Eleanor of Austria

Eleanor of Austria (15 November 1498 – 25 February 1558), also called Eleanor of Castile, was Queen of Portugal from 1518 to 1521 as the wife of King Manuel I and Queen of France from 1530 to 1547 as the wife of King Francis I. She also held the Duchy of Touraine (1547–1558) in dower. She is called "Leonor" in Spanish and Portuguese and "Éléonore" or "Aliénor" in French. She was the eldest child of Duke Philip of Burgundy and Queen Joanna of Castile, and the elder sister of Holy Roman Emperor Charles V, and her life was dominated by her role in the international dynastic politics of the period.

Life

Eleanor was born in 1498 at Leuven, the eldest child of Philip of Austria and Joanna of Castile, later king and queen of Castile.

As queen, Eleanor had no political power; however, she served as a contact between France and Emperor Charles. Queen Eleanor was present at the peace negotiations between Francis and Charles in Aigues-Mortes in 1538. In 1544, she was given the task of entering peace negotiations with Charles and their sister Mary of Hungary. In November 1544, she visited Charles in Brussels.

Later life As a queen dowager, Eleanor left France for Brussels in 1548. She witnessed the abdication of Charles in October 1555 and left for Spain with him and their sister Mary in August 1556. She lived with her sister in Jarandilla de la Vera, where they often visited their brother, who retired to the Monastery of Yuste nearby. In 1558, she met her daughter Maria in Badajoz for the first time in 28 years. Eleanor became ill while returning from Badajoz. Eleanor died on 25 February 1558, on the return trip from Badajoz. Her brother was devastated to learn of her death and he himself died seven months later.

Family With Manuel I of Portugal: Infante Charles (18 February 1520 – 15 April 1521); died in infancy. Infanta Maria, Duchess of Viseu (8 June 1521 – 10 October 1577); never married and did not have issue.

Ancestry