Isabel Clara Eugenia: female sovereignty in the courts of Madrid and Brussels

Abstract

The Infanta Isabel Clara Eugenia (1566-1633), the eldest daughter of Phillip of Spain, was one of the most important female figures of the 17th century. She made a vital contribution to the consolidation of Spanish power in the Netherlands, after 80 years of war and rebellion, and her legacy still determines the political situation there. This collection of 14 essays offers new research from renowned international specialists. It constitutes the first detailed study of the Infanta - from her childhood at the Spanish court to her death as a widow - since the biography by the Countess Hennequin de Villermont published in 1912. The authors bring a variety of focuses, methods and perspectives, thus producing a rich picture of the Infanta in her political and cultural surroundings, Isabel appears not only as an historic personage on the European scene of the modern era, but her visual tastes, her devotional practice and her persona as a ruler also emerge from this book.