Elisabeth Christine of Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel
Encyclopedia
Elisabeth Christine of Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel (Braunschweig
, 28 August 1691 – 21 December 1750, Vienna
, Austria) was Princess
of Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel, Holy Roman Empress
, German Queen, Queen of Bohemia and Hungary; and Archduchess of Austria by her marriage to Emperor Charles VI
. She was renowned for her delicate beauty and also for being the mother of Empress Maria Theresa
. She is also the maternal grandmother of Marie-Antoinette, Queen of France, though she died five years before her granddaughter's birth in 1755. She was also the longest serving Holy Roman Empress.
and his wife Princess Christine Louise of Oettingen-Oettingen
.
At age 13 Elisabeth Christine became engaged to the future Charles VI, Holy Roman Emperor
through negotiations between her ambitious grandfather, Anthony Ulrich, Duke of Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel
and Charles'
sister-in-law, Empress Wilhelmina Amalia, whose father was John Frederick, Duke of Brunswick-Lüneburg
and thus belonged to another branch of the Guelph dynasty.
However, the Protestant
bride opposed the marriage at first, since it involved her switching to Catholicism, but finally she gave in and on 1 May 1707, was converted in Bamberg
, Germany.
At the time of the wedding, Charles
was fighting for his rights to the Spanish throne against the French-born King Philip V of Spain
, so he was living in Barcelona
. Elisabeth Christine arrived in Spain on July 1708 and married Charles
on 1 August 1708 in the church of Santa Maria del Mar in Barcelona
. When her husband left for Vienna
to take possession of the imperial crown in 1711, he left Elisabeth Christine behind in Barcelona
appointing her as General Governor of Catalonia during his absence. She wisely ruled Catalonia
alone until 1713, when she had to leave Barcelona
and join her husband in Vienna
. Later, they had two children who survived infancy, Empress Maria Theresa
and Archduchess Maria Anna
. Elisabeth Christine died in Vienna
.
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Braunschweig
Braunschweig , is a city of 247,400 people, located in the federal-state of Lower Saxony, Germany. It is located north of the Harz mountains at the farthest navigable point of the Oker river, which connects to the North Sea via the rivers Aller and Weser....
, 28 August 1691 – 21 December 1750, Vienna
Vienna
Vienna is the capital and largest city of the Republic of Austria and one of the nine states of Austria. Vienna is Austria's primary city, with a population of about 1.723 million , and is by far the largest city in Austria, as well as its cultural, economic, and political centre...
, Austria) was Princess
Princess
Princess is the feminine form of prince . Most often, the term has been used for the consort of a prince, or his daughters....
of Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel, Holy Roman Empress
Holy Roman Emperor
The Holy Roman Emperor is a term used by historians to denote a medieval ruler who, as German King, had also received the title of "Emperor of the Romans" from the Pope...
, German Queen, Queen of Bohemia and Hungary; and Archduchess of Austria by her marriage to Emperor Charles VI
Charles VI, Holy Roman Emperor
Charles VI was the penultimate Habsburg sovereign of the Habsburg Empire. He succeeded his elder brother, Joseph I, as Holy Roman Emperor, King of Bohemia , Hungary and Croatia , Archduke of Austria, etc., in 1711...
. She was renowned for her delicate beauty and also for being the mother of Empress Maria Theresa
Maria Theresa of Austria
Maria Theresa Walburga Amalia Christina was the only female ruler of the Habsburg dominions and the last of the House of Habsburg. She was the sovereign of Austria, Hungary, Croatia, Bohemia, Mantua, Milan, Lodomeria and Galicia, the Austrian Netherlands and Parma...
. She is also the maternal grandmother of Marie-Antoinette, Queen of France, though she died five years before her granddaughter's birth in 1755. She was also the longest serving Holy Roman Empress.
Life
Elisabeth Christine was the eldest daughter of Louis Rudolph, Duke of Brunswick-LüneburgLouis Rudolph, Duke of Brunswick-Lüneburg
Louis Rudolph, Duke of Brunswick-Lüneburg ruled over the Wolfenbüttel subdivision of the duchy from 1731 until his death....
and his wife Princess Christine Louise of Oettingen-Oettingen
Princess Christine Louise of Oettingen-Oettingen
Christine Louise of Oettingen-Oettingen was Duchess of Brunswick-Lüneburg and the maternal grandmother of Empress Maria Theresa, Queen Elisabeth Christine of Prussia, Queen Juliane Marie of Denmark and Tsar Peter II of Russia...
