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Eleanor of Scotland
Archduchess consort of Austria
Tenure	1449–1480
Born	1433
Died	20 November 1480(1480-11-20) (aged 46–47)
Burial	Stams Tyrol, Austria
Spouse	Sigismund, Archduke of Austria
House	Stewart
Father	James I of Scotland
Mother	Joan Beaufort

Eleanor of Scotland (1433 – 20 November 1480) was an Archduchess of Austria by marriage to Sigismund, Archduke of Austria, a noted translator, and regent of Austria in 1455–58 and 1467. She was a daughter of James I of Scotland and Joan Beaufort.

Early life

Eleanor was the sixth child of James I of Scotland and his wife, Joan Beaufort. James I was known for his great love of literature which he passed on to Eleanor and her sister Margaret.

Starting in 1445, Eleanor lived at the court of Charles VII of France, where it was suggested that she should marry Frederick, King of the Romans. In 1447, she accompanied Marie of Anjou, Queen of France, on a pilgrimage on Mont Saint-Michel.

Archduchess of Austria

In 1448 or 1449 the teenage Eleanor married Sigismund, a Habsburg Duke, then Archduke of Further Austria, and finally ruler of Tyrol (from 1446 to 1490). Whilst travelling to her wedding she visited her sister Annabella of Scotland, who was in Savoy due to her contracted marriage to Louis of Savoy, Count of Geneva.

Eleanor served as regent for her husband from 1455 to 1458 and again in 1467. In his absence she raised funds, purchased guns and sought mercenaries for his army and took over the administration of his estates.

Translation

Eleanor was a great lover of books and became literate in several languages, even though it is likely that she learned German after her marriage. She was able to write in Latin, French, German and Scots.

Eleanor translated The History of the King's Son of Galicia, named Pontus, and the beautiful Sydonia (Pontus and Sidonia) from French to German. The French original passed through several editions between 1480 and 1550. In addition to translating the work, Eleanor also revised it to increase the political power of women. Only the courts with effective female advisors retained their political stability. Based on the number of printings, it was a popular book. A copy of the German translation, preserved in the library of Gotha, bears the date 1465.

In 1473, the German humanist and translator Heinrich Steinhöwel dedicated his paraphrased and translated version of Boccaccio's De Claris Mulieribus (Concerning Famous Women) to her.

Eleanor and Elisabeth von Nassau-Saarbrücken are credited with introducing the prose novel to German literature.

Death

Eleanor died giving birth to her son Wolfgang at Innsbruck on 20 November 1480. She was buried in the Cistercian Abbey at Stams, Tyrol, Austria.

Gallery

• Sigismund, Archduke of Austria and his betrothed Radegonde of Valois and successive wives Eleanor of Scotland and Catherine, Archduchess of Austria.
• Sigismund and Eleanor Statues in Stams, Tyrol, Austria.

References

1. Weir, Alison (18 April 2011). Britain's Royal Families: The Complete Genealogy. Random House. ISBN 978-1-4464-4911-0.
2. ^ Watanabe, Professor Morimichi (28 July 2013). Nicholas of Cusa – A Companion to his Life and his Times. Ashgate Publishing, Ltd. ISBN 9781409482536.
3. ^ Schaus, Margaret (1 January 2006). Women and Gender in Medieval Europe: An Encyclopedia. Taylor & Francis. ISBN 9780415969444.
4. ^ Proceedings of the Society of Antiquaries of Scotland. Society. 1 January 1862. p. 95.
5. Downie, Fiona Anne (23 October 2006). She is But a Woman: Queenship in Scotland 1424–1463. Birlinn Ltd. ISBN 978-1-78885-342-2.
6. Pibiri, Eva. "«A la recherche d'une épouse. Ambassades et voyages autour des fiançailles d'Annabelle d'Ecosse et de Louis de Savoie, comte de Genève (1444-1445)», in L'itinérance des seigneurs (XIVe-XVIe s.), éd. A. Paravicini Bagliani, E. Pibiri, D. Reynard, Lausanne, 2003 (CLHM, 34), p. 123-171". Cahiers lausannois d'histoire médiévale (In French). l'Itinérance des seigneurs (XIVe-XVIe s.). 34: 123–171.
7. ^ Panton, Kenneth J. (15 October 2023). Historical Dictionary of the British Monarchy. Rowman & Littlefield. p. 467. ISBN 978-1-5381-7577-4.
8. ^ Strzelczyk, Jerzy (2010). "The Woman Translator in the Middle Ages. Selected examples of female translation activity". Przekładaniec, A Journal of Literary Translation, English version. 24. Uniwersytet Jagielloński: 19. ISBN 978-83-233-8669-8.
9. Worthington, D. C. (2004). Scots in Habsburg Service: 1618 - 1648. BRILL. p. 18. ISBN 978-90-04-13575-8.
10. Boccaccio, Poeet Ende Philosophe, Bescrivende van den Doorluchtighen, Glorioesten ende Edelsten Vrouwen (Antwerp, 1525)

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