1512 - Eleanor of Burgundy
Archduchess Eleanor of Austria-Burgundy was the eldest daughter and first child of Philip the Fair of Burgundy and Joanna I of Castile, and without any doubt the greatest match in circulation, but that was not enough for save her from heartbreaks, starting with the total absence of any remembrance of her parents: her paternal aunt Margaret, who was her warden, was the only parent of which she and her siblings had memory, while Emperor Maximilian, Margaret’s father, was their sort of very absent father figure.
Growing up Eleanor had always knew who she was destined to marry extremely well and her engagement to Henry, Prince of Wales and future King of England in 1507 was heavily celebrated in Burgundy and by the eight years old Eleanor, who started to see the sixteen years old prince, as her loyal knight. After all if England was in her destiny, for what reason she would have not start to put all her hopes for the future in that match? Unluckily for Eleanor, she was still only 10 years old when Henry VII of England, father of her husband-to-be, died and the new 18 years King of England had no intention to wait until she will be old for marrying and worse he was fixated with another woman: his elder brother’s widow Catherine of Aragon, who was six years older than him and under any aspect (excluding her physical aspect and the fact who she was already of age) a worse match than Eleanor, who had better connections, a higher dowry and was a more prestigious match. Still marrying Catherine was among the first things Henry had done after becoming King, breaking Eleanor’s heart and destroying her hopes.
Trying to console her unlucky niece Margaret told her who if King Henry had used his head for choosing his bride, he would have kept his word and married Eleanor, but who Catherine had surely manipulated him for satisfying her ambition and who they would likely pay for that. Margaret also had suffered that fate, in a worse way than Eleanor, because she had actually knew Charles VIII for many years and trusted him, but she had learned her lesson and gained an healthy hatred for France once, finally, returned at home. After that she had married twice and had been happy, the first time to a great prince, the heir of Spain, and after his death (and the loss of another crown promised to her) and returning at home, she had been so lucky to be able to marry her true love (who had also tried to console her and offered to be her knight, at the time of Charles’ betrayal) as Philibert had unexpectedly inherited Savoy and became widowed of the cousin who his father had married to him and Maximilian had reputed him an ally worthy to receive his daughter as wife but sadly they had only few short years of total happiness together.
Eleanor had promised to her aunt to be good and continue to hope in the future and do not worry about it as a princess like her would surely made a great match as soon she was old enough, and she would do her best for keeping that promise. Still her dislike of England was becoming well know, at the point who her brother, young Charles, Duke of Burgundy and “heir of too many lands for naming all of them” had quickly learned to not talk about his own betrothed, the English Princess Mary, around his sister “as Eleanor is just jealous who her betrothed had chosen another, while I will marry my princess“ as 12 years old Charles would explain to the young daughter of the English ambassador who had recently joined Margaret’s household and was surprised by the Archduchess‘ cold treatment, that while his next sister ,11 years Isabella, giggled and said who Eleanor needed only time for adjusting to her presence and who she would become warmer with time...
Growing up Eleanor had always knew who she was destined to marry extremely well and her engagement to Henry, Prince of Wales and future King of England in 1507 was heavily celebrated in Burgundy and by the eight years old Eleanor, who started to see the sixteen years old prince, as her loyal knight. After all if England was in her destiny, for what reason she would have not start to put all her hopes for the future in that match? Unluckily for Eleanor, she was still only 10 years old when Henry VII of England, father of her husband-to-be, died and the new 18 years King of England had no intention to wait until she will be old for marrying and worse he was fixated with another woman: his elder brother’s widow Catherine of Aragon, who was six years older than him and under any aspect (excluding her physical aspect and the fact who she was already of age) a worse match than Eleanor, who had better connections, a higher dowry and was a more prestigious match. Still marrying Catherine was among the first things Henry had done after becoming King, breaking Eleanor’s heart and destroying her hopes.
Trying to console her unlucky niece Margaret told her who if King Henry had used his head for choosing his bride, he would have kept his word and married Eleanor, but who Catherine had surely manipulated him for satisfying her ambition and who they would likely pay for that. Margaret also had suffered that fate, in a worse way than Eleanor, because she had actually knew Charles VIII for many years and trusted him, but she had learned her lesson and gained an healthy hatred for France once, finally, returned at home. After that she had married twice and had been happy, the first time to a great prince, the heir of Spain, and after his death (and the loss of another crown promised to her) and returning at home, she had been so lucky to be able to marry her true love (who had also tried to console her and offered to be her knight, at the time of Charles’ betrayal) as Philibert had unexpectedly inherited Savoy and became widowed of the cousin who his father had married to him and Maximilian had reputed him an ally worthy to receive his daughter as wife but sadly they had only few short years of total happiness together.
Eleanor had promised to her aunt to be good and continue to hope in the future and do not worry about it as a princess like her would surely made a great match as soon she was old enough, and she would do her best for keeping that promise. Still her dislike of England was becoming well know, at the point who her brother, young Charles, Duke of Burgundy and “heir of too many lands for naming all of them” had quickly learned to not talk about his own betrothed, the English Princess Mary, around his sister “as Eleanor is just jealous who her betrothed had chosen another, while I will marry my princess“ as 12 years old Charles would explain to the young daughter of the English ambassador who had recently joined Margaret’s household and was surprised by the Archduchess‘ cold treatment, that while his next sister ,11 years Isabella, giggled and said who Eleanor needed only time for adjusting to her presence and who she would become warmer with time...
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