Gonzaga, Eleonora II (1628–1686)
Gonzaga, Eleonora II (1628–1686)
Holy Roman empress and queen of Bohemia. Name variations: Eleanor or Eleanora; Eleanora Gonzaga; Eleanor of Gonzaga; Eleonor or Eleonore; Eleonore of Mantua. Born on November 18, 1628 (some sources cite 1630), in Mantua; died on December 6, 1686, in Vienna; daughter of Carlo, count of Rethel (1600–1631) and Maria Gonzaga (1609–1660); third wife of Ferdinand III (1608–1657), king of Bohemia (r. 1627–1646), king of Hungary (r. 1625), Holy Roman emperor (r. 1637–1657); children: Eleanor Habsburg (1653–1697).
Eleonora II Gonzaga was born in 1628 in Mantua, the daughter of Carlo, count of Rethel, and Maria Gonzaga . Eleonora was the third wife of Ferdinand III, king of Bohemia, Hungary, and Holy Roman emperor. Ferdinand's second wife was Maria Leopoldine (1632–1649); his first was Maria Anna of Spain (1606–1646), daughter of Philip III of Spain, and the mother of three of his children. Thus, Eleonora's stepchildren were Leopold I, Holy Roman emperor, as well as Ferdinand IV, king of Bohemia and Holy Roman emperor, and Maria Anna of Austria (1634–1696). Eleonora II Gonzaga's portrait was painted by Lucrina Fetti .