Eleanor of Scotland

Archduchess consort of Austria

Eleanor of Scotland

Archduchess consort of Austria
Tenure| 1449–1480

Born| 1433
Died| 20 November 1480(1480-11-20) (aged 46–47)
Burial|

Stams Tyrol, Austria

Spouse| Sigismund, Archduke of Austria
House| Stewart
Father| James I of Scotland
Mother| Joan Beaufort

Eleanor of Scotland (1433 – 20 November 1480) was an Archduchess of Austria by marriage to Sigismund, Archduke of Austria, a noted translator, and regent of Austria in 1455–58 and 1467. She was a daughter of James I of Scotland and Joan Beaufort.[1]

## Early life

[edit]

Eleanor was the sixth child of James I of Scotland and his wife, Joan Beaufort.[2] James I was known for his great love of literature which he passed on to Eleanor and her sister Margaret.[2]

Starting in 1445, Eleanor lived at the court of Charles VII of France, where it was suggested that she should marry Frederick, King of the Romans.[2][3] In 1447, she accompanied Marie of Anjou, Queen of France, on a pilgrimage on Mont Saint-Michel.[4]

## Archduchess of Austria

[edit]

In 1448 or 1449 the teenage Eleanor married Sigismund, a Habsburg Duke, then Archduke of Further Austria, and finally ruler of Tyrol (from 1446 to 1490).[2][3] Whilst travelling to her wedding she visited her sister Annabella of Scotland,[5] who was in Savoy due to her contracted marriage to Louis of Savoy, Count of Geneva.[6]

Eleanor served as regent for her husband from 1455 to 1458 and again in 1467.[3] In his absence she raised funds, purchased guns and sought mercenaries for his army and took over the administration of his estates.[7]

## Translation

[edit]

Eleanor was a great lover of books and became literate in several languages,[3] even though it is likely that she learned German after her marriage.[8] She was able to write in Latin, French, German and Scots.[9]

Eleanor translated The History of the King's Son of Galicia, named Pontus, and the beautiful Sydonia (Pontus and Sidonia) from French to German.[3] The French original passed through several editions between 1480 and 1550.[3] In addition to translating the work, Eleanor also revised it to increase the political power of women.[3] Only the courts with effective female advisors retained their political stability.[3] Based on the number of printings, it was a popular book.[3] A copy of the German translation, preserved in the library of Gotha, bears the date 1465.[4]

In 1473, the German humanist and translator Heinrich Steinhöwel dedicated his paraphrased and translated version of Boccaccio's[10] De Claris Mulieribus (Concerning Famous Women) to her.[8]

Eleanor and Elisabeth von Nassau-Saarbrücken are credited with introducing the prose novel to German literature.[3]

## Death

[edit]

Eleanor died giving birth to her son Wolfgang at Innsbruck on 20 November 1480.[7] She was buried in the Cistercian Abbey at Stams, Tyrol, Austria.[7]

## Gallery

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* Sigismund, Archduke of Austria and his betrothed Radegonde of Valois and successive wives Eleanor of Scotland and Catherine, Archduchess of Austria.

* Sigismund and Eleanor Statues in Stams, Tyrol, Austria.

## References

[edit]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Eleanor of Scotland.

1. ^ Weir, Alison (18 April 2011). Britain's Royal Families: The Complete Genealogy. Random House. ISBN 978-1-4464-4911-0.
2. ^ a b c d Watanabe, Professor Morimichi (28 July 2013). Nicholas of Cusa – A Companion to his Life and his Times. Ashgate Publishing, Ltd. ISBN 9781409482536.
3. ^ a b c d e f g h i j Schaus, Margaret (1 January 2006). Women and Gender in Medieval Europe: An Encyclopedia. Taylor & Francis. ISBN 9780415969444.
4. ^ a b Proceedings of the Society of Antiquaries of Scotland. Society. 1 January 1862. p. 95.
5. ^ Downie, Fiona Anne (23 October 2006). She is But a Woman: Queenship in Scotland 1424–1463. Birlinn Ltd. ISBN 978-1-78885-342-2.
6. ^ Pibiri, Eva. "«A la recherche d'une épouse. Ambassades et voyages autour des fiançailles d'Annabelle d'Ecosse et de Louis de Savoie, comte de Genève (1444-1445)», in L'itinérance des seigneurs (XIVe-XVIe s.), éd. A. Paravicini Bagliani, E. Pibiri, D. Reynard, Lausanne, 2003 (CLHM, 34), p. 123-171". Cahiers lausannois d'histoire médiévale (In French). l'Itinérance des seigneurs (XIVe-XVIe s.). 34: 123–171.
7. ^ a b c Panton, Kenneth J. (15 October 2023). Historical Dictionary of the British Monarchy. Rowman & Littlefield. p. 467\. ISBN 978-1-5381-7577-4.
8. ^ a b Strzelczyk, Jerzy (2010). "The Woman Translator in the Middle Ages. Selected examples of female translation activity". Przekładaniec, A Journal of Literary Translation, English version. 24. Uniwersytet Jagielloński: 19. ISBN 978-83-233-8669-8.
9. ^ Worthington, D. C. (2004). Scots in Habsburg Service: 1618 - 1648. BRILL. p. 18\. ISBN 978-90-04-13575-8.
10. ^ Boccaccio, Poeet Ende Philosophe, Bescrivende van den Doorluchtighen, Glorioesten ende Edelsten Vrouwen (Antwerp, 1525)

