Isabella of Portugal
- For other uses of this term, see Isabel of Portugal (disambiguation).
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Infanta Isabel of Portugal (English: Isabella, pron. IPA: [izɐbɛɫ])
(October 23, 1503 – May 1,
1539) was a Portuguese
Early life
Isabel was the second child and eldest daughter of Manuel I of Portugal and his second wife, Infanta Maria of Castile and Aragon. She was named after her maternal grandmother, Isabella I of Castile and her aunt Isabella, Princess of Asturias, who had been her father's first wife.
Through her father, she was a granddaughter of Infante Ferdinand, Duke of
Viseu (the second son of king
Isabel was second-in-line to the throne until the birth of her brother Louis in 1505. However, as the oldest daughter of Manuel I of Portugal, she was a rather attractive party. She married her first cousin, Charles, the son of Joan I of Spain and Philip of Habsburg, Duke of Burgundy and the heir to the crowns of Spain, Burgundy and the Holy Roman Empire.
Marriage
In 1521 Isabel's father died and her brother succeeded to the throne as king John III. The marriage negotiations between the Portuguese and Spanish began almost immediately. It was agreed that the new king would marry Catherine of Habsburg, Charles V's younger sister. The union between Charles and Isabel only took place three years later, by procuration in 1525. The Infanta travelled to Seville where the wedding took place on March 10, 1526. With Isabel also came a huge dowry to the Spanish finances. Although it was a political union, the marriage proved to be a love-match. Records say that during their honeymoon "when [Charles and Isabel] are together, although there are many people around, they do not notice anyone else; they talk and laugh, and nothing else distracts them."
Isabel also proved to be a competent consort; she served as regent of Spain during her husband's absences, between 1529-1532 and 1535-1539. She was noted for her intelligence and beauty.
Isabel died in 1539 after the birth of her fifth child. The Emperor was away at the time and her premature death affected him deeply and he never remarried and dressed in black for the rest of his life.
After her death in 1539, the nobleman Francis Borgia convoyed her corpse to her burial-place in Granada. It is said that, when he saw the effect of death on the beautiful empress, he decided to "never again serve a mortal master", later becoming a Catholic saint.
In 1580, more than 40 years after her death, her son Philip succeeded the Portuguese throne, claiming his mother's successory rights.
Marriage and children
Isabel married Charles V, Holy Roman Emperor on March 10 1526. Their children were:
- Philip II of Spain (1527 - 1598), King of Spain and Portugal.
- Maria of Spain (1528-1603), married her cousin Maximilian II, Holy Roman Emperor.
- Ferdinand (1530)
- Joan of Spain (1535-1573),
married her cousin Prince John of Portugal and was the mother of king
Sebastian of Portugal . - John (1539)
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Isabella of Portugal
Cadet branch of the House of Burgundy
Born: 23 October 1503 Died: 1 May 1539 |
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| Regnal titles | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by Bianca Maria Sforza |
Empress of the Holy Roman Empire 1530–1539 |
Succeeded by Maria of Spain |
| German Queen 1526–1531 |
Succeeded by Anna of Bohemia and Hungary |
|
| Preceded by Joanna of Castile |
Duchess Consort of Brabant,
Limburg, Lothier and Luxembourg Countess Consort of Flanders, Burgundy, Artois, Hainaut, Namur, Holland, Zeeland and Zutphen 1526–1539 |
Succeeded by Mary I of England |
| Preceded by Philip of Burgundy |
Queen Consort of
Castile and Leon 1526–1539 |
|
| Preceded by Germaine of Foix |
Queen Consort of Aragon,
Majorca, Valencia, Naples and Sicily Countess Consort of Barcelona 1526–1539 |
|
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