Isabella of Portugal

Isabella of Portugal
Titian, Portrait of Isabella of Portugal, 1548
Holy Roman Empress Queen of the Germans Queen consort of Italy Queen consort of Spain
Tenure	10 March 1526 – 1 May 1539
Born	24 October 1503 Lisbon, Portugal
Died	1 May 1539 (aged 35) Toledo, Spain
Burial	El Escorial
Spouse	Charles V, Holy Roman Emperor
Issue	Philip II of Spain Maria, Holy Roman Empress Joanna, Princess of Portugal
House	Aviz
Father	Manuel I of Portugal
Mother	Maria of Aragon
Religion	Roman Catholicism
Signature

Isabella of Portugal (Portuguese: Isabel; 24 October 1503 – 1 May 1539) was an Infanta of Portugal, by birth, and a Holy Roman Empress, Queen of Germany, Italy, Spain, Naples and Sicily, Duchess of Burgundy etc. as the spouse of Charles V, Holy Roman Emperor. She was the daughter of Manuel I of Portugal and Maria of Aragon. She served as regent of Spain during the absence of her spouse for long periods.

Early life

Isabella was the second child and eldest daughter of King Manuel I of Portugal and his second spouse, 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 spouse.

Through her father, she was a granddaughter of Infante Ferdinand, Duke of Viseu (the second son of King Edward of Portugal and brother of King Afonso V of Portugal) and Infanta Beatrice, the daughter of John, Constable of Portugal (brother of King Edward). Through her mother she was a granddaughter of Isabella I of Castile and Ferdinand II of Aragon.

Isabella was second-in-line to the throne until the birth of her brother Louis in 1506. However, as the oldest daughter of Manuel I of Portugal, she was a rather attractive party. She married her first cousin, Charles V, Holy Roman Emperor, the son of Joanna of Castile and Philip the Handsome, Duke of Burgundy, who as Holy Roman Emperor, King of Spain, Archduke of the Habsburg dominions, titular Duke of Burgundy, and ruler of the Netherlands and the Spanish empire in the Americas and the Mediterranean and Italy was one of the most powerful men of his time.

Marriage

In 1521 Isabella'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 Austria, Charles V's younger sister. The union between Charles and his cousin Isabella had been proposed by the parliaments of both Castile and Aragon. Charles agreed to marry the Infanta Isabella purely out of political reasons.^[1] The Infanta travelled to Seville where the wedding took place on 10 March 1526 in the palace of Alcázar of Seville.^[2][3] With Isabella 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 Isabella] are together, although there are many people around, they do not notice anyone else; they talk and laugh, and nothing else distracts them."

Isabella 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.

Isabella died in May 1539, when her sixth pregnancy ended in a stillbirth.^[4] The Emperor was away at the time and her premature death affected him deeply. He never remarried, and he dressed in black for the rest of his life. In 1547, the nobleman Francis Borgia conveyed 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 temporarily uniting the Iberian peninsula under one crown in what would later be called the Iberian Union.

Children

Isabella married Charles V, Holy Roman Emperor on 10 March 1526. Their children were as follows:

• Philip II of Spain (21 May 1527 – 13 September 1598), the only son to reach adulthood.
• Maria (21 June 1528 – 26 February 1603), who married her first cousin Maximilian II, Holy Roman Emperor.
• Ferdinand (22 November 1529 – 13 July 1530).
• Joanna (26 June 1535 – 7 September 1573), who married her first cousin João Manuel, Prince of Portugal.
• John (19 October 1537 – 20 March 1538).
• Stillborn son (21 April 1539).^[5]

Coat of arms of Isabella of Portugal as Empress

Ancestry

Ancestors of Isabella of Portugal

16. John I of Portugal (= 20)               8. Edward of Portugal                       17. Philippa of Lancaster (= 21)               4. Infante Fernando, Duke of Viseu                             18. Ferdinand I of Aragon (= 24)               9. Eleanor of Aragon                       19. Eleanor of Alburquerque (= 25)               2. Manuel I of Portugal                                   20. John I of Portugal (= 16)               10. John, Constable of Portugal (= 30)                       21. Philippa of Lancaster (= 17)               5. Infanta Beatriz of Portugal                             22. Afonso, 1st Duke of Braganza               11. Isabella of Barcelos (= 31)                       23. Beatriz Pereira de Alvim               1. Isabella of Portugal                                         24. Ferdinand I of Aragon (= 18)               12. John II of Aragon                       25. Eleanor of Alburquerque (= 19)               6. Ferdinand II of Aragon                             26. Fadrique Enríquez de Mendoza               13. Juana Enríquez                       27. Mariana Fernández de Córdoba y Ayala               3. Maria of Aragon                                   28. Henry III of Castile               14. John II of Castile                       29. Katherine of Lancaster               7. Isabella I of Castile                             30. Infante João, Lord of Reguengos (= 10)               15. Isabella of Portugal                       31. Isabella of Barcelos (= 11)

See also

• Descendants of Manuel I of Portugal

References

1. Tracy, James D. (2002). Emperor Charles V, Impresario of War : campaign strategy, international finance, and domestic politics. Cambridge Univ. Press. p. 114. ISBN 9780521814317.
2. MacQuarrie, Kim (2007). The Last Days of the Incas. Simon and Schuster. p. 35. ISBN 1416539352.
3. Ford, Richard (2011). A Hand-Book for Travellers in Spain, and Readers at Home: Describing the Country and Cities, the Natives and Their Manners. Cambridge University Press. p. 258. ISBN 1108037534.
4. Geoffrey Parker (2014), Imprudent King: A New Life of Philip II, New Haven and London: Yale University Press, p. 12. ISBN 9780300196535
5. Parker (2014), pp. 8–12