Isabella of Austria

Isabella of Austria
Portrait by Mabuse
Queen consort of Denmark and Norway
Tenure	12 August 1515 – 20 January 1523
Coronation	12 August 1515 Copenhagen Castle
Queen consort of Sweden
Tenure	1 November 1520 – 23 August 1521
Born	18 July 1501 Brussels, Duchy of Brabant, Holy Roman Empire
Died	19 January 1526(1526-01-19) (aged 24) Ghent, County of Flanders, Holy Roman Empire
Burial	St. Peter's Abbey, Ghent (1526–1883) St. Canute's Cathedral, Odense (since 1883)
Spouse	Christian II of Denmark ​ ​ (m. 1514)​
Issue among others...	Prince John Dorothea, Electress Palatine Christina, Duchess of Milan
House	Habsburg
Father	Philip the Handsome
Mother	Joanna of Castile

Isabella of Austria (Isabel; 18 July 1501 – 19 January 1526), also known as Elizabeth, was born an Archduchess of Austria and Infanta of Castile from the House of Habsburg, and subsequently became Queen of Denmark, Norway and Sweden, under the Kalmar Union, as the wife of King Christian II. She was the daughter of King Philip I and Queen Joanna of Castile and the sister of Charles V, Holy Roman Emperor. She ruled Denmark as regent in 1520.^[1]

Her upbringing, overseen by her aunt Archduchess Margaret, was marked by a comprehensive education in Mechelen under the guidance of notable humanists like Juan Luis Vives and Adrian of Utrecht. In 1514, she entered into a strategic marriage with Christian II of Denmark, Norway, and Sweden. However, the marriage encountered early challenges with diplomatic tensions arising from Christian II's existing relationship with Dyveke Sigbritsdatter, his Dutch mistress. Following Dyveke's death in 1517 the relations between Isabella and her husband significantly improved, and Isabella was entrusted with the position of regent in 1520 and political advisor to the king.^[2]

In 1523, her husband, King Christian II, was deposed. The political upheaval prompted the Danish royal family, including Isabella and her children, to seek refuge in various European states, such as England, Saxony and the Habsburg Netherlands. During this exile, Isabella strongly advocated for her husband's cause. In 1524, she participated in the Imperial Diet in Nürnberg, where she campaigned on behalf of King Christian II, seeking support for his restoration to the Danish throne.^[3]

Her travels through Germany, England, and the Netherlands contributed to her evolving religious sympathies for the Protestant movement.^[4] Isabella's death in 1526 prompted widespread mourning. She received both Protestant and Catholic communion, but the Habsburgs declared that she had died a fervent Catholic.