Elisabeth Of France (1602–1644)
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Elisabeth of France, also known as Isabel or Elisabeth of Bourbon (22 November 1602 – 6 October 1644) was Queen of Spain from 1621 to her death and
Queen of Portugal This is a list of Portuguese monarchs who ruled from the establishment of the Kingdom of Portugal, in 1139, to the deposition of the Portuguese monarchy and creation of the Portugal, Portuguese Republic with the 5 October 1910 revolution. Thro ...
from 1621 to 1640, as the first spouse of King Philip IV & III. She served as regent of Spain during the Catalan Revolt in 1640–42 and 1643–44.Diccionario Biográfico. Real Academia de la Historia
''Isabel de Borbón''
As the mother of the Queen of France Maria Theresa, wife of
Louis XIV LouisXIV (Louis-Dieudonné; 5 September 16381 September 1715), also known as Louis the Great () or the Sun King (), was King of France from 1643 until his death in 1715. His verified reign of 72 years and 110 days is the List of longest-reign ...
, she was the great-grandmother of the Duke of Anjou, who became king of Spain as Philip V. Through her daughter, Elisabeth is the progenitor of the Spanish branch of the
House of Bourbon The House of Bourbon (, also ; ) is a dynasty that originated in the Kingdom of France as a branch of the Capetian dynasty, the royal House of France. Bourbon kings first ruled France and Kingdom of Navarre, Navarre in the 16th century. A br ...
, which still rules over Spain to this day, as all future kings of Spain after the War of Spanish Succession descend from her. She's also the ancestor of the current Grand Duke of Luxembourg, Henri, through both the Bourbon-Parma collateral branch of the Spanish royal family and the main branch of Bourbon dynasty, as he is a descendant of the last Duke of Parma, Robert I, and his mother Louise of Artois, the granddaughter of
Charles X of France Charles X (Charles Philippe; 9 October 1757 – 6 November 1836) was King of France from 16 September 1824 until 2 August 1830. An uncle of the uncrowned Louis XVII and younger brother of reigning kings Louis XVI and Louis XVIII, he supported th ...
, through Robert's son Felix.


Life


Childhood

Elisabeth was born at Château de Fontainebleau on 22 November 1602, the eldest daughter of King Henry IV of France and his second wife, Marie de' Medici. According to the court, her mother showed a cruel indifference to her, because she had believed the prophecy of a nun who assured her that she would give birth to three consecutive sons.''La reina desdichada, Isabel de Borbón (1602-1644)'' in: mujeresenlahistoria.com (in Spanish)
etrieved 11 April 2014
Shortly after her birth, she was betrothed to Philip Emmanuel, Prince of Piedmont, son and heir of Charles Emmanuel I, Duke of Savoy, by Catherine Michaela, daughter of King
Philip II of Spain Philip II (21 May 152713 September 1598), sometimes known in Spain as Philip the Prudent (), was King of Spain from 1556, King of Portugal from 1580, and King of Naples and List of Sicilian monarchs, Sicily from 1554 until his death in 1598. He ...
. However, Philip Emmanuel died of smallpox in 1605.''Isabel de Borbón, reina de España, primera esposa de Felipe IV'' in: museodelprado.es (in Spanish)
etrieved 11 April 2014 As a daughter of the King of France, she was born a ''Fille de France''. As the eldest daughter of the king, she was known at court by the traditional
honorific An honorific is a title that conveys esteem, courtesy, or respect for position or rank when used in addressing or referring to a person. Sometimes, the term "honorific" is used in a more specific sense to refer to an Honorary title (academic), h ...
of '' Madame Royale''. The early years of ''Madame Royale'' were spent under the supervision of the royal governess
Françoise de Montglat Françoise de Montglat ''née de Longuejoue'' (d. 1633) was a French court official. She was the royal governess of King Louis XIII of France and his siblings. Life Françoise de Montglat was the daughter of Thibaut de Longuejoue and Madeleine Bri ...
at the Château de Saint-Germain-en-Laye, a quiet place away from the Parisian court, in which she shared education and games with her legitimate siblings, as well as illegitimate half-siblings; children who were the result of her father's constant love affairs. Besides the Dauphin Louis, the other ''Enfants de France'' (Henry IV's legitimate children) were Christine Marie, later Duchess of Savoy; Nicholas Henri, Duke of Orléans, who died in infancy;
Gaston, Duke of Orléans ''Monsieur'' Gaston, Duke of Orléans (Gaston Jean Baptiste; 24 April 1608 – 2 February 1660), was the third son of King Henry IV of France and his second wife, Marie de' Medici. As a son of the king, he was born a . He later acquired the title ...
; and
Henrietta Maria Henrietta Maria of France (French language, French: ''Henriette Marie''; 25 November 1609 – 10 September 1669) was List of English royal consorts, Queen of England, List of Scottish royal consorts, Scotland and Ireland from her marriage to K ...
, later Queen of England. When King Henry IV was assassinated outside the Palais du Louvre in
Paris Paris () is the Capital city, capital and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, largest city of France. With an estimated population of 2,048,472 residents in January 2025 in an area of more than , Paris is the List of ci ...
on 14 May 1610, her brother the Dauphin (with whom Elisabeth had a very close relationship) succeeded him to the throne as King
Louis XIII of France Louis XIII (; sometimes called the Just; 27 September 1601 – 14 May 1643) was King of France from 1610 until his death in 1643 and King of Navarre (as Louis II) from 1610 to 1620, when the crown of Navarre was merged with the French crown. ...
under the regency of their mother Marie de' Medici. In 1612, when Elisabeth was ten years old, negotiations were begun for a double marriage between the royal families of France and Spain; Elisabeth would marry the Prince of Asturias (the future
Philip IV of Spain Philip IV (, ; 8 April 160517 September 1665), also called the Planet King (Spanish: ''Rey Planeta''), was King of Spain from 1621 to his death and (as Philip III) King of Portugal from 1621 to 1640. Philip is remembered for his patronage of the ...
) and her brother Louis, the Spanish Infanta Anne.


