Eleonore Magdalene of Neuburg

Eleonore Magdalene of Neuburg
Portrait by an unknown artist,c.1680
Holy Roman Empress
Tenure	14 December 1676 – 5 May 1705
Coronation	19 January 1690
Born	(1655-01-06)6 January 1655 Düsseldorf,Electoral Palatinate,Holy Roman Empire
Died	19 January 1720(1720-01-19)(aged 65) Hofburg Palace,Vienna,Archduchy of Austria,Holy Roman Empire
Burial	Herzgruft(heart) Imperial Crypt(body)
Spouse	Leopold I, Holy Roman Emperor ​ ​ (m.1676; died 1705)​
Issue	Joseph I, Holy Roman Emperor Maria Elisabeth, Governor of the Austrian Netherlands Maria Anna, Queen of Portugal Archduchess Maria Theresa Charles VI, Holy Roman Emperor Archduchess Maria Josepha Archduchess Maria Magdalena
Names Eleonore Magdalene Therese
House	Wittelsbach
Father	Philip William, Elector Palatine
Mother	Elisabeth Amalie of Hesse-Darmstadt

Eleonore Magdalene Therese of Neuburg(6 January 1655 – 19 January 1720) wasHoly Roman Empress,German Queen,Archduchess of Austria,Queen of HungaryandBohemiaas the third and final wife ofLeopold I, Holy Roman Emperor.Before her marriage and during her widowhood, she led an ascetic and monastic life, translating theBiblefromLatintoGermanand defended the Order of theDiscalced Carmelites.Reputed to be one of the most educated and virtuous women of her time, Eleonore took part in the political affairs during the reign of her husband and sons, especially regarding court revenue and foreign relationships. She served as regent for a few months in 1711, period in which she signed theTreaty of Szatmár,which recognized the rights of her descendants to theHungarian throne.

Childhood

Eleonore was born inDüsseldorf,Holy Roman Empire,on the night of 6 January 1655.She was the oldest of 17 children born fromPhilip William, Count Palatine of Neuburg and Duke of Jülich-Bergand his second wife,Landgravine Elisabeth Amalie of Hesse-Darmstadt.On her father's side her grandparents wereWolfgang Wilhelm, Count Palatine of Neuburgand his first wife,Magdalene of Bavaria.On her mother's side, her grandparents wereGeorge II, Landgrave of Hesse-DarmstadtandSophia Eleonore of Saxony.

Immediately after birth, she was baptized Eleonore Magdalene Therese by the abbot ofAltenburg Abbey.To celebrate her birth, the court chaplain and poet JesuitJakob Baldecomposed a Latin poem inhexameterscalled the "Song of Eleonore's Nativity" (Latin:Eleonorae Geniale carmen), which he partially translated into German in subsequent poems dedicated to her.He subsequently became her spiritual mentor until his death. In August, her parents moved with her from Düsseldorf toNeuburg.On 11 September 1661 at the Neuburg Hofkirche, she was anointed by Marquard II Schenk von Castell,Prince-bishopofEichstätt.

Eleonore was raised in a pious environment and received an excellent education. She was well versed infinances,literature,theology,and became fluent inLatin,German,FrenchandItalian.She was fond of the arts and hunting, though her true passion was reading and translating religious texts to German. Since September 1672, she lived atSchloss Benrath,where she began her training inetiquetteunder the guidance of a maid of honour.

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 explicitCrucifixionscene and burst into tears in sympathy withJesus.Since then, she participated in religious activities and visited the sick every day.These events influenced herdepressionwhich soon turned intoself-destructivebehaviour. She was drawn to thepenitentialside ofCatholicism:as an example, she used bracelets with small spikes on the inside to torment the flesh. When court protocol demanded her to visit the opera, she reportedly took a prayer book with her to distract her from the play.However, Eleonore's beliefs had a positive side too. Among the poor, she asked them to treat her as a commoner rather than a person of noble birth, because she believed that all people were equally precious to God.

Engagements

Order of the Discalced Carmelites, which young Eleonore wanted to join

On 2 February 1669, Eleonore entered the Brotherhood of Our Lady of Sorrows at the Cross. The special protection she provided to theDiscalced Carmelitesmonasteries in Düsseldorf and Neuburg reflected her wish to be a Carmelitenun,but her parents refused to give their consent. Five royals asked for her hand and all were refused by Eleonore. One of her rejected suitors was the widowerJames, Duke of York,the future King ofEnglandandScotland,who proposed in 1671.

