Birth and early years Born in
Graz on 25 September 1582, Eleanor was the ninth child and sixth daughter of Archduke Charles II, ruler of
Inner Austria (
Styria,
Carniola,
Carinthia and
Gorizia) and Maria Anna of Bavaria, a princess of the
House of Wittelsbach. Her paternal grandparents were Ferdinand I, Holy Roman Emperor, and
Anne of Bohemia and Hungary (the last scion and heiress of the Hungarian branch of the
House of Jagiellon after the death of her brother in 1526). Her maternal grandparents were of
Albert V, Duke of Bavaria, and
Archduchess Anna of Austria (member of the
House of Habsburg and one of the daughters of Eleanor's own paternal grandparents). Like all of her siblings, Eleanor suffered from the famous
Habsburg inferior lip, and as a child, she suffered from
smallpox, which forever undermined her health, which in turn was reflected in the character of the Archduchess: she was regarded as moody, and at court she led a secluded life, not devoid of small pleasures. For example, she loved confectionery, and at her request, fresh pastries were always brought to her. In case of refusal, she threw a tantrum. At the same time, Eleanor had good intellectual abilities.
Marriage attempts Despite Eleanor's poor health, her brother and mother did not stop trying to find her a suitable husband. In 1595, in Rome,
Cardinal Ottavio Paravicini presented three candidates for husbands to the Archduchess:
Ranuccio I Farnese, Duke of Parma, Prince
Francis of Lorraine and
Francesco Maria II della Rovere, Duke of Urbino. Her mother was worried about the young age of the Archduchess, and the suitors were interested in her ability to bear children. But even a childless marriage, in the case of widowhood, provided her with a maintenance of 50,000
guilders per year. Next to Eleanor was always the
physician Hippolytus Guarinonius, who brilliantly coped with his duties. However, it was the poor health of the intended bride that was the main reason for the failed marriage negotiations. Eleanor, along with her elder sister Archduchess
Gregoria Maximiliana and her younger sister Archduchess
Margaret, were considered as potential bride of
Philip, Prince of Asturias, only surviving son and heir of King
Philip II of Spain. Portraits of the three sisters were sent to the Spanish court. The choice of Prince Philip was Margaret, but by the will of his father, he was betrothed to Gregoria Maximiliana. Having not been selected as the future Queen of Spain, Eleanor's relatives abandoned their attempts to marry her.
Nun at Tyrol. Death Resigned to the impossibility of marriage, Eleanor, joined by her older sister Archduchess
Maria Christina (who returned to her homeland after her disastrous marriage), decided to retire from the world. The sisters chose the Haller
Convent (
Haller Damenstift) in
Hall in Tirol, founded by their paternal aunt
Archduchess Magdalena of Austria. Ferdinand II gave the sisters a small allowance to use: for Maria Christina, silverware of 11,000 guilders and for Eleanor, 2,000 imperial
pfennigs. Upon entering the convent, the Archduchesses renounced all their titles and became mere
novices. In the very first years, Eleanor's health problems worsened —she had intense pains in her stomach, but she did not leave the convent. On 3 October 1607, both sisters took the veil. As a monastic dowry, their brother gave them 100,000 guilders. In 1612, Eleanor was chosen as Abbess. She herself endured bodily infirmities and the strict monastic life finally destroyed her already poor health. A cataract was discovered in early January 1620, which soon led to her becoming completely blind. Eleanor died in the Haller
Damenstift on 28 January 1620 and was buried in the Haller Jesuit Church (
Haller Jesuitenkirche) in
Hall in Tirol. ==In culture==