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Austrian archduchesses by marriage

Later generations are included although Austrian titles of nobility were abolished and outlawed in 1919.

1st generation|

* Eleanor of Portugal
* Mechthild of the Palatinate
* Eleanor of Scotland
* Catherine of Saxony

2nd generation|

* Mary, Duchess of Burgundy
* Anne, Duchess of Brittany
* Bianca Maria Sforza

3rd generation|

* Joanna, Queen of Castile

4th generation|

* Infanta Isabella of Portugal
* Anne of Bohemia and Hungary

5th generation|

* Maria Manuela, Princess of Portugal*
* Mary I of England*
* Infanta Maria of Spain^
* Anna Juliana Gonzaga
* Duchess Maria Anna of Bavaria

6th generation|

* Archduchess Anna of Austria^
* Isabella Clara Eugenia^
* Duchess Maria Anna of Bavaria
* Eleonora Gonzaga
* Claudia de' Medici

7th generation|

* Princess Elisabeth of France*
* Infanta Maria Ana of Spain^
* Archduchess Maria Leopoldine of Austria^
* Eleonora Gonzaga
* Anna de' Medici
* Countess Palatine Hedwig of Sulzbach

8th generation|

* Infanta Margaret Theresa of Spain^
* Archduchess Claudia Felicitas of Austria^
* Countess Palatine Eleonor Magdalene of Neuburg

9th generation|

* Princess Wilhelmina Amalia of Brunswick-Lüneburg
* Princess Elisabeth Christine of Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel

10th generation|

* None

11th generation|

* Princess Isabella of Parma**
* Princess Maria Josepha of Bavaria**
* Infanta Maria Luisa of Spain**
* Maria Beatrice d'Este, Duchess of Massa**

12th generation|

* Duchess Elisabeth of Württemberg**
* Princess Maria Theresa of Naples and Sicily**
* Princess Luisa of Naples and Sicily**
* Princess Henrietta of Nassau-Weilburg**
* Grand Duchess Alexandra Pavlovna of Russia**
* Princess Hermine of Anhalt-Bernburg-Schaumburg-Hoym**
* Duchess Maria Dorothea of Württemberg**
* Princess Elisabeth of Savoy**
* Princess Maria Beatrice of Savoy

13th generation|

* Princess Sophie of Bavaria
* Princess Maria Anna of Saxony**
* Princess Hildegard of Bavaria
* Archduchess Elisabeth Franziska of Austria^
* Princess Clotilde of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha
* Princess Adelgunde of Bavaria, Duchess of Modena

14th generation|

* Princess Charlotte of Belgium
* Princess Margaretha of Saxony
* Princess Maria Annunciata of the Two Sicilies
* Infanta Maria Theresa of Portugal
* Princess Anna of Saxony**
* Princess Maria Immaculata of the Two Sicilies**
* Princess Isabella of Croÿ
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15th generation|

* Princess Stéphanie of Belgium
* Princess Maria Josepha of Saxony
* Princess Maria Cristina of the Two Sicilies**
* Princess Blanca of Bourbon**
* Archduchess Marie Valerie of Austria^**

16th generation|

* Princess Zita of Parma
* Princess Ileana of Romania**
* Princess Rosemary of Salm-Salm**

17th generation|

* Princess Regina of Saxe-Meiningen
* Princess Margherita of Savoy
* Princess Yolande of Ligne
* Laetitia d'Arenberg**

18th generation|

* Freiin Francesca Thyssen-Bornemisza de Kászon et Impérfalva
* Duchess Eilika of Oldenburg
* Princess Astrid of Belgium
* Princess Marie Astrid of Luxembourg

*also an infanta of Spain by marriage; **also a princess of Tuscany by marriage; ^also an archduchess of Austria in her own right

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