Eleonore Magdalene of Neuburg
Eleonore Magdalene of Neuburg | |||||
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Hofburg Palace, Vienna, Archduchy of Austria, Holy Roman Empire | |||||
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Elisabeth Amalie of Hesse-Darmstadt |
Eleonore Magdalene Therese of Neuburg (6 January 1655 – 19 January 1720) was
Childhood
Eleonore was born in Düsseldorf, Holy Roman Empire, on the night of 6 January 1655.[2] She was the oldest of 17 children born from Philip William, Count Palatine of Neuburg and Duke of Jülich-Berg and his second wife, Landgravine Elisabeth Amalie of Hesse-Darmstadt. On her father's side her grandparents were Wolfgang Wilhelm, Count Palatine of Neuburg and his first wife, Magdalene of Bavaria. On her mother's side, her grandparents were George II, Landgrave of Hesse-Darmstadt and Sophia Eleonore of Saxony.
Immediately after birth, she was baptized Eleonore Magdalene Therese by the abbot of
Eleonore was raised in a pious environment and received an excellent education. She was well versed in
From her early childhood, Eleonore displayed a pious nature and a fervent adherence to Catholicism. At the age of four years old, she saw a very explicit
Engagements
On 2 February 1669, Eleonore entered the Brotherhood of Our Lady of Sorrows at the Cross. The special protection she provided to the Discalced Carmelites monasteries in Düsseldorf and Neuburg reflected her wish to be a Carmelite nun, but her parents refused to give their consent. Five monarchs asked for her hand and all were refused by Eleonore. One of her rejected suitors was the widower James, Duke of York, the future King of England and Scotland, who proposed in 1671.[4][5]
In April 1676,
The marriage negotiations began in April 1676. To this end, an emissary send by the Count Palatine arrived to Vienna managed to win the support of Empress Dowager Eleonora Gonzaga, Leopold I's beloved stepmother, and a number of notable courtiers, including Chancellor Johann Paul Freiherr von Hocher. In August 1676, the emperor's personal physician arrived in Neuburg and examined Eleonore. Back in Vienna the following month, he gave the official conclusion that she was healthy, but the death of Anna de' Medici, mother of his late second wife, forced the emperor to suspend the negotiations. Leopold I took the final decision about the marriage only in the second half of October. For Eleonore, the news that she would become the new empress didn't make her happy as she had still wished to become a nun; but in the end, she had no choice but to accept the will of her parents.[4]
On 25 November 1676, the official betrothal took place. The bride, age 21, and groom, age 36, were second cousins (being both great-grandchildren of
Holy Roman Empress and German Queen
The wedding took place in Passau on 14 December 1676. Although it was somewhat private as foreign ambassadors weren't invited, the ceremony was elaborate and celebrations lasted several days. As a wedding gift from the groom, the bride received the famous Wittelsbach Diamond. On 7 January 1677, the Imperial couple arrived in Vienna.[4]
Eleonore soon proved her fertility by becoming pregnant with her first child within months.[4][7][8] In total, she gave birth to ten children, of whom six survived to adulthood:[4][2][9]
- Joseph Jakob Ignaz Johann Anton Eustachius (26 July 1678 – 17 April 1711), who became the successor of his father as Joseph I, Holy Roman Emperor.
- Maria Christina Josepha (born and died 18 June 1679), Archduchess of Austria.
- Maria Elisabeth Lucia Theresia Josepha (13 February 1680 – 26 August 1741), Archduchess of Austria; she became Governor of the Austrian Netherlands.
- Leopold Joseph Philip Wilhelm Anton Franz Erasmus(2 June 1682 – 3 August 1684), Archduke of Austria.
- Maria Anna Josepha Antonia Regina (7 September 1683 – 14 August 1754), Archduchess of Austria; married King John V of Portugal.
- Maria Theresia Josepha Antonia Xaveria (22 August 1684 – 28 September 1696), Archduchess of Austria.
- Charles Franz Joseph Wenceslaus Balthasar Johann Anton Ignaz (1 October 1685 – 20 October 1740), who became the successor of his older brother as Charles VI, Holy Roman Emperor. He was last male member of the House of Habsburg and father of the famous Empress Maria Theresa.