Marriage

After her proxy marriage to the Prince of Asturias and Louis's proxy marriage to the Infanta Anne, Elisabeth and her brother met their respective spouses for the first time on 25 November 1615 on Pheasant Island, a small island in the River Bidassoa that divides France and Spain between the French city of Hendaye and the Spanish city of Fuenterrabía. This was the last time Louis would see his sister. In Spain, Elisabeth's French name took on the Spanish form of ''Isabel''. The religious ceremony took place in the Cathedral of Saint Mary of Burgos. At the time of her marriage, the thirteen-year-old ''Isabel'' became the new Princess of Asturias. This marriage followed a tradition of cementing military and political alliances between the Catholic powers of France and Spain with royal marriages. The tradition went back to 1559 with the marriage of King
Philip II of Spain Philip II (21 May 152713 September 1598), sometimes known in Spain as Philip the Prudent (), was King of Spain from 1556, King of Portugal from 1580, and King of Naples and List of Sicilian monarchs, Sicily from 1554 until his death in 1598. He ...
with the French princess Elisabeth of Valois, the daughter of King Henry II of France, as part of the Peace of Cateau-Cambrésis. The ''Exchange of the Princesses at the Spanish Border'' was painted by
Peter Paul Rubens Sir Peter Paul Rubens ( ; ; 28 June 1577 – 30 May 1640) was a Flemish painting, Flemish artist and diplomat. He is considered the most influential artist of the Flemish Baroque painting, Flemish Baroque tradition. Rubens' highly charged comp ...
as part of his Marie de' Medici cycle.


