Elisabeth Christine of Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Elisabeth Christine of Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel |
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| Holy Roman Empress (more...) | |
| Tenure | 12 October 1711 – 20 October 1740 |
| Born | 28 August 1691 Brunswick, Brunswick-Lüneburg |
| Died | 21 December 1750 (aged 59) Vienna, Austria |
| Burial | Imperial Crypt |
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| House | Welf |
| Father | Louis Rudolph, Duke of Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel |
| Mother | Princess Christine Louise of Oettingen-Oettingen |
| Religion | Roman Catholicism prev. Lutheranism |
Elisabeth Christine of Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel (born August 28, 1691 – died December 21, 1750) was a princess from Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel. She became the Holy Roman Empress, German Queen, Queen of Bohemia and Hungary, and Archduchess of Austria. This happened when she married Emperor Charles VI. People knew her for her beauty and for being the mother of the famous Empress Maria Theresa. She was the longest-serving Holy Roman Empress in history.
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Life Story of Elisabeth Christine
Elisabeth Christine was born on August 28, 1691, in Brunswick. At that time, Brunswick was part of the Duchy of Brunswick-Lüneburg. She was the first child of Louis Rudolph, Duke of Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel, and his wife, Princess Christine Louise of Oettingen-Oettingen. She had three younger sisters.
When she was 13, Elisabeth Christine became engaged to the future Charles VI, Holy Roman Emperor. Her grandfather, Anthony Ulrich, Duke of Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel, helped arrange this marriage. At first, Elisabeth Christine, who was a Lutheran Protestant, did not want to marry because it meant changing her religion to Roman Catholicism. But she eventually agreed.
Her future mother-in-law, Empress Eleonore, taught her about Catholicism. In 1706, they even went on a religious trip together. On May 1, 1707, Elisabeth Christine officially converted in Bamberg, Germany. Before her wedding, she had to have a medical check-up to prove she could have children.
Life in Spain
When Elisabeth Christine married Charles, he was in Barcelona. He was fighting for his claim to the Spanish throne in a war called the War of the Spanish Succession. Elisabeth Christine arrived in Spain in July 1708. She married Charles on August 1, 1708, in the church of Santa María del Mar, Barcelona.
Because Charles's rival already had a son, there was a lot of pressure on Elisabeth Christine to have a son quickly. She often wrote letters to her mother, which helped her deal with this stress.
In 1711, Charles left Spain to become Emperor in Vienna. He left Elisabeth Christine in Spain and made her the General Governor of Catalonia. She ruled Catalonia by herself until 1713. The war ended that year, and Charles's allies recognized his rival as the King of Spain. Elisabeth Christine's job was to keep the spirits of Charles's Catalan subjects high. Some historians say she was a more effective ruler than Charles had been in Spain. After the war, she joined her husband in Austria.
Life in Austria
As Empress, Elisabeth Christine was known for her musical talent, good judgment, modesty, and hard work. She performed her duties as Empress very well. This included following the Spanish court rules for hunting, balls, and amateur theater, as well as taking part in religious events. She was a good shot and enjoyed hunting. She also played billiards.
After she arrived in Austria in 1713, Charles VI did not let her have any political power. However, she was intelligent and independent. She made connections with important ministers and sometimes tried to get involved in politics on her own. In the 1720s, she seemed to have some influence on a treaty with the Russian Tsar. This was because of her family connections in Northern Germany. She also sided with the group at court that did not want her daughters to marry into the Spanish royal family.
Her marriage was greatly affected by the constant pressure to have a male heir. She did give birth to a son, Archduke Leopold John, in 1716. But sadly, he died when he was only seven months old. This loss was very hard on her. To help her have more children, court doctors suggested a very rich diet. This made her gain a lot of weight and caused health problems.
Even though her health suffered, Charles VI seemed to care for her. He called her by a loving nickname, "White Liz." He also wrote in his diary about his worries for her health. He even left her money in his will. Elisabeth Christine got along very well with her mother-in-law, Eleonore, and her sister-in-law, Wilhelmine Amalia. The three empresses supported each other. For example, Wilhelmine Amalia took care of Elisabeth Christine when she had smallpox.
Empress Dowager
In 1740, Charles VI died, and Elisabeth Christine became a widow. She did not receive all the money Charles left her because the country was facing financial problems. However, her daughter, Maria Theresa, made sure her mother's court was comfortable.
While it was once thought that she had a good relationship with her daughter, Maria Theresa, there is not much to prove this. Maria Theresa was usually very open about her feelings for people she cared about, but she was always formal with her mother. She visited her mother regularly, but these visits followed strict court rules. In 1747, a Prussian ambassador said that Elisabeth Christine was still involved in politics, but in a way that did not make people suspicious. Elisabeth Christine died in Vienna in 1750.
Children
- Leopold Johann (born April 13, 1716 – died November 4, 1716), who died as a baby.
- Maria Theresa (born May 13, 1717 – died November 29, 1780), who became the Holy Roman Empress and ruler of the Habsburg lands.
- Maria Anna (born September 26, 1718 – died December 16, 1744), who was governor of the Austrian Netherlands for a short time before she died during childbirth.
- Maria Amalia (born April 5, 1724 – died April 19, 1730), who died as a child.
See also
In Spanish: Isabel Cristina de Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel para niños
- Order of Elizabeth and Theresa