.
At age 13 Elisabeth Christine became engaged to the future Charles VI, Holy Roman Emperor
Charles VI, Holy Roman Emperor
Charles VI was the penultimate Habsburg sovereign of the Habsburg Empire. He succeeded his elder brother, Joseph I, as Holy Roman Emperor, King of Bohemia , Hungary and Croatia , Archduke of Austria, etc., in 1711...
through negotiations between her ambitious grandfather, Anthony Ulrich, Duke of Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel
Anthony Ulrich, Duke of Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel
Anthony Ulrich was duke of Brunswick-Lüneburg and ruled over the Wolfenbüttel subdivision of the duchy from 1685 until 1702 jointly with his brother, and solely from 1704 until his death.-Life:Anthony Ulrich was the second son of Augustus the Younger, Duke of Brunswick-Lüneburg; he studied at the...
and Charles'
Charles VI, Holy Roman Emperor
Charles VI was the penultimate Habsburg sovereign of the Habsburg Empire. He succeeded his elder brother, Joseph I, as Holy Roman Emperor, King of Bohemia , Hungary and Croatia , Archduke of Austria, etc., in 1711...
sister-in-law, Empress Wilhelmina Amalia, whose father was John Frederick, Duke of Brunswick-Lüneburg
John Frederick, Duke of Brunswick-Lüneburg
John Frederick was duke of Brunswick-Lüneburg and ruled over the Principality of Calenberg, a subdivision of the duchy, from 1665 until his death....
and thus belonged to another branch of the Guelph dynasty.
However, the Protestant
Protestantism
Protestantism is one of the three major groupings within Christianity. It is a movement that began in Germany in the early 16th century as a reaction against medieval Roman Catholic doctrines and practices, especially in regards to salvation, justification, and ecclesiology.The doctrines of the...
bride opposed the marriage at first, since it involved her switching to Catholicism, but finally she gave in and on 1 May 1707, was converted in Bamberg
Bamberg
Bamberg is a city in Bavaria, Germany. It is located in Upper Franconia on the river Regnitz, close to its confluence with the river Main. Bamberg is one of the few cities in Germany that was not destroyed by World War II bombings because of a nearby Artillery Factory that prevented planes from...
, Germany.
At the time of the wedding, Charles
Charles VI, Holy Roman Emperor
Charles VI was the penultimate Habsburg sovereign of the Habsburg Empire. He succeeded his elder brother, Joseph I, as Holy Roman Emperor, King of Bohemia , Hungary and Croatia , Archduke of Austria, etc., in 1711...
was fighting for his rights to the Spanish throne against the French-born King Philip V of Spain
Philip V of Spain
Philip V was King of Spain from 15 November 1700 to 15 January 1724, when he abdicated in favor of his son Louis, and from 6 September 1724, when he assumed the throne again upon his son's death, to his death.Before his reign, Philip occupied an exalted place in the royal family of France as a...
, so he was living in Barcelona
Barcelona
Barcelona is the second largest city in Spain after Madrid, and the capital of Catalonia, with a population of 1,621,537 within its administrative limits on a land area of...
. Elisabeth Christine arrived in Spain on July 1708 and married Charles
Charles VI, Holy Roman Emperor
Charles VI was the penultimate Habsburg sovereign of the Habsburg Empire. He succeeded his elder brother, Joseph I, as Holy Roman Emperor, King of Bohemia , Hungary and Croatia , Archduke of Austria, etc., in 1711...
on 1 August 1708 in the church of Santa Maria del Mar in Barcelona
Barcelona
Barcelona is the second largest city in Spain after Madrid, and the capital of Catalonia, with a population of 1,621,537 within its administrative limits on a land area of...
