Mantuan Succession (1628–1631), which began after the deaths of her brothers Francesco IV (1612), Ferdinando (1626) and Vincenzo II (1627) without surviving legitimate male heirs. During the war between the Emperor, King Philip IV of Spain and Duke Charles Emmanuel I of Savoy on one side (who supported Ferrante II Gonzaga, Duke of Guastalla) and King Louis XIII of France and the Republic of Venice (who supported Charles Gonzaga, Duke of Nevers) in the other side, the Imperial army captured and sacked Mantua, the Empress' homeland. Widowhood and later years Emperor Ferdinand II died on 15 February 1637. Widowed, Eleonora settled in Graz Castle, near her husband's mausoleum. In the same year she moved to Vienna and settled in the monastery of the Discalced Carmelites Monastery which she had earlier founded. According to contemporaries, the Dowager Empress led a pious life. She spent part of her time in her palaces outside the city, for example, in Schönbrunn, which was landscaped by her much in the spirit of the Italian baroque. On 18 April 1637 the monetary amount which belonged to her as Dowager Empress was settled on her, although this amount was changed repeatedly. The jewelry that she received from her husband during their marriage, including the one of diamond with pearls, given to her on their wedding day, was returned to the treasury of the house of Habsburg. As before, the Empress Dowager led an active correspondence with her Italian and Austrian relatives. She was authorized by Charles II Gonzaga-Nevers, Duke of Mantua and Montferrat to be his proxy in the negotiations of the marriage contract between his sister Eleonora and her stepson Emperor Ferdinand III, which was finally signed on 8 February 1651. In her will, which was drawn up in 1651 and last amended shortly before her death, the Dowager Empress appointed her grandniece and namesake Empress Eleonora as her main heiress. In addition, she left considerable amounts for memorial services and charity. Eleonora, Dowager Empress and German Queen, died in Vienna on 27 June 1655 aged 56 and was buried in the monastery of the Discalced Carmelites. The Empress's heart was placed in a vessel, which is placed next to the tomb of her husband in his mausoleum. In 1782, her remains were transferred to St. Stephen's Cathedral in Vienna. Ancestry Notes Bibliography Brigitte Hamann: Die Habsburger. 1988, p. 78f. Royal titles |- |- |- |-