[1] Her upbringing, overseen by her aunt Archduchess Margaret, was marked by a comprehensive education in Mechelen under the guidance of notable humanists like Juan Luis Vives and Adrian of Utrecht.

However, the marriage encountered early challenges with diplomatic tensions arising from Christian II's existing relationship with Dyveke Sigbritsdatter, his Dutch mistress.

The political upheaval prompted the Danish royal family, including Isabella and her children, to seek refuge in various European states, such as England, Saxony and the Habsburg Netherlands.

In 1524, she participated in the Imperial Diet in Nürnberg, where she campaigned on behalf of King Christian II, seeking support for his restoration to the Danish throne.

Isabella was born on 18 July 1501 in Brussels as the third child of Philip the Handsome, ruler of the Habsburg Netherlands and Joanna the Mad, heiress to the Spanish kingdoms of Castile and Aragon.

Her father was the son of the reigning Holy Roman Emperor Maximilian I and his deceased consort Mary, Duchess of Burgundy, while her mother was the daughter of the Catholic Monarchs Ferdinand II of Aragon and Isabella I of Castile, after whom she is named.

Isabella, along with her brother, Charles, and her sisters, Eleanor and Mary, was put into the care of her paternal aunt, Archduchess Margaret, governor of the Habsburg Netherlands, while the two other siblings, Ferdinand and Catherine, remained in Castile.

Her upbringing at the opulent court in Mechelen afforded Isabella the finest education of her time, and among her notable tutors were Juan Luis Vives and the later Pope Adrian VI, who was associated with the pre-Reformation movement known as the "Brethren of the Common Life."

[7] Margaret acted as a maternal figure to her brother's children, and in October 1507, she informed her father, Emperor Maximilian I, who closely followed and actively participated in matters concerning his grandchildren, of Isabella and Maria contracting measles, with Eleonora showing symptoms.

Due to the contagious nature of the disease and winter conditions, Margaret and Archduke Charles opted to stay in Brussels rather than returning to Mechelen as initially intended.

In 1513, Copenhagen hosted negotiations for the topic of the new King Christian II's marriage, leading to an agreement to pursue one of Philip the Beautiful's daughters.

This alliance promised strategic advantages, creating kinship with the emperor and making King Christian the brother-in-law of Archduke Charles, a powerful figure in key Dutch cities.

[12][6] King Christian enlisted the help of his uncle, Frederick III, Elector of Saxony, who, well-connected with the Emperor, inquired about suitable matches at the Imperial Court.

In late October and early November, a national assembly in Viborg revisited the matrimonial issue, resolving to send an embassy to Emperor Maximilian for the formal proposal of Archduchess Isabella's hand.

Bishop Gottschalk von Ahlefeldt, alongside Councilors Mogens Gjø and Albert Jepsen Ravensberg, was chosen to lead this envoy.

The vessel carrying the Queen narrowly averted shipwreck, and upon safely reaching Helsingør in the start of August, she penned a poignant letter to the Margaret: "Madame, if I could choose for myself, I should be with you now; for to be parted from you is the most grievous thing in the world to me".

Isabella was crowned Queen of Denmark and Norway, the same day of her matrimonial ratification, on 12 August 1515 at Copenhagen Castle by the Archbishop of Lund, Birger Gunnersen [sv; da; no].

Gustav I of Sweden used their purported harsh treatment in captivity in his propaganda against Christian II and claimed that the Danish monarch starved the women and children, who only survived by the mercy shown to them by the queen of Denmark, Isabella of Austria.

He wrote her a personal letter in her native German, offering her a dowager queen's pension and permitting her to stay in Denmark under his protection while King Christian fled to the Low Countries.