Overview
Isabella of Portugal (; 24 October 1503 – 1 May 1539) was the empress consort of her cousin Charles V, Holy Roman Emperor, King of Spain, Archduke of Austria, and Duke of Burgundy. She was Queen of Spain and Germany, and Lady of the Netherlands from 10 March 1526 until her death in 1539, and became Holy Roman Empress and Queen of Italy in February 1530. She was the regent of Spain because of her husband's constant travels through Europe, focusing on the kingdom's policies independent of the Empire and managing the economy.
Childhood
Isabella was born in Lisbon on 24 October 1503 and named after her maternal grandmother (Isabella I) as well as her maternal aunt, who had been her father's first wife. She was the second child and first daughter of King Manuel I of Portugal and his second wife, Maria of Aragon. Isabella was second-in-line to the throne until the birth of her brother Luis in 1506.
Isabella was educated under the supervision of her governess Elvira de Mendoza. Her studies included mathematics, Renaissance classics, the languages of Latin, Spanish and French besides her native Portuguese, etiquette, and Christian doctrine. Isabella and her siblings were punished by their mother, "when they deserved it, without pardoning any of them". At the age of 14, her mother died. She and her sister Beatrice inherited her properties, plus the income from Viseu and Torres Vedras.
Engagement and marriage
From Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0).