Queen

Elisabeth was renowned for her beauty, intelligence and noble personality, which made her very popular in Spain. In 1621, the couple had ascended to the throne of Spain upon the death of Philip III of Spain. The new queen of Spain was aware that her husband had mistresses. Elisabeth herself was the subject of rumors about her relations with the noted poet Peralta ( Juan de Tassis, 2nd Count of Villamediana), who was her gentleman-in-waiting. On 14 May 1622, a fire broke out while the Peralta masque ''La Gloria de Niquea'' was being acted before the court. Peralta carried the queen to a place of safety, which caused suspicion about their relationship to deepen. Peralta neglected a significant warning that his life was in peril, and "he was murdered as he stepped out of his coach. The responsibility for his death was divided between Philip IV and Olivares" (at the time, prime minister and king's favorite). She was regent of Spain during the Catalan Revolt and supported the Duke of Nochera against the Count-Duke of Olivares in favor of an honorable withdrawal from the Catalan Revolt. Prior to 1640, the queen does not appear to have had much influence over state affairs, which was largely entrusted to Olivares. Elisabeth did not get along with Olivares, who reportedly assisted Philip IV in his adultery, and prevented her from achieving any political influence and once famously remarked, when she presented a political view to the king, that priests existed to pray as well as queens existed to give birth. Between 1640 and 1642, Elisabeth served as regent for the king in his absence during the Catalan revolt and was given very good marks for her efforts. She was reputed to have influenced the fall of Olivares as a part of a "women's conspiracy" alongside the duchess of Mantua, Ana de Guevara, María de Ágreda and her chief lady-in-waiting Luisa Manrique de Lara, Countess Paredes de Nava. The fall of Olivares made the king consider her his only political partner, and when the king left again for the front in 1643, Elisabeth was again appointed regent assisted by Juan Chumacero Carrillo y Sotomayor. Her second regency was also well received, and she was credited by the king for her efforts to provide vital supplies for the troops as well as for her negotiations with the banks to provide finances for the army, offering her own jewelry as security. It was rumored that she was intending to follow the example of Queen Isabella the Catholic and lead her own army to retake
Badajoz Badajoz is the capital of the Province of Badajoz in the autonomous communities of Spain, autonomous community of Extremadura, Spain. It is situated close to the Portugal, Portuguese Portugal–Spain border, border, on the left bank of the river ...
. The Queen died in Madrid on 6 October 1644 at the age of forty-one, leaving two children: Balthasar Charles and Maria Theresa. After her death, her husband married his niece Mariana of Austria. Elisabeth's last child, Infanta Maria Theresa of Spain, would later become queen of France as the wife of her nephew, the future
Louis XIV LouisXIV (Louis-Dieudonné; 5 September 16381 September 1715), also known as Louis the Great () or the Sun King (), was King of France from 1643 until his death in 1715. His verified reign of 72 years and 110 days is the List of longest-reign ...
. Unlike her husband and sister-in-law, she would not see the wedding that cemented the peace between her homeland and adopted country, Spain; the countries would be at war until 1659. One of her great-grandsons, Philip, Duke of Anjou, became King Philip V of Spain, and through him, Elisabeth is an ancestor of the subsequent Spanish monarchs.


Issue

* Maria Margaret of Austria, Infanta of Spain (14 August 162115 August 1621), died in infancy * Margaret Maria Catherine of Austria, Infanta of Spain (25 November 162322 December 1623), died in infancy * Maria Eugenia of Austria, Infanta of Spain (21 November 162521 August 1627), died in infancy * Isabella Maria Theresa of Austria, Infanta of Spain (31 October 16271 November 1627), died in infancy * Balthasar Charles of Austria, Infante of Spain (17 October 16299 October 1646), Prince of Asturias. * Maria Anna Antonia Dominica Jacinta of Austria, Infanta of Spain (17 January 16365 December 1636), died in infancy * Maria Theresa of Austria, Infanta of Spain (10 September 163830 July 1683), married
Louis XIV of France LouisXIV (Louis-Dieudonné; 5 September 16381 September 1715), also known as Louis the Great () or the Sun King (), was King of France from 1643 until his death in 1715. His verified reign of 72 years and 110 days is the List of longest-reign ...
and had issue. Elisabeth also suffered at least three miscarriages: * A miscarried daughter (16 November 1626) * A miscarried daughter (1640) * A miscarried son (1644)


Gallery

File:Villandrando Isabel de Borbón Lienzo. 201 x 115 cm. Museo del Prado.jpg, Elisabeth portrayed by Rodrigo de Villandrando File:Retrato de Isabel de Borbón, by studio of Diego Velázquez.jpg, Elisabeth portrayed by Velázquez File:Diego Velázquez 069.jpg, Elisabeth portrayed by Velázquez, 1632 File:Velázquez - Isabel de Borbón (Museo del Prado, 1634-35).jpg, An equestrian portrait of Elisabeth by Velázquez, 1632


Ancestors


External links


Diccionario Biográfico. Real Academia de la Historia
''Isabel de Borbón''


References

, - , - {{DEFAULTSORT:Elisabeth Of France 1602 births 1644 deaths 17th-century French people 17th-century French women 17th-century regents 17th-century women regents People from Fontainebleau Princesses of France (Bourbon) Queens consort of Portugal Spanish royal consorts Royal consorts of Naples Royal consorts of Sicily Princesses of Portugal Burials in the Pantheon of Kings at El Escorial Regents of Spain Deaths in childbirth Children of Henry IV of France Daughters of kings