Empress Eleonora Gonzaga, called the Younger, died on 6 December 1686. She should not be confused with her namesake and godmother, known as the Elder. The two Empresses were grandaunt and grandniece, wives of Emperors Ferdinand II and Ferdinand III, respectively.
When Eleonora married Ferdinand III, he had already been widowed twice and had children from both previous marriages, including the future Emperor Leopold I. Their own union produced four children, two of whom survived. Their daughter, also named Eleonora after her mother, married the Duke of Lorraine and became the paternal grandmother of Francis Stephan, the husband of Maria Theresa.
The new Empress, described as sweet and lively, introduced Italian opera, literature, language, and fashion to the Viennese court. Her sincere Catholic devotion did not make her hostile toward Protestants, which earned her the respect of courtiers and subjects alike.
Due to their remarkable age difference of twenty-two years, Eleonora survived her husband by nearly three decades. As a widow, she took guardianship of her stepchildren and supported Leopold’s succession. She remained politically active in family matters, arranging marriages and mediating disputes. As was traditional for an empress dowager, she engaged extensively in charitable work and commissioned several churches and convents. Notably, she paid particular attention to women’s issues, promoting girls’ education and establishing special orders for noble ladies.
In her final years, Eleonora had to flee Vienna due to the Great Turkish War. She died at the age of fifty-six.
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