In April 1676,Leopold I, Holy Roman Emperorlost his second wife and almost immediately began to search for a new one, urged by the need of a male heir. From his previous marriages he had six children, but all except the oldest daughter,Archduchess Maria Antonia,died shortly after birth. This time, Eleonore was chosen overDuchess Maria Anna Victoria of Bavaria(laterDauphine of France), PrincessUlrika Eleonora of Denmark(laterQueen consort of Sweden), and many other potential candidates.Thanks to the intense diplomatic efforts of Eleonore's father, he gained to his sideFrancesco Bonvisi,Papal nuncioin Vienna, and KingCharles II of Spain.The opponents of the Count Palatine of Neuburg in the Imperial court spread rumours that she suffered from poor health and was physically unattractive. However, these rumours didn't stop the emperor, who needed an heir and knew about her family's reputedfertility.In addition, the Count Palatine showed Leopold I a portrait of his daughter, made especially for this purpose.

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 DowagerEleonora Gonzaga,Leopold I's beloved stepmother, and a number of notable courtiers, including ChancellorJohann 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 ofAnna 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.

On 25 November 1676, the official betrothal took place. The bride, age 21, and groom, age 36, were second cousins (being both great-grandchildren ofWilliam V, Duke of Bavaria), and thus apapal dispensationwas granted byPope Innocent XIto allow the marriage. Eleonore'sdowrywas fixed at 100,000florins.The first meeting between Leopold I and Eleonore took place two days before the wedding, but the two made a favourable impression on each other.

Holy Roman Empress and German Queen

Painting depicting the 1676 marriage of Empress Eleonore and Emperor Leopold

The wedding took place inPassauon 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 famousWittelsbach Diamond.On 7 January 1677, the Imperial couple arrived inVienna.

Eleonore soon proved her fertility by becoming pregnant with her first child within months.In total, she gave birth to ten children, of whom six survived to adulthood:

• 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 theAustrian 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 KingJohn 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 theHouse of Habsburgand father of the famous EmpressMaria 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.

Coronation of Empress Eleonore Magdalene, by Giovanni Antonio Pellegrini, ca. 1713-15.

However, Eleonore had to face great challenges in the first years as Empress. During 1679, an outbreak ofplagueforced the Imperial family to leaveVienna,firstly toMariazelland then inPrague,but the disease eventually reached those places. In addition, an uprising of theBohemianpeasants forced the empress and her children escape toLinz Castle.However, no less a danger than the epidemic was the constant threat of theOttoman Empire.In July 1683, the Imperial family again left Vienna and moved toPassaubecause of the threat from the Turks, who in September of the same yearsuffered a crushing defeat near Vienna.

Because of these events, Eleonore wasn't crowned immediately after her marriage. On 9 December 1681and at the request of the Hungarian aristocracy, she was crownedQueen of HungaryinPressburg.In 1685, her father becameElector Palatine.On 19 January 1690, she was crownedHoly Roman EmpressatAugsburg Cathedral.At the time of her Imperial coronation, she was pregnant with her tenth and last child.She accompanied her husband on his travels (for example, at the Diet of Augsburg in 1689) and supervised the education of her children personally.

Political Influence

HungarianThalerof Leopold I minted in 1692

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".

As empress, Eleonore took control over theeconomyof the imperial court and managed to reduce itsexpensesthrough more effective organization. She had always paid great attention to matters ofcharity,but her patronage towards people in need still had some boundaries. The imperialrevenuebecame vast enough to not only order the building of hospitals, orphanages, and Carmelite convents inGrazand Vienna, but support numerous brotherhoods, churches and monasteries.

As she was multilingual, Eleonore translated foreign political documents for her husband, as many were written in French. She established extensive connections through herpatronageand granting of favours: she protected the career of chancellorTheodor von Strattmanand recommended Jesuits Bauer andVitus Georg Tönnemannas advisers to the emperor. In 1686, she restored theOrder of the Starry Cross,established byher stepmother-in-law.The CapuchinMarco d'Avianowas 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.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.

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 thepietas austriaca.From 1688, she devoted much time to theMarian cult,in which she was introduced byAbraham á Sancta Claraand to which she introduced her two daughters-in-law. She was an active member of theGesellenschaft det Sklavinnen oder Leibeign Mariens,a lay order devoted toVirgin Mary,which prescribed daily religious observance and religious charity. In 1688, she received theSternkreuzorden.During a joint pilgrimage, the imperial couple paid a visit to theShrine of Our Lady of Altötting.Another miraculous image of the Virgin Mary from Pötsch (Hungarian:Máriapócs), known as the "Weeping Madonna", was delivered by them and placed inSt. Stephen's Cathedral, Vienna.On 9 May 1684, the empress received theGolden Rosefrom Pope Innocent XI.

