Eleonora Gonzaga

Eleonora Anna Maria Gonzaga, known as Eleonora Gonzaga the Elder, was born on September 23, 1598, in Mantua and died on June 27, 1655, in Vienna. She came from the House of Gonzaga and was by birth a princess of Mantua and Montferrat. As the second wife of Emperor Ferdinand II, she became empress of the Holy Roman Empire, German queen, queen of Hungary and Bohemia, and archduchess of Austria. Eleonora was the younger daughter of Vincenzo I, duke of Mantua and Montferrat, and Eleonora of Tuscany from the House of Medici. Her family history was closely connected with the Habsburgs and other European ruling houses. Her grandparents included the dukes of Mantua and Tuscany as well as Habsburg archduchesses; she was also a niece of the queen of France, Maria. On November 22, 1598, she was baptized in the Basilica of Santa Barbara in the ducal palace and given the names Eleonora Anna Maria. Among her godparents was Ferdinand, duke of Inner Austria and her future husband. Eleonora spent her childhood at the court of Mantua, which was one of the important centers of European culture and scholarship. At the age of ten, her education was entrusted to her aunt Margherita Barbara, the widowed duchess of Ferrara and Modena. She lived in the Ursuline convent in Mantua, which she had founded, and ensured that her niece received a comprehensive education. Eleonora studied languages, history, music, and painting. She was also deeply influenced by her aunt’s devoutness, expressed through religious dedication and charitable work. A suitable marriage was sought for Eleonora from an early age. In 1610, her father negotiated a match with Marcantonio IV Colonna, duke and prince of Paliano. Despite the large dowry that had been proposed, the negotiations failed. A marriage to Viktor Amadeus, heir prince of the House of Savoy, also did not take place because his side demanded extensive territorial concessions as part of the dowry. Vincenzo I died in 1612 without having arranged his daughter’s marriage. After the death of his first wife, Maria Anna of Bavaria, with whom he had two sons and two daughters, Emperor Ferdinand II sent his confidant Johann Ulrich von Eggenberg to Mantua in July 1621 to negotiate a marriage with Eleonora. Permission was obtained from the Holy See for the union with a relative who was also Ferdinand’s goddaughter. The marriage contract was concluded on November 21, 1621, and a proxy wedding was held in Mantua on the same day. The actual wedding celebration took place in Innsbruck on February 2, 1622. The ceremony was comparatively modest. Ferdinand gave his bride a diamond with a pearl, and the estates of Tyrol also presented her with a monetary gift. Shortly afterward, the newlyweds traveled to Vienna. Although Ferdinand was considerably older, the marriage was regarded as happy. The couple had no children together, but Eleonora gained the trust of her stepchildren. She had a particularly strong influence on her younger stepson and awakened in him a love of art and literature. Like her husband, she was deeply religious and supported the Counter-Reformation. She promoted churches and monasteries, cared for the needy, and was especially close to the Jesuits. The couple also shared an enthusiasm for hunting and music. Ferdinand later amended the marriage contract in his wife’s favor. After arriving in Vienna, Eleonora learned German. She retained many of the late empress’s servants and sent a large part of her own retinue back to Mantua. Ferdinand initially gave her the Favorite estate, and she later also received the palaces of Laxenburg and Schönbrunn. On July 26, 1622, she was crowned queen of Hungary in Pressburg. On November 7, 1627, she was crowned empress of the Holy Roman Empire and German queen in Regensburg; on November 21 of the same year, she was crowned queen of Bohemia in Prague. Eleonora showed little personal interest in day-to-day politics, but she worked conscientiously to fulfill her role as a ruler. She accompanied Ferdinand to meetings with electors and leading representatives of the Empire. Her religious and charitable activities were especially significant. In Vienna’s Augustinian Church, she had the Loreto Chapel built; it was consecrated in 1627 and became the second chapel of the imperial court. She founded or supported several monasteries of the Discalced Carmelites in Vienna and Graz. She also supported a brotherhood that cared for the memory and burial of impoverished deceased people and assisted those in need. Music was a particular focus of her court. Eleonora took Italian musicians and dancers under her protection and helped turn the Viennese imperial court into a center of European Baroque music. With her involvement, the tradition of staging operas and ballets at celebrations of the imperial family was established. A large wooden hall was built in the Hofburg complex in Vienna for such performances. The first production took place in 1625 on the occasion of Ferdinand II’s birthday. Eleonora was deeply affected by the war that broke out after the deaths of her brothers, who left no male heirs. In this conflict, the emperor, the king of Spain, and the duke of Savoy fought, among others, against France, Venice, and the duke of Mantua and Montferrat. Imperial troops captured and plundered Mantua, Eleonora’s native city. After Ferdinand’s death on February 15, 1637, the widowed empress initially lived in Graz near his tomb. Later that year, she moved to Vienna and took up residence in the Carmelite monastery she had founded. Contemporaries described her life as devout and withdrawn, but she remained connected to social and political affairs. She spent part of her time at her country estates, including Schönbrunn, which she had expanded in the Italian Baroque style. She maintained an active correspondence with relatives in Italy and Austria and later played an important role in arranging the marriage between her younger sister, Eleonora, and her stepson, Emperor Ferdinand III. The marriage contract was signed on February 8, 1651. In her will, drawn up in 1651 and amended shortly before her death, Eleonora named the younger Eleonora as her principal heir. She also bequeathed considerable sums for masses for the dead and for alms. She died in Vienna in 1655 and was initially buried in the Carmelite monastery. Her heart was placed in a vessel and buried beside Ferdinand II’s tomb. In 1782, her remains were transferred to St. Stephen’s Cathedral in Vienna.