. When her husband left for Vienna
Vienna
Vienna is the capital and largest city of the Republic of Austria and one of the nine states of Austria. Vienna is Austria's primary city, with a population of about 1.723 million , and is by far the largest city in Austria, as well as its cultural, economic, and political centre...
to take possession of the imperial crown in 1711, he left Elisabeth Christine behind in Barcelona
Barcelona
Barcelona is the second largest city in Spain after Madrid, and the capital of Catalonia, with a population of 1,621,537 within its administrative limits on a land area of...
appointing her as General Governor of Catalonia during his absence. She wisely ruled Catalonia
Catalonia
Catalonia is an autonomous community in northeastern Spain, with the official status of a "nationality" of Spain. Catalonia comprises four provinces: Barcelona, Girona, Lleida, and Tarragona. Its capital and largest city is Barcelona. Catalonia covers an area of 32,114 km² and has an...
alone until 1713, when she had to leave Barcelona
Barcelona
Barcelona is the second largest city in Spain after Madrid, and the capital of Catalonia, with a population of 1,621,537 within its administrative limits on a land area of...
and join her husband in Vienna
Vienna
Vienna is the capital and largest city of the Republic of Austria and one of the nine states of Austria. Vienna is Austria's primary city, with a population of about 1.723 million , and is by far the largest city in Austria, as well as its cultural, economic, and political centre...
. Later, they had two children who survived infancy, Empress Maria Theresa
Maria Theresa of Austria
Maria Theresa Walburga Amalia Christina was the only female ruler of the Habsburg dominions and the last of the House of Habsburg. She was the sovereign of Austria, Hungary, Croatia, Bohemia, Mantua, Milan, Lodomeria and Galicia, the Austrian Netherlands and Parma...
and Archduchess Maria Anna
Maria Anna of Habsburg
Archduchess Maria Anna Eleanor Wilhelmina Josepha of Austria was an Archduchess of Austria and a Princess of Lorraine, the younger sister of Empress Maria Theresa.-Biography:...
. Elisabeth Christine died in Vienna
Vienna
Vienna is the capital and largest city of the Republic of Austria and one of the nine states of Austria. Vienna is Austria's primary city, with a population of about 1.723 million , and is by far the largest city in Austria, as well as its cultural, economic, and political centre...
.
Children
- Leopold John (13 April 1716 – 4 November 1716), Archduke of Austria
- Maria TeresaMaria Theresa of AustriaMaria Theresa Walburga Amalia Christina was the only female ruler of the Habsburg dominions and the last of the House of Habsburg. She was the sovereign of Austria, Hungary, Croatia, Bohemia, Mantua, Milan, Lodomeria and Galicia, the Austrian Netherlands and Parma...
(13 May 1717 – 29 November 1780), Archduchess of Austria, married Francis III Stephen, Duke of Lorraine (later Francis I, Holy Roman Emperor)Francis I, Holy Roman EmperorFrancis I was Holy Roman Emperor and Grand Duke of Tuscany, though his wife effectively executed the real power of those positions. With his wife, Maria Theresa, he was the founder of the Habsburg-Lorraine dynasty... - Maria AnnaMaria Anna of HabsburgArchduchess Maria Anna Eleanor Wilhelmina Josepha of Austria was an Archduchess of Austria and a Princess of Lorraine, the younger sister of Empress Maria Theresa.-Biography:...
(26 September 1718 – 16 December 1744), Archduchess of Austria, married Prince Charles Alexander of LorrainePrince Charles Alexander of LorrainePrince Charles Alexander of Lorraine was a Lorraine-born Austrian soldier.-Background:Charles was the son of Leopold Joseph, Duke of Lorraine and Élisabeth Charlotte d'Orléans... - Maria Amalia (5 April 1724 – 19 April 1730), Archduchess of Austria
Ancestry
Titles and styles
- 28 August 1691 – 1 August 1708 Her Serene Highness Duchess Elisabeth Christine of Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel
- 1 August 1708 – 12 October 1711 Her Royal Highness Archduchess Elisabeth Christine of Austria
- 12 October 1711 – 20 October 1740 Her Imperial Majesty the Holy Roman Empress
- 20 October 1740 – 21 December 1750 Her Imperial Majesty the Dowager Holy Roman Empress
External links
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