Joanna of Austria, Princess of Portugal facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Joanna of Austria |
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| Hereditary Princess of Portugal | |
Portrait by Sánchez Coello, c. 1557
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| Born | 24 June 1535 Madrid |
| Died | 7 September 1573 (aged 38) El Escorial |
| Burial | Convent of Las Descalzas Reales |
| Spouse |
John Manuel, Prince of Portugal
(m. 1552; died 1554) |
| Issue | Sebastian of Portugal |
| House | Habsburg |
| Father | Charles V, Holy Roman Emperor |
| Mother | Isabella of Portugal |
| Religion | Roman Catholic |
Joanna of Austria (born 24 June 1535 – died 7 September 1573) was a powerful princess. She became the Princess of Portugal when she married John Manuel, Prince of Portugal.
Joanna also served as a very important leader. She was the regent of Spain for her brother, Philip II of Spain. This meant she ruled Spain while he was away. She was the mother of King Sebastian of Portugal.
Joanna married at 16, but her husband died just two years later. She gave birth to her son, Sebastian, in the same month her husband passed away. She later returned to Spain, leaving her baby son in Portugal. She never saw him again, but they sent letters and portraits to each other.
Contents
Who Was Joanna of Austria?
Her Family and Early Life
Joanna was born in Madrid, Spain. Her father was Charles V, Holy Roman Emperor. He was the first king to rule both Aragon and Castile in Spain. Her mother was Isabella of Portugal.
This made Joanna part of a very important family, the Habsburgs. Her brother was King Philip II of Spain. Her sister was Maria of Austria.
Joanna had many royal titles. She was an Archduchess of Austria. This title came from her father's Austrian family. She was also an Infanta of Castile and Aragon. An Infanta is a Spanish princess.
She was named Joanna because she was born on June 24th, which is the saint's day for St. John the Baptist. She was also named after her grandmother, Queen Juana of Castile.
Joanna's mother died when she was only four years old. A kind woman named Doña Leonor de Mascareñas helped raise her. By the time Joanna was eight, she was very smart. She could understand Latin and play several musical instruments.
Becoming Princess of Portugal
On January 11, 1552, Joanna was 16 years old. She married her cousin, John Manuel of Portugal. He was 14. They had a special kind of wedding called a proxy marriage. This means someone stood in for the groom during the ceremony.
Joanna moved to Portugal in November 1552. Sadly, their marriage did not last long. John Manuel died of tuberculosis on January 2, 1554. He was only 16 years old.
However, Joanna was pregnant when he died. Her son, Sebastián I, was born on January 20, 1554. He would later become the King of Portugal.
Ruling Spain as Regent
In May 1554, Joanna's father asked her to return to Spain. She left her newborn son, Sebastian, with his grandmother in Portugal. His grandmother was Catherine of Austria, who was also Joanna's aunt.
Soon after, Joanna's brother, Philip, asked her to be the regent of Spain. A regent is someone who rules a country when the king or queen is away or too young. Philip was going to England to marry Mary I.
Joanna did a great job as regent. She was very smart and effective in her role. She ruled Spain from 1554 to 1556, and again from 1556 to 1559.
Joanna never married again. She also never went back to Portugal. This meant she never saw her son Sebastian in person again. But she made sure to send him letters. She also had artists paint portraits of him at different ages. This way, she could see how her son was growing up.
Her Religious Life
Joanna was very interested in religious matters. In 1557, she started a special convent in Madrid. It was called the Convent of Our Lady of Consolation. This convent was for nuns of the Poor Clares order. These nuns were also called Discalced Clarisses. This means "barefoot" because they did not wear covered shoes. They walked barefoot or in sandals.
Today, this convent is known as the Convent of Las Descalzas Reales. It means "convent of the royal barefoot females." Many noble women became nuns there. The convent is now a national monument and has a beautiful art collection. It was built in the royal palace where Joanna herself was born.
Joanna was a strong supporter of the Jesuits. This was a new religious order started by Ignatius of Loyola. She wrote letters to important Jesuit leaders like Ignatius and Francis Borgia.
Arms
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Coat of arms of Joanna of Austria before her marriage
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Coat of arms of Joanna of Austria after her marriage
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Coat of arms of Joanna of Austria on Real Colegio de San Agustín of Alcalá de Henares.
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See also
In Spanish: Juana de Austria para niños
