Constance of Austria

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Constance of Austria
Maria Anna of Bavaria
SignatureConstance of Austria's signature

Constance of Austria (

John II Casimir
.

Biography

Constance was a daughter of

Anne de Foix. Her maternal grandparents were Albert V, Duke of Bavaria and Anne Habsburg of Austria
.

Constance was also a younger sister of

Anna of Austria
.

Her older sister Anna was the first wife of King Sigismund III Vasa. After her death Constance and Sigismund were married on December 11, 1605.

Queen

Queen Constance was an ambitious politician. Immediately after the wedding, she made efforts to influence policy. She built a strong faction of followers by arranging marriages between her handmaidens and powerful nobles. She represented the interests of the

Habsburg family in Poland, and influenced the appointments of positions in the court, government and church. Her closest confidant was Urszula Meyerin
.

Constance was proficient in Spanish, Latin and Italian. She learned Polish after the wedding but rarely used it. She was very religious and went to Mass twice a day. She also was a patron of clerics, painters and architects. She financed the buildings of several palaces for her children, but she was also described as an economic person.

In 1623 Constance bought

Parliament.[1] Some time later (in 1626) she made it forbidden for Jews to settle in the city (de non tolerandis Judaeis).[2]

Constance wished to secure the succession of her own son to the throne rather than the son of her sister, but she did not succeed. She died of a stroke in 1631.

Issue

She had seven children:

  1. John Casimir (25 December 1607 – 14 January 1608).
  2. John Casimir (22 March 1609 – 16 December 1672), who reigned during 1648–1668 as John II Casimir.
  3. John Albert (25 June 1612 – 29 December 1634).
  4. Charles Ferdinand (13 October 1613 – 9 May 1655).
  5. Alexander Charles (4 November 1614 – 19 November 1634).
  6. Anna Constance (26 January 1616 – 24 May 1616).
  7. Anna Catherine Constance
    (7 August 1619 – 8 October 1651).

Ancestors

Gallery

  • Entry of the Wedding Procession of Constance of Austria into Kraków in 1605.
    Entry of the Wedding Procession of Constance of Austria into Kraków in 1605.
  • Constance of Austria in Spanish dress (saya), portraited by the court painter in 1610.
    Constance of Austria in Spanish dress (saya), portraited by the court painter in 1610.
  • She enhanced and renovated the Castle in Żywiec, where she resided from 1624.
    She enhanced and renovated the Castle in Żywiec, where she resided from 1624.
  • Constance of Austria as Queen consort of Poland.
    Constance of Austria as Queen consort of Poland.
  • Silver-gilt plate, 1605, from Constance's dinner service
    Silver-gilt plate, 1605, from Constance's dinner service

See also

References

  1. ^ Bunt chłopów Archived 2008-05-01 at the Wayback Machine. Bunt, prześladowania i próby wyzwolenia się chłopów na Zywiecczyźnie w XVII wieku.
  2. ^ Miasto Żywiec Archived 2007-12-10 at the Wayback Machine
  3. ^
    Wurzbach, Constantin von, ed. (1860). "Habsburg, Karl II. von Steiermark" . Biographisches Lexikon des Kaiserthums Oesterreich [Biographical Encyclopedia of the Austrian Empire] (in German). Vol. 6. p. 352 – via Wikisource
    .
  4. ^
    Wurzbach, Constantin von, ed. (1861). "Habsburg, Maria von Bayern" . Biographisches Lexikon des Kaiserthums Oesterreich [Biographical Encyclopedia of the Austrian Empire] (in German). Vol. 7. p. 20 – via Wikisource
    .
  5. ^ Ferdinand I, Holy Roman Emperor at the Encyclopædia Britannica
  6. ^ a b Charles V, Holy Roman Emperor at the Encyclopædia Britannica
  7. ^ a b Obermayer-Marnach, Eva (1953), "Anna Jagjello", Neue Deutsche Biographie (in German), vol. 1, Berlin: Duncker & Humblot, p. 299; (full text online)
  8. ^ a b Goetz, Walter (1953), "Albrecht V.", Neue Deutsche Biographie (in German), vol. 1, Berlin: Duncker & Humblot, pp. 158–160; (full text online)
  9. ^
    Wurzbach, Constantin von, ed. (1860). "Habsburg, Anna von Oesterreich (1528–1587)" . Biographisches Lexikon des Kaiserthums Oesterreich [Biographical Encyclopedia of the Austrian Empire] (in German). Vol. 6. p. 151 – via Wikisource
    .
  10. ^ a b Philip I, King of Castile at the Encyclopædia Britannica
  11. ^ a b Chisholm, Hugh, ed. (1911). "Joanna" . Encyclopædia Britannica. Vol. 15 (11th ed.). Cambridge University Press.
  12. ^ a b Casimir IV, King of Poland at the Encyclopædia Britannica
  13. ^ a b Revue de l'Agenais (in French). Vol. 4. Société des sciences, lettres et arts d'Agen. 1877. p. 497.
  14. ^ a b Riezler, Sigmund Ritter von (1897), "Wilhelm IV.", Allgemeine Deutsche Biographie (in German), vol. 42, Leipzig: Duncker & Humblot, pp. 705–717
  15. ^ a b Brüning, Rainer (2001), "Philipp I.", Neue Deutsche Biographie (in German), vol. 20, Berlin: Duncker & Humblot, p. 372; (full text online)

External links

Constance of Austria
Born: 24 December 1588 Died: 10 July 1631
Royal titles
Preceded by
Anna of Austria
Grand Duchess consort of Lithuania

1605–1631
Succeeded by