Margaret of Austria (1480–1530)

Margaret of Austria
Dowager Princess of Asturias and of Girona Duchess consort of Savoy Governor of the Netherlands Archduchess of Austria
Portrait of Margaret of Austria in widow's attire.
Reign	1507–1515 1519–1530
Successor	Mary of Hungary
Born	January 10, 1480 Brussels, County of Flanders
Died	December 1, 1530 (aged 50) Mechelen, County of Flanders
Burial	Monastery of Brou, Bourg-en-Bresse, Franche-Comté
Spouse	John of Aragon and Castile Philibert II of Savoy
House	House of Habsburg
Father	Maximilian I
Mother	Mary of Burgundy

Margaret of Austria (Brussels, Belgium, January 10, 1480 – Mechelen, Belgium, December 1, 1530) was Archduchess of Austria, Princess consort of Asturias and of Girona, Duchess consort of Savoy and Governor of the Netherlands.

Margaret of Austria was the great-aunt of Margaret of Parma, also known as Margaret of Austria, who was likewise Governor of the Netherlands.

Biography

Margaret of Austria was the daughter of Archduke Maximilian of Austria (later Maximilian I of the Holy Roman Empire) and of Mary of Burgundy, Duchess of Burgundy.

She married John of Aragon and Castile, the son of the Catholic Monarchs and heir to the throne of Castile and Aragon with the title of Prince of Asturias. She was the younger sister of Archduke Philip the Handsome, who was married to Joanna I of Castile, also a daughter of the Catholic Monarchs, and she was thus the paternal aunt of their children: Charles I of Spain and V of the Holy Roman Empire; Ferdinand I of Habsburg, who would also become Emperor of the Germans; Eleanor of Austria, Queen of Portugal and later of France; Isabella of Austria, Queen of Denmark; Mary of Austria, Queen of Hungary; and Catherine of Austria, Queen of Portugal.

She was widowed by her second husband in the year 1504. Her brother Philip the Handsome died young in the year 1506, and it was then that her father offered her the regency of the Netherlands and the guardianship of her nephew, the future Charles V, and of his sisters Eleanor, Isabella and Mary, out of love for the memory of her late brother.

Margaret governed the Netherlands with prudence and wisdom, acting as her father's intermediary. She negotiated a treaty with England that favored the trade in Flemish cloth. She also took part in the League of Cambrai (1508).

After 1515, Charles V briefly rebelled against her influence, although he soon recognized her as a wise and reasonable counselor, restoring her to her post in 1519, intermittently, until her death. Together with Louise of Savoy, she negotiated the so-called Ladies' Peace in 1529.

Margaret of Austria died in Mechelen, after declaring her nephew Charles V and I of Spain her sole and universal heir. She is buried in the monastery of Brou in Bourg-en-Bresse, Franche-Comté. Her niece Mary succeeded her in the governorship of the Netherlands.

In her time she was considered, together with Anne of Brittany, Louise of Savoy and Catherine of Aragon, one of the most intelligent women of European royalty.

Margaret owed her name to the third wife of Charles the Bold and stepmother of Mary of Burgundy, Margaret of York, sister of Edward IV of England.

Under the terms of the Treaty of Arras (1482), Margaret was betrothed in 1483 to the Dauphin of France, later Charles VIII of France, and sent to that country under the care of King Louis XI, bringing Artois and Franche-Comté as her dowry.

Margaret lived ten years in France, where she first received the title of Dauphine and later, at the French court and in contemporary chronicles, that of Queen of France, although she never married Charles VIII. In 1493, Charles VIII renounced the Treaty of Arras and married another heiress, Anne of Brittany, and Margaret returned to her father.

In 1497, Margaret married Prince John of Aragon and Castile (1478–1497), the only son and heir of the Catholic Monarchs. Her husband died six months later, leaving Margaret pregnant. Sunk in deep sorrow, she gave birth prematurely to a girl who did not survive the delivery. In 1501, she married again, to Philibert II, Duke of Savoy (1480–1504), with whom she had no children and who died three years later. Although other possible matches were considered for Margaret (such as Henry VII of England, widower of Elizabeth of York), she refused to marry again.

Margaret of Austria died in Mechelen, after declaring her nephew Charles V and I of Spain her sole and universal heir. She is buried in the monastery of Brou in Bourg-en-Bresse, Franche-Comté.

In her time she was considered, together with Anne of Brittany, Louise of Savoy and Catherine of Aragon, one of the most intelligent women of European royalty.

Statue of Margaret of Austria in Mechelen

Legacy

As governor, Margaret of Austria promoted the Renaissance in the Netherlands, collecting works of art and supporting artists, turning her court in Mechelen into an intellectual center.

Her role under Charles V marked a period of transition toward imperial centralization, influencing the education of the Emperor and the administration of his territories.

Bibliography

• Dongil y Sánchez, Miguel (2011). "Margarita de Austria (1480-1530): Regente de los Países Bajos y tutora de Carlos I de España" (PDF). Iberian (Revista digital de historia, arqueología e historia del arte) (in español) (2): 20–27. ISSN 2174-5633.