Elizabeth of Austria (1526–1545)

Queen of Poland from 1543 to 1545

Elizabeth of Austria (Elżbieta Habsburżanka; 9 July 1526 – 15 June 1545) was Queen of Poland by marriage. She was the eldest of fifteen children of Ferdinand I, Holy Roman Emperor, and his wife Anne of Bohemia and Hungary. A member of the House of Habsburg, she was married to Sigismund II Augustus, who was already crowned as King of Poland and Grand Duke of Lithuania even though both of his parents were still alive and well. The marriage was short and unhappy. Elizabeth was of frail health, experiencing epileptic seizures, and died at age 18.

Elizabeth spent most of her childhood in the Hofburg, Innsbruck. She was raised with strict discipline and received a good education from humanist Kaspar Ursinus Velius, The marriage plan was first discussed when Elizabeth was only a one year old. Louis, King of Hungary and Bohemia, died in August 1526 without leaving an heir. The Hungarian throne was contested between Louis' brother in law Ferdinand I and John Zápolya. In February 1530, ten year old Sigismund II Augustus was co crowned vivente rege as King of Poland (his father was still alive and in good health) to secure his inheritance in Poland. Envoys of George, Duke of Saxony, attended the coronation ceremony and negotiated the marriage between Elizabeth and Sigismund August on behalf of Ferdinand. Great Chancellor of the Crown Krzysztof Szydłowiecki supported the match and organized a preliminary marriage treaty, signed on 10–11 November 1530 in Poznań.

Elizabeth and a twelve person escort departed Vienna on 21 April 1543. She was met at Olomouc by Samuel Maciejowski, Bishop of Płock and a retinue of 1,500 knights. On 5 May 1543, Elizabeth entered Kraków and met Sigismund Augustus for the first time. Raised in a strict household to be obedient, Elizabeth was too timid and meek to object to this. On the other hand, Polish nobility liked and sympathized with Elizabeth – a young, pleasant woman who was ignored by her husband and taunted by her ambitious mother in law. Her father in law Sigismund I the Old was also sympathetic to her, but was too weak to protect her from Bona. Two months after the wedding, plague reached Kraków and the royal family departed the capital city. Sigismund Augustus left for the Grand Duchy of Lithuania, while Sigismund I the Old, Bona, and Elizabeth toured various cities in Poland. After a year of separation, the couple met again in Brest. In fall 1544, Elizabeth and Sigismund Augustus moved to Vilnius. For a few months Sigismund Augustus attempted to keep up appearances of a successful marriage to appease the Habsburgs, but soon started ignoring his wife and continued his affair with Barbara Radziwiłł. | 5 = 5. Joanna I of Castile
| 6 = 6. Vladislaus II of Bohemia and Hungary
| 7 = 7. Anne of Foix Candale
| 8 = 8. Maximilian I, Holy Roman Emperor
| 9 = 9. Mary, Duchess of Burgundy
| 10 = 10. Ferdinand II of Aragon
| 11 = 11. Isabella I of Castile
| 12 = 12. Casimir IV Jagiellon
| 13 = 13. Elisabeth of Austria
| 14 = 14. Gaston de Foix, Count of Candale
| 15 = 15. Catherine of Foix