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,Wilhelmine Amalia of Brunswick-Lüneburg,with whom she had a difficult relationship. One of the few things the two women agreed was their great disapproval of Joseph's official mistress,Marianne Pálffy,but both were powerless to stop it. After arranging her son Charles's marriage, Eleonore supervised the Catholic education of his convert bride,Elisabeth Christine of Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel,by taking her on a pilgrimage toMariazellin 1706 prior to the marriage in 1707.

Regency

Treaty of Szatmár's contractual document, Austrian National Archives

In 1711, Emperor Joseph I died, and was succeeded as ruler of theHabsburg monarchyby his younger brother Charles, at that point absent in Spain. Eleonore was invested as Interim Regent of the Habsburg lands by the privy conference while Charles traveled fromBarcelonato Vienna. As such, she was supported by her daughters. Despite his mother's political capacity, Charles had no confidence in her rule because of her emotional instability and ordered his confidant chancellor CountJohn Wenceslau Wratislaw von Mitrowitzto report to him about her rule, which placed him in conflict with Eleonore. The only known hostile acts the Empress Regent made were the confiscation of the gifts Joseph I had given to Marianne Pálffy, the order towards her late son's mistress to marry if she didn't wish to be expelled from court for good, and firing FeldmarschallJohann Graf Pálffy von Erdöd,brother of the former mistress, who was at that point negotiating the peace with Hungary after theRákóczi Rebellion.His colleagues, however, persuaded Eleonore to restore him in his posts.

Despite those actions, Eleonore's regency was considerably successful. After negotiations were completed, she signed theTreaty of Szatmár,which recognized the rule of theHouse of Habsburgin theKingdom of Hungary.She congratulated the successful diplomatAlexander Károlyiby appointing him as general. There was a fear among the ministers that she would use her position to defend the rights of her brother, the Elector Palatine, to theUpper Palatinatein a time when the interests of Austria would be better benefited by sacrificing his lands toBavaria,which claimed it.Despite those fears, the Empress Regent presided over the1711 imperial electionand favoured the election of her son Charles as emperor.

Reign of Charles VI

During the reign of Charles VI, Eleonore and her daughter-in-lawWilhelmine Amaliaengaged in the succession on behalf of Joseph I's daughters. Through the secretMutual 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.This secret pact was only known to Leopold I, his sons andCount 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.In 1712, Wilhelmine Amalia managed to persuade Count Seilern to give her the document, which she sent to the head of her familyGeorge Louis, Elector,who sentGottfried Wilhelm Leibniz,to help her to negotiate with Charles VI her daughters' rights. When Charles VI presented the original version of thePactum Mutuae Successionison 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.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.

In 1719, Charles VI was diplomatically forced to arrest his maternal aunt and first cousin,Hedwig Elisabeth, Princess SobieskiandMaria Clementina Sobieska,to stop the marriage between the latter and the Jacobite pretenderJames Francis Edward Stuartin Rome. However, the Empress Mother managed to delay the transmission of the warrant for quite some time during their travel through Austrian lands before her relatives were placed under arrest inInnsbrück.Eleonore continued to use her connections to prevent Charles from marrying Maria Clementina to someone else, such as theDuke of Modena,and eventually assisted in her niece's escape from Austria to Italy.

Last years

Empress Eleonore's coffin at theImperial Crypt,Vienna

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 ofconfession,the Empress Mother suffered astroke,which led her being paralyzed on the right side of her body. She received theAnointing of the Sickand gave her maternal blessings to her children and grandchildren, who reunited at her deathbed. During her final days, Eleonore was constantly nursed by her two daughters-in-law Wilhelmine Amalia (with whom she now had a close relationship) and Elisabeth Christine.

Eleonore Magdalene died on 19 January 1720, at the age of 65. Four months later, on 24 May, she was buried at theImperial Cryptin Vienna. In her memory, a temporary wooden church was built at the imperial court, named the "sorrow castle" (Latin:Castrum dolorum). According to her last will, her remains were placed in an ordinary wooden coffin, which was placed at the foot of Leopold I's tomb. Her heart was put in an urn and placed in theHerzgruftat theAugustinian Church.In the year of her death, were published sixepitaphs,among them poetJohann Christian Günther(who described her as a paragon of virtue and faith). The current lead Baroque coffin which contains Eleonore's remains was a work ofBalthasar Ferdinand Molland was made in August 1755 following the orders of her granddaughter, EmpressMaria Theresa,because the old wooden coffin had considerably deteriorated.

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