Eleanor of Portugal

Who was Eleanor of Portugal?

Eleanor of Portugal (Portuguese: Leonor; 18 September 1434 – 3 September 1467) was Empress of the Holy Roman Empire. A Portuguese infanta (princess), daughter of King Edward of Portugal and Eleanor of Aragon, she was the consort of Holy Roman Emperor Frederick III and the mother of Holy Roman Emperor Maximilian I. Eleanor was born in Torres Vedras on, one of the nine children of King Edward of Portugal and Eleanor of Aragon. When her father died five days before her fourth birthday, Eleanor's brother Afonso V succeeded him as king, with her mother as regent. The following March, her mother gave birth to another daughter, Joan, who would become the notorious wife of Henry IV of Castile.

In 1440, Eleanor's mother was forced to go into exile in Castile after losing litigation against her brother-in-law Peter, Duke of Coimbra, for the regency of the young King Afonso. A Portuguese infanta (princess), daughter of King Edward of Portugal and Eleanor of Aragon, she was the consort of Holy Roman Emperor Frederick III and the mother of Holy Roman Emperor Maximilian I.

Historical significance

She was the third-eldest daughter, but her two older sisters died when they were young, leaving Eleanor as the eldest surviving daughter. She left Eleanor behind, because she was ill at the time.