Isabella of Portugal

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For other uses of this term, see Isabella of Portugal (disambiguation).

Portuguese royalty
House of Aviz

John I Children    Infante Duarte (future Edward I)    Infante Pedro, Duke of Coimbra    Henry the Navigator (Infante Henrique, Duke of Viseu)    Infanta Isabel, Duchess of Burgundy    Infante João    Infante Fernando, the Saint Prince    Afonso, Duke of Braganza (illegitimate)    Beatriz, Countess of Arundel (illegitimate) Grandchildren include    Infanta Isabel of Coimbra, Queen of Portugal Edward Children    Infante Afonso (future Afonso V)    Infante Fernando, Duke of Viseu    Infanta Leonor, Holy Roman Empress    Infanta Catarina    Infanta Joana, Queen of Castile Grandchildren include    Infante Manuel, Duke of Beja (future Manuel I)    Infanta Leonor of Viseu, Queen of Portugal Afonso V Children include    Blessed Joana, Crown Princess of Portugal    Infante João (future John II) John II    Afonso, Crown Prince of Portugal    Jorge, Duke of Coimbra (illegitimate) Manuel I Children include    Miguel da Paz, Crown Prince of Spain and Portugal    Infante João (future John III)    Infanta Isabel, Holy Roman Empress    Infanta Beatriz, Duchess of Savoy    Infante Luís, Duke of Beja    Infante Fernando, Duke of Guarda and Trancoso    Infante Cardinal Afonso    Infante Cardinal Henrique (future Henry I)    Infante Duarte, Duke of Guimarães    Infanta Maria Grandchildren include    Philip II of Spain (future Philip I of Portugal)    António, Prior of Crato (future Anthony I) (illegitimate)    Infanta Maria of Guimarães, Duchess of Parma and Piacenza    Infanta Catarina of Guimarães, Duchess of Braganza Great-Grandchildren include    Teodósio II, Duke of Braganza    Rannuccio Farnense of Parma Great-Great-Grandchildren include    John II, Duke of Braganza (future John IV of Portugal) John III Children include    Infanta Maria Manuela, Princess of Asturias    João, Crown Prince of Portugal Grandchildren include    Infante Sebastião (future Sebastian I)    Carlos, Prince of Asturias Sebastian Henry Anthony (disputed king)

Isabella of Portugal (Portuguese: Isabel, pron. IPA: [izɐbɛɫ]) (October 24, 1503 - May 1, 1539) was a Portuguese Infanta who lived in the the 16th Century and a member of the House of Aviz. Upon her marriage, Isabella also became an Empress of the Holy Roman Empire and Queen of Spain.

[edit] Early life

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

Through her father, she was a granddaughter of Infante Ferdinand, Duke of Viseu (the second son of king Edward of Portugal and brother of Afonso V of Portugal) and Infanta Beatrice, the daughter of John, Duke of Aveiro (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 1505. However, as the oldest daughter of Manuel I of Portugal, she was a rather attractive party. From young age she was destined to marry her first cousin, Charles, the son of Joan I of Spain and Philip of Habsburg, Duke of Burgundy and the heir to the crowns of Spain, Burgundy and the Holy Roman Empire.

[edit] 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 Habsburg, Charles V's younger sister. The union between Charles and Isabella only took place three years later, by procuration in 1525. The Infanta travelled to Seville where the wedding took place in March 1526. 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 noticed by her intelligence and beauty.

Isabella died in 1539 after the birth of her fifth child. The Emperor was away at the time and her premature death affected him deeply and he never remarried and dressed in black for the rest of his life.

After her death in 1539, the nobleman Francis Borgia convoyed 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, almost 40 years after her death, her son Philip suceeded the Portuguese throne, claming his mother's successory rights.

[edit] Marriage and children

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

• Philip II of Spain (1527 - 1580), King of Spain and Portugal.
• Maria of Spain (1528-1603), married her cousin Maximilian II, Holy Roman Emperor.
• Ferdinand (1530)
• Joan of Habsburg (1535-1573), married her cousin Prince John of Portugal and was the mother of king Sebastian of Portugal.
• John (1539)

Preceded by Bianca Maria Sforza	Empress of the Holy Roman Empire 1530–1539	Succeeded by Maria of Spain
Preceded by: Joanna of Castile	Duchess Consort of Brabant, Limburg, Lothier and Luxembourg Countess Consort of Flanders, Burgundy, Artois, Hainaut, Namur, Holland, Zeeland and Zutphen 1526–1539	Succeeded by: Mary I of England
Preceded by: Joan of Portugal	Queen Consort of Castile and Leon 1526–1539
Preceded by: Germaine of Foix	Queen Consort of Aragon, Majorca, Valencia, Naples and Sicily Countess Consort of Barcelona 1526–1539
Preceded by: Consorts of Castile and Aragon	Queen Consort of Spain 1526–1539