Elizabeth of Valois

Elizabeth of Valois (April 2 1545 – October 3 1568) was a daughter of Henry II of France and Catherine de' Medici.

Related Topics:
April 2 - 1545 - October 3 - 1568 - Henry II of France - Catherine de' Medici

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She married Philip II of Spain ("Philip the Catholic"), son of Charles V, Holy Roman Emperor and Isabel of Portugal. The marriage was a consequence of the Peace of Cateau-Cambrésis (1559).

Related Topics:
Philip II of Spain - Charles V, Holy Roman Emperor - Isabel of Portugal - Peace of Cateau-Cambrésis - 1559

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Although she did not produce him an heir, they had two daughters, Isabella Clara Eugenia (December 8, 1566; Segovia – December 12, 1633; Brussels) and Catherina Michaella (October 10, 1567 – November 6, 1597). Sofonisba Anguissola, the first Italian woman artist to win international recognition, served as Elizabeth's lady-in-waiting from 1559 to 1569, and painted Elizabeth's portrait.

Related Topics:
Isabella Clara Eugenia - December 8 - 1566 - Segovia - December 12 - 1633 - Brussels - Catherina Michaella - Sofonisba Anguissola - 1559 - 1569

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Elizabeth died in childbirth in 1568 while delivering an infant that would have been a male heir for Philip if it had survived.

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The Infanta Isabella Clara Eugenia became the major vehicle of her father's unsuccessful claims to the thrones of England and France. Philip married her to her Habsburg cousin, Archduke Albert (1559-1621), who was made regent of the Spanish Netherlands in 1598. Their joint reign coincided with a golden age for the Habsburg Netherlands.

Related Topics:
England - France - Archduke Albert (1559-1621) - Spanish Netherlands - 1598

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After Albrecht died, the archduchess ruled as a governor in the name of her nephew, the king of Spain, for the last twelve years of her life. They had no children.

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Catherina Michaella, the lesser vehicle, was married to Carlo Emanuele I, Duke of Savoy, and was the mother of Vittorio Amedeo.

Related Topics:
Carlo Emanuele I, Duke of Savoy - Vittorio Amedeo

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Friedrich Schiller's romantic tragedy linking Don Carlos of Spain with Elizabeth of Valois in a doomed romance (without historical basis) furnished the subject of Giuseppe Verdi's Don Carlos.

Related Topics:
Friedrich Schiller - Don Carlos of Spain - Giuseppe Verdi - Don Carlos

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They were the subjects of an exhibition in Brussels in 1998-1999 http://www.ku.edu/carrie/ms_room/martin_coll/AI/welcome.htm

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