Elisabeth of Austria was born on 9 July 1526 as the eldest child of the future Ferdinand I, Holy Roman Emperor, and his wife Anne of Bohemia and Hungary.
Almost from birth, she was destined for the Polish throne. When she was just a few months old, her father offered her hand in marriage to the seven-year-old heir to the Polish throne, Sigismund Augustus. The Polish King, who was also Grand Duke of Lithuania, agreed to the match, and it was renewed in 1530. A papal dispensation was requested in 1531.
In 1531, the humanist Ursinus Velius was employed as a tutor for Elisabeth and her brother, Maximilian. He taught her to read Latin, Italian and German and gave her a strict Catholic upbringing. A German dance master was also employed.
When Elisabeth was seven years old, she ratified the betrothal. Ferdinand was required to pay one-third of the dowry (100,000 guilders), and the rest was to follow the year after the marriage was consummated. When she was 12 years old, the marriage contract was drawn up, which stipulated that she was to come to Krakow at the age of 16. When asked if she wanted to marry Sigismund Augustus, she answered, “What my gracious lord and father commands, I will obediently comply with.” She then began to cry.1
In 1536, Elisabeth described in a letter to her future mother-in-law. Piotr Opalinski wrote, “These children, all of them are exceedingly handsome, but the royal Elisabeth, the future wife of my Lord, excels above the others in beauty and arrangement.”2
On 15 July 1538, the proxy wedding ceremony was performed in the Hofburg. Elisabeth wore a bridal wreath and a silver wedding dress and several of her many siblings were dressed in white. The following day, Elisabeth, now in a gold dress, the court went to church to celebrate High Mass. However, she would not celebrate her 16th birthday until 1542.
Her future mother-in-law, Bona Sforza, was opposed to the match because of a conflict with the Emperor of some Italian estates and her worries over his growing influence over central Europe.2
Elisabeth finally left Vienna on 21 April 1543, and her mother Anne accompanied her until Korneuburg. They would never see each other again. On 5 May 1543, she arrived in Krakow, where she was received by her husband and an entourage of 4,000 people. As Sigismund Augustus had been crowned as co-ruler alongside his father, the following days consisted of both the in-person wedding ceremony and a coronation. On 6 May, they were married in person at Wawel Cathedral. Still reluctant to accept Elisabeth, Queen Bona did not give her wedding gifts until 13 May.
It soon became apparent that Elisabeth had epilepsy, and her new husband was horrified. He apparently wanted to divorce her, but the marriage had been consummated.
In June 1543, pestilence reached Krakow, and on the advice of his mother, Sigismund Augustus left under the pretext of having to manage the Grand Duchy of Lithuania. He reportedly said farewell to Elisabeth with just a few words. Immediately after he left, Queen Bona tried to have his marriage annulled.2 While he wrote to his mother on a near-daily basis, he did not write to Elisabeth until he was pressured to do so.
In 1544, Elisabeth’s father-in-law handed over the control of Lithuania to his son, allowing them to set up a court in Vilnius.
The payment of the dowry on 10 April 1545 secured her position somewhat, but her illness threatened the continued existence of the Jagiellon dynasty, as Sigismund Augustus was the only son. Apparently, under the influence of his mother, Sigismund Augustus kept away from his wife. Articles of complaint about her mistreatment were sent to Queen Bona, which said, “Why does the young king never eat together with his spouse? Why does he never visit her on days out, nor give signs of love for her?”2
Her health continued to deteriorate, and her husband asked her father, Ferdinand, to send a good doctor to Poland. He also tried to obtain a miracle ring from England, said to have the power to cure epilepsy. In May 1545, Elisabeth’s health stabilised somewhat, and her husband left for Krakow. She was well enough to participate in the Corpus Christi Procession and Vespers on 4 June.
On 11 June, she suffered 15 epileptic attacks in 10 hours, leading to complete exhaustion.
Elisabeth died on 15 June 1545, still only 18 years old. It has been alleged that her mother-in-law poisoned her, but this cannot be proven.3 Her husband wrote to Elisabeth’s father, “So early died the splendour of our countries and our only delight.”2 Despite these beautiful words, his only show of mourning was his black mourning clothes.
Elisabeth was buried in Vilnius Cathedral on 24 August, shortly after her husband had returned. Her health and the influence of her mother-in-law had left Elisabeth with no significant political role.
- Zur Herrschaft geboren by Sabine Weiss p.179
- Jedrzejewski, P. (2016). ELŻBIETA AUSTRIACZKA – KRÓLOWA POLSKA I WIELKA KSIĘŻNA LITEWSKA (1526–1545). Res Gestae, 1, 107–127. Pobrano z
- Zur Herrschaft geboren by Sabine Weiss p.181
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