don Emanuel of Portugal (1568-1638), son of the Prior of Malta and Portuguese pretender António of Crato , and Emilia Countess of Nassau (1569–1629), the youngest daughter of William of Orange .
Life
Mauritia Eleonora, like her other sisters, had poor chances of a proper marriage due to the "miscarriage" of her eldest sister, who had "blown away" with a commoner. After the death of her mother Emilia, who resided in Prangins Castle in Switzerland, she returned to the Netherlands in 1629 to the court of her great-uncle Friedrich Heinrich von Oranien , governor of the United Netherlands , and his wife Amalie von Solms-Braunfels .
Her cousin Luise Henriette von Oranien was promised to her cousin Henri Charles de la Trémoïlle , but mother Amalie tried hard to couple Luise with King Charles II of England . When Karl II declined with thanks and the matter became public, Friedrich Wilhelm , Elector of Brandenburg showed interest. In coordination with her aunt Amalie, Mauritia Eleonora spied on her cousin Luise and finally persuaded her to marry Friedrich Wilhelm I. in December 1646.
Out of gratitude, Amalie arranged the wedding of the 38-year-old Mauritia Eleonora with Georg Friedrich , Prince of Nassau-Siegen (1606–1674) in 's-Gravenhage (today: The Hague ) on June 4, 1647 . From the marriage the children emerged:
- NN Princess of Nassau-Siegen
- Margaretha Sofia Princess of Nassau-Siegen († 1737)
| personal data | |
|---|---|
| SURNAME | Mauritia Eleonora of Portugal |
| ALTERNATIVE NAMES | Mauritia Eleonora Princess of Portugal |
| BRIEF DESCRIPTION | Princess of Portugal and by marriage Princess of Nassau-Siegen |
| DATE OF BIRTH | May 10, 1609 |
| DATE OF DEATH | June 25, 1674 |
| Place of death | Bergen op Zoom |