Mauritia Eleonora of Portugal

Mauritia Eleonora of Portugal (b. 10 May 1609, d. 25 June 1674 in Bergen op Zoom) was the ninth of ten children of Manuel of Portugal (1568-1638), son of the Portuguese prior and self-proclaimed Portuguese king António of Crato, and Countess Emilia of Nassau (1569-1629), the youngest daughter of William of Orange.

Life

Since their eldest sister had escaped marriage at the altar, Mauritia Eleonora's and her sisters' chances to get married were low. After the death of her mother Emilia, who resided at Prangins Castle in Switzerland, she returned in 1629 to the Netherlands to the court of her granduncle Frederick Henry, Prince of Orange, Stadtholder of the Dutch Republic and Amalie of Solms-Braunfels.

Her cousin Luise Henriette of Nassau was espoused to her cousin, Henri Charles de la Trémoïlle; nevertheless mother Amalie tried to marry Luise off to Charles II of England. When Charles II kindly declined, and the matter became public, Frederick William, Elector of Brandenburg showed interest. In coordination with her aunt Amalie, Mauritia Eleonora, spied on her cousin Luise and eventually in December 1646 persuaded her to marry Frederick William I.

Out of gratitude, Amalie arranged the marriage of the 38 year old Maritia Eleonora with George Frederick, Prince of Nassau-Siegen (1606 - 1674) on 4 June 1647 in 's-Gravenhage (today: The Hague).