Eleonore of Austria

Eleonore Maria Josefa of Austria (21 May 1653 – 17 December 1697) was Queen of Poland and Grand Duchess of Lithuania by marriage to King Michał Korybut Wiśniowiecki (Michael I), and subsequently Duchess of Lorraine by her second marriage to Charles V, Duke of Lorraine. She acted as nominal regent of the Duchy of Lorraine during the minority of her son between 1690 and 1697.

Life

Early life and Family Born in Regensburg, Eleonore was the daughter of Holy Roman Emperor Ferdinand III and his third wife, Empress Eleonora, née Gonzaga. Not much is known about her childhood. She was given a good education, and could speak both French and Italian.

Queen of Poland and Grand Duchess of Lithuania

Eleonore married King-Grand Duke Michael Korybut Wiśniowiecki, king of Poland and grand duke of Lithuania, on 27 February 1670 in the Jasna Góra Monastery.

The marriage was suggested by the Polish envoy Andrzej Olszowski in November 1669 in order to form an alliance with the Habsburg dynasty through marriage, since the opposition to Michael Korybut Wiśniowiecki was backed by the pro-French faction.

The relationship between Eleonore and Michael was described as a harmonious friendship. They had one stillborn son on 29 November 1670. The pro-French opposition to Michael spread rumors that he was homosexual or impotent and that he forced her to fake pregnancies, but this is not considered likely. The pro-French opposition party under the leadership of John III Sobieski and Mikołaj Prażmowski attempted to convince her to divorce, but she refused and instead demonstrated loyalty toward the king.

Queen and Grand Duchess Eleonore was regarded as an ideal model of a good, supportive and loyal spouse. She learned Polish, although she preferred Latin, and accompanied Michael on his official journeys around the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth. She was guided in her role as queen-grand duchess by her lady-in-waiting Klara Izabella Pacowa, who became her influential favorite.

The conflict between the supporters of King-Grand Duke Michael and the opposition party resulted in such a conflict that there was a fear of civil war in the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth. In February 1672, the queen was asked to act as a mediator between King-Grand Duke Michael and the opposition leader John III Sobieski during the 1672 Sejm.

From her second marriage she had: Leopold, Duke of Lorraine (1679–1729) Charles Joseph of Lorraine (1680–1715) Eleanor of Lorraine (1682) Charles Ferdinand of Lorraine (1683–1685) Joseph Innocent Emanuel of Lorraine (1685–1705) Francis Anton Joseph of Lorraine (1689–1715)

Ancestry