Elisabeth of Austria, Queen of France

Elisabeth of Austria (1554-1592) was the fifth child of Maximilian II, Holy Roman Emperor and Maria of Spain. She had a privileged childhood where she grew up a devout Catholic. She was an intelligent and charming child and also one of the great beauties of the time period with her long blonde hair and white skin. Elisabeth was sister of the Queen Anne of Spain, the Philip II's fourth wife.

Elisabeth married in 1570 with Charles IX of France, King of France. They had one daughter Marie Elisabeth. She may not be one of the most remembered Queens of France, but she did her duty as a wife and queen. Elisabeth was said to be a good, pious and charitable young woman who did not fit in with the licentious French court. Elisabeth instantly fell in love with her husband, but King Charles already had a long-time mistress, Marie Touchet that he was devoted to. Charles was fond of Elisabeth and found her beautiful, but his heart was with his mistress. The couple did have a warm relationship and were kind to one another though.

The Queen, shocked with the licentious ways of the French court, dedicated her time to embroidery work, reading and especially the practice of charitable and pious works. Elisabeth continued to hear Mass twice a day, despite being horrified at how little respect was shown for religion by the supposedly Catholic courtiers. Her one controversial act was to make a point of rejecting the attentions of Protestant courtiers and politicians by refusing the Huguenot leader, Gaspard II de Coligny the permission to kiss her hand when they paid homage to the royal family.

Despite her strong opposition to the Protestantism in France, she was horrified when she received news of the Saint Bartholomew's Day Massacre on 24 August 1572, when thousands of French Protestants were slaughtered on the streets of Paris. During the massacre, the Queen was given petitions to speak for the innocent, and she managed to assure a promise to spare the lives of the foreign Protestants. Elisabeth, then heavily pregnant, never publicly rejoiced at so many deaths - like other prominent Catholics did. According to Brantôme, the next morning after the massacre, the shocked Queen asked her husband if he knew about that: when the King told her that he was the initiator, she said she would pray for him and the salvation of his soul. A few months later, the Queen gave birth her first child, a daughter, in the Louvre Palace. She was named Marie Elisabeth after her grandmother, Empress Maria, and Queen Elizabeth I of England, who were her godmothers.

King Charles died shortly after the birth of his daughter leaving Elisabeth a widow with a baby. After Elisabeth completed her 40 day mourning period, she returned to Vienna and refused her father's suggestion of marrying the new King Henry III of France who was her brother-in-law. She received the title of Duchess of Berry. Heartbreakingly Elisabeth had to leave her young daughter in the care of her grandmother, Catherine de Medici when she left France. She never saw her daughter again as Marie Elisabeth died at the only the age of 6.

Elisabeth returned to her childhood home and watched her brother, Rudolf II become Holy Roman Emperor. She refused all marriage proposals and worked with the church and helping the poor. She founded the Convent of Poor Clares Mary, Queen of Angels. Elisabeth of Austria died on January 22, 1592 of pleurisy. She is buried at the church of the Convent of Poor Clares Mary, Queen of Angels.

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