- Maria Josepha Coletta Antonia (6 March 1687 – 14 April 1703), Archduchess of Austria.
- Maria Magdalena Josepha Antonia Gabriella(26 March 1689 – 1 May 1743), Archduchess of Austria.
- Maria Margaretha Magdalena Gabriella Josepha Antonia (22 July 1690 – 22 April 1691), Archduchess of Austria.
However, Eleonore had to face great challenges in the first years as Empress. During 1679, an outbreak of plague forced the Imperial family to leave Vienna, firstly to Mariazell and then in Prague, but the disease eventually reached those places. In addition, an uprising of the Bohemian peasants forced the empress and her children escape to Linz Castle. However, no less a danger than the epidemic was the constant threat of the Ottoman Empire. In July 1683, the Imperial family again left Vienna and moved to Passau because of the threat from the Turks, who in September of the same year suffered a crushing defeat near Vienna.[4]
Because of these events, Eleonore wasn't crowned immediately after her marriage. On 9 December 1681
Political Influence
Eleonore was politically active and wielded considerable influence over her husband. It was reported that the empress received and opened important political documents while Leopold I stood waiting beside her "as a secretary".[10]
As empress, Eleonore took control over the
As she was multilingual, Eleonore translated foreign political documents for her husband, as many were written in French. She established extensive connections through her patronage and granting of favours: she protected the career of chancellor Theodor von Strattman and recommended Jesuits Bauer and Vitus Georg Tönnemann as advisers to the emperor. In 1686, she restored the Order of the Starry Cross, established by her stepmother-in-law.[10] The Capuchin Marco d'Aviano was her confessor and adviser.
Eleonore attended to the interests of her biological family by securing high status marriages for her sisters, promoting the careers of her younger brothers in church as well as the political needs of her eldest brother, the Elector Palatine.[11] She arranged the marriages of both her sons, but deeply disliked the private life of her oldest son Joseph, scolding him for his infidelities and placing his procurers in prison.[10]
Court of the Empress
Empress Eleonore was seen to be performing her duties well according to the strict Spanish court ceremony used in Vienna. Her court was affected by her strong religious views: strict, simple and convent-like. It was strictly adhered to all religious festivals and prescriptions and many courtiers said it was "an atmosphere reminiscent of an eternal mourning period", which was somewhat ridiculed as being exaggerated.
Eleonore actively participated in shooting matches and hunting parties as well as the religious duties associated with the pietas austriaca. From 1688, she devoted much time to the
Empress Mother
Reign of Joseph I
Emperor Leopold I died in 1705 and was succeeded by her eldest son, Joseph I. After her husband's death, Eleonore was known for dressing in mourning for the remainder of her life. During the reign of Joseph I, she endeavoured to keep her political influence in defiance of her daughter-in-law,
Regency
In 1711, Emperor Joseph I died, and was succeeded as ruler of the
Despite those actions, Eleonore's regency was considerably successful. After negotiations were completed, she signed the
Reign of Charles VI
During the reign of Charles VI, Eleonore and her daughter-in-law Wilhelmine Amalia engaged in the succession on behalf of Joseph I's daughters. Through the secret Mutual Pact of Succession (Pactum Mutuae Successionis) of 1703, signed by both Joseph and Charles with the knowledge and consent of their father, was determined that if both brothers died without surviving male issue, the daughters of the elder brother would have absolute precedence over the daughters of the younger brother, meaning that the eldest daughter of Joseph would ascend all the Habsburg thrones. In the case that both brothers died without surviving issue, their surviving sisters would be the heiresses.[13][14][15] This secret pact was only known to Leopold I, his sons and Count Johann Friedrich von Seilern und Aspang. Neither Eleonore or her daughters-in-law knew for certain that the document existed, but they had heard of it, but both were very active in establishing the truth and pressuring Charles to establish a public succession order, which would be necessary for court protocol.[10] In 1712, Wilhelmine Amalia managed to persuade Count Seilern to give her the document, which she sent to the head of her family George Louis, Elector, who sent Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz, to help her to negotiate with Charles VI her daughters' rights. When Charles VI presented the original version of the Pactum Mutuae Successionis on 21 April 1713, Wilhelmine Amalia had triumphed in making him recognize the secret succession order of 1703. It was at a dinner with Eleonore, in the presence of the numerous archduchesses, that Seilern informed them of this.[10] However, the success of Wilhelmine Amalia was short-lived: only a few days before, on 19 April, Charles VI already announced his wish to amend the Pact in order to give his own future daughters precedence over his nieces in a secret session of the council.[13]
In 1719, Charles VI was diplomatically forced to arrest his maternal aunt and first cousin,
Last years
During her last years, Eleonore lived as a nun. In her will, she instructed to her servants, who had witnessed her ascetic life, never to tell anyone about this. On 1 January 1720, in preparation for the sacrament of
Eleonore Magdalene died on 19 January 1720, at the age of 65. Four months later, on 24 May, she was buried at the
References
- ^ Wheatcroft 1995, p. 201.
