Eleonore Magdalene of Neuburg
Eleonore Magdalene Therese of Neuburg (6 January 1655 – 19 January 1720) was Holy Roman Empress, German Queen, Archduchess of Austria, Queen of Hungary and Bohemia as the third and final wife of Leopold I, Holy Roman Emperor.[1] Before her marriage and during her widowhood, she led an ascetic and monastic life, translating the Bible from Latin to German and defended the Order of the Discalced 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 the Treaty of Szatmár, which recognized the rights of her descendants to the Hungarian throne.
Eleonore Magdalene of Neuburg
14 December 1676 – 5 May 1705
19 January 1690
6 January 1655
Düsseldorf, Electoral Palatinate, Holy Roman Empire
19 January 1720 (aged 65)
Hofburg Palace, Vienna, Archduchy of Austria, Holy Roman Empire
Childhood[edit]
Eleonore was born in Düsseldorf, Holy Roman Empire, on the night of 6 January 1655.[2] She was the oldest of 17 children born from Philip William, Count Palatine of Neuburg and Duke of Jülich-Berg and his second wife, Landgravine Elisabeth Amalie of Hesse-Darmstadt. On her father's side her grandparents were Wolfgang Wilhelm, Count Palatine of Neuburg and his first wife, Magdalene of Bavaria. On her mother's side, her grandparents were George II, Landgrave of Hesse-Darmstadt and Sophia Eleonore of Saxony.
Immediately after birth, she was baptized Eleonore Magdalene Therese by the abbot of Altenburg Abbey. To celebrate her birth, the court chaplain and poet Jesuit Jakob Balde composed a Latin poem in hexameters called the "Song of Eleonore's Nativity" (Latin: Eleonorae Geniale carmen), which he partially translated into German in subsequent poems dedicated to her.[3] He subsequently became her spiritual mentor until his death. In August, her parents moved with her from Düsseldorf to Neuburg. On 11 September 1661 at the Neuburg Hofkirche, she was anointed by Marquard II Schenk von Castell, Prince-bishop of Eichstätt.
Eleonore was raised in a pious environment and received an excellent education. She was well versed in finances, literature, theology, and became fluent in Latin, German, French and Italian. 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 at Schloss Benrath, where she began her training in etiquette under the guidance of a maid of honour.[4]
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 explicit Crucifixion scene and burst into tears in sympathy with Jesus. Since then, she participated in religious activities and visited the sick every day.[4][5] These events influenced her depression which soon turned into self-destructive behaviour. She was drawn to the penitential side of Catholicism: 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.[4][5] 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.[4][5]
Empress Mother[edit]
Reign of Joseph I[edit]
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 to Mariazell in 1706 prior to the marriage in 1707.