Elisabeth of Austria (c. 1285 – 19 May 1353), also known as Isabelle, was Duchess of Lorraine as the wife of Duke Frederick IV, and regent of Lorraine during the minority of their son Rudolph from 1329 until 1331.

Life

Elisabeth was the tenth of twelve children to

Albert I of Germany Albert I of Habsburg (german: Albrecht I.) (July 12551 May 1308) was a Duke of Austria and Styria from 1282 and King of Germany from 1298 until his assassination. He was the eldest son of King Rudolf I of Germany and his first wife Gertrude o ...

and his wife

Elisabeth of Gorizia-Tyrol Elisabeth of Carinthia (also known as Elisabeth of Tyrol; – 28 October 1312), was a Duchess of Austria from 1282 and Queen of the Romans from 1298 until 1308, by marriage to King Albert I of Habsburg. Life Born in Munich, Bavaria, she was ...

. She was the sister of

Rudolph I of Bohemia Rudolf I ( – 3/4 July 1307), Rudolf of Habsburg, was a member of the House of Habsburg, the King of Bohemia and titular King of Poland from 1306 until his death. He was also Duke of Austria and Styria from 1298. Early life Rudolf was the elde ...

Frederick the Fair Frederick the Fair (german: Friedrich der Schöne) or the Handsome (c. 1289 – 13 January 1330), from the House of Habsburg, was the duke of Austria and Styria from 1308 as well as the anti-king of Germany from 1314 until 1325 and then co-king ...

Leopold I, Duke of Austria Leopold I (c. 1290 – 28 February 1326), called The Glorious, was Duke of Austria and Styria – as co-ruler with his elder brother Frederick the Fair – from 1308 until his death. A member of the House of Habsburg, he was the third son of Al ...

Albert II, Duke of Austria Albert II (12 December 1298 – 16 August 1358), known as ''the Wise'' or ''the Lame'', a member of the House of Habsburg, was duke of Austria and Styria from 1330, as well as duke of Carinthia and margrave of Carniola from 1335 until his death ...

Otto, Duke of Austria Otto, ''the Merry'' (german: der Fröhliche; 23 July 1301 – 17 February 1339), a member of the House of Habsburg, was Duke of Austria and Styria from 1330, as well as Duke of Carinthia from 1335 until his death. He ruled jointly with his elder b ...

and Agnes, Queen of Hungary and Anna, Margravine of Brandenburg.

Duchess of Lorraine

Elisabeth was betrothed at a young age to one of the sons of Philip IV of France, so her father could make stronger connections with

France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic, Pacific and Indian Oceans. Its metropolitan area ...

. On May 25, 1300 Elisabeth's eldest brother

married Blanche of France, a daughter of Philip III. After this marriage, Elisabeth's betrothal to one of Philip's sons was scrapped. Elisabeth was instead married to Frederick IV, Duke of Lorraine. The contract was signed on 6 August 1306 and they married in 1307. From this marriage Elisabeth became Duchess of Lorraine and Frederick was able to support Elisabeth's brother

, to become Holy Roman Emperor. Elisabeth's husband was captured at the

Battle of Mühldorf The Battle of Mühldorf (also known as the Battle of Ampfing) was fought near Mühldorf am Inn on September 28, 1322 between the Duchy of (Upper) Bavaria and Austria. The Bavarians were led by the German king Louis of Wittelsbach, while the ...

, where he was fighting for Elisabeth's brother and was released by the King of France. Elisabeth became known as Isabelle in Lorraine.

Regency

Elisabeth outlived Frederick. Frederick left Lorriane to their young son Rudolph and Elisabeth became regent for her son. Her regency lasted from 1329 to 1331. Rudolph married aged only ten to Eleanor of Bar and made his father-in-law

Edward I of Bar Edward I (died November 1336), was the Count of Bar from 1302 to his death. He was a minor when he succeeded his father Henry III as count, so ruled initially under the regency of his uncles, John of Puisaye, Theobald, Bishop of Liège, and R ...

regent in place of Elisabeth. Elisabeth died in Nancy, capital of the

Duchy of Lorraine The Duchy of Lorraine (french: Lorraine ; german: Lothringen ), originally Upper Lorraine, was a duchy now included in the larger present-day region of Lorraine in northeastern France. Its capital was Nancy. It was founded in 959 following th ...

, on 19 May 1353 and was buried in the cemetery of the

Poor Clare The Poor Clares, officially the Order of Saint Clare ( la, Ordo sanctae Clarae) – originally referred to as the Order of Poor Ladies, and later the Clarisses, the Minoresses, the Franciscan Clarist Order, and the Second Order of Saint Francis ...

monastery A monastery is a building or complex of buildings comprising the domestic quarters and workplaces of monastics, monks or nuns, whether living in communities or alone ( hermits). A monastery generally includes a place reserved for prayer whi ...

in Königsfelden in the

County of Tyrol The (Princely) County of Tyrol was an estate of the Holy Roman Empire established about 1140. After 1253, it was ruled by the House of Gorizia and from 1363 by the House of Habsburg. In 1804, the County of Tyrol, unified with the secularised ...

Elisabeth of Austria, duchess of Lorraine

Children

Elisabeth and Frederick were married for twenty two years, in that time the couple had six children: *

Rudolph, Duke of Lorraine Rudolph (1320 – 26 August 1346), called the Valiant (''le Vaillant''), was the Duke of Lorraine from 1328 to his death. He was the son and successor of Frederick IV, Duke of Lorraine and Elisabeth of Austria, the daughter of Albert I of G ...

(1320 – 26 August 1346), successor of his father *Frederick, Earl of Luneville *Margaret (died 9 August 1376), married Jean de Chalon, lord of Auberive (died 1350), then Conrad, count of Friburg, and lastly Ulrich (died 1377), lord of Rappoltstein *Agnes (died young) *Theobald (died young) *Albert (died young) Many of the couple's children died during childhood, only Rudolph and Margaret lived to adulthood.

Ancestry

References

Sources

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Elisabeth of Austria, Duchess Of Lorraine 1280s births 1353 deaths 14th-century House of Habsburg Nobility from Vienna Duchesses of Lorraine Regents of Lorraine 14th-century women rulers Year of birth uncertain Burials at Königsfelden Monastery 13th-century French people 13th-century French women 14th-century French people 14th-century French women Daughters of kings