- ^ a b c Wurzbach 1860, p. 162.
- ^ Rudolf Arneth; Wolfgang Kaps: Jacobus Balde: Eleonorae carmen geniale in: www.pfalzneuburg.de [retrieved 08 October 2023].
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q Wolfgang Kaps: Eleonore Magdalena (Theresia) von Pfalz-Neuburg (1655 – 1720) in: www.pfalzneuburg.de [retrieved 11 November 2016].
- ^ a b c d Coxe 1817, pp. 369–370.
- ^ Braun, Keller, Schnettger 2016, pp. 157–158.
- ^ Martin Mutschlechner: Leopold I: Marriage and family in: www.habsburger.net [retrieved 14 November 2016].
- ^ Theodor Berger: Die Durchläuchtige Welt, Oder: Kurtzgefaßte Genealogische ..., Vol. 1 [retrieved 14 November 2016].
- ^ a b Rita Parisi: Eleonore Magdalena Theresia (6.1.1655–19.1.1720), deutsche Kaiserin in: www.stadtlexikon-augsburg.de Archived 2016-09-16 at the Wayback Machine [retrieved 14 November 2016].
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j Clarissa Campbell Orr: Queenship in Europe 1660–1815: The Role of the Consort. Cambridge University Press (2004)
- ^ Hildegard Leitgeb: Kaiserin Eleonore Magdalena Theresia (1655–1720) in: wwwg.uni-klu.ac.at Archived 2021-04-22 at the Wayback Machine [retrieved 14 November 2016].
- ^ Braun, Keller, Schnettger 2016, pp. 167–170.
- ^ a b Holborn 1982, p. 128.
- ^ Crankshaw 1969, p. 17.
- ^ Mahan 2007, pp. 5–6.
Sources
- Braun, Bettina; Keller, Katrin; Schnettger, Matthias (4 April 2016). Nur die Frau des Kaisers?: Kaiserinnen in der Frühen Neuzeit (in German). Böhlau Verlag Wien. ISBN 978-3-205-20085-7. online
- Coxe, Guglielmo (1824). Geschichte des Hauses Oesterreich von Rudolph von Habsburg bis auf Leopold des II. Tod (1218 — 1792). Amsterdam: Kunst u. Industrie Compt., 629 p. online
- von Wurzbach, C. (1860). Habsburg, Eleonora Magdalena Theresia von der Pfalz. Vienna: Kaiserlich-königliche Hof- und Staatsdruckerei., 492 p. online
- Wheatcroft, Andrew (1995). The Habsburgs: Embodying Empire. London: Penguin Books. ISBN 0-670-85490-5.
- Konrad Kramar und Petra Stuiber: „Die schrulligen Habsburger – Marotten und Allüren eines Kaiserhauses“. Ueberreuter, Wien 1999, ISBN 3-8000-3742-4.
- Holborn, Hajo: A History of Modern Germany: 1648–1840 Princeton University Press 1982 ISBN 0-691-00796-9
- Crankshaw, Edward: Maria Theresa, Longman publishers 1969
- Mahan, J. Alexander: Maria Theresa of Austria READ BOOKS 2007 ISBN 1-4067-3370-9