Margaret of Parma

For other uses, see Margaret of Austria.

Margaret of Parma
Duchess consort of Parma
Portrait of Margaret of Parma by Antonis Mor.
Born	July 5, 1522 Oudenaarde, Flanders
Died	January 18, 1586(1586-01-18) (aged 63) Ortona, Kingdom of Naples
Burial	Church of San Sisto, Piacenza
Spouse	1.- Alessandro de' Medici. 2.- Ottavio Farnese, Duke of Parma
Issue	Alexander Farnese
House	House of Austria
Father	Charles I of Spain
Mother	Johanna Maria van der Gheynst

Margaret of Parma, also known as Margaret of Austria (Oudenaarde, Flanders, July 5, 1522 – Ortona, Kingdom of Naples, January 18, 1586), was the natural daughter of Charles I of Spain and Johanna Maria van der Gheynst, and therefore half-sister of Philip II.

Margaret of Parma was the granddaughter of Margaret of Austria, also Governor of the Netherlands, and the niece of Mary of Hungary, who was in turn also known as Margaret of Austria, and was likewise Governor of the Netherlands.

Her life was marked by important political roles and strategic marriages that placed her at the center of European intrigues and alliances. In addition to holding the title of Duchess Consort of Florence and Parma, her appointment as Governor of the Spanish Netherlands made her a key figure for the Spanish Crown in a period of great political and religious upheaval. These offices positioned her as a central figure in the diplomacy and government of the age, as she faced challenges such as the growing religious tension and the noble uprisings that characterized the 16th century. Her ability to navigate these complex circumstances and her influence on the decisions of the court established her as one of the most powerful women of her time.

The end of her public career saw Margaret gradually withdraw from the Netherlands to settle in L'Aquila, in Abruzzo (Kingdom of Naples), where she managed the domains she had inherited. Although Philip II attempted to have her share the governorship with Alexander Farnese, their differences and inability to work together led Margaret to return to the Italian peninsula in 1583, where she would remain until the end of her days.

Biography

Early years

Charles I of Spain and Johanna Maria van der Gheynst at the cradle of their daughter Margaret

Her mother, Johanna, a servant of Charles de Lalaing, lord of Montigny, was Flemish. King Charles I of Spain, in the only personal reference in his will, declared that "being in these parts of Flanders, before I married and was wed, I had a natural daughter who is called Madame Margaret." Shortly after her birth, Margaret was entrusted to the Douwrin family for some time.

Her destiny would have been to grow up as just another natural daughter, without privileges or power. However, she was raised to prominence thanks to her great-aunt, Margaret of Austria, Governor of the Spanish Netherlands since 1507, who decided to take charge of her education. After Margaret's death in 1530, she was succeeded as Governor by her aunt Mary of Austria, Queen dowager of Hungary, who also took over the guardianship of the young Margaret, her blood niece.

Duchess of Florence

The turbulent affairs of Italy and the power struggle with King Francis I of France were in full ferment in the 1520s. In 1527, finding himself besieged after the sack of the Eternal City, Pope Clement VII finally agreed to sign peace with Emperor Charles V, who as part of the deal was to restore the Medici to the government of Florence in the person of Alessandro de' Medici (natural son of Lorenzo II de' Medici and a black servant).

As a way of securing the Pope's loyalty definitively, the betrothal of Alessandro to Margaret, barely five years old, was agreed. On July 9, 1529, Margaret was legitimized by her father at the request of her great-aunt, Margaret of Austria.

Alessandro de' Medici did not formally enter Florence as its sovereign duke until July 5, 1531. Nine months later, in April 1532, the Emperor raised Florence to the rank of a hereditary duchy.

On February 29, 1536, the wedding of Alessandro de' Medici and Margaret of Austria was celebrated in Naples. The bride, by then barely 13 years old, had to endure from the beginning of her marriage the indifference of her husband, who remained faithfully at the side of his only love, Taddea Malaspina, who had borne him two children.

Eleven months later, on January 6, 1537, Alessandro was assassinated by a distant cousin and Florence passed into the hands of a new branch of the Medici. Widowed at barely 14 years old, Margaret returned to the Netherlands to the side of her aunt Mary, where she remained until her father decided on a new Italian alliance for her.

Duchess of Parma

In 1539, Margaret married Ottavio Farnese, Duke of Parma; from then on she has been known as Margaret of Parma. Two sons were born of this marriage, Alexander Farnese, and Charles Farnese, who died young.

Coat of arms of Margaret of Parma before her marriage

Governor of the Netherlands

On August 7, 1558, Margaret of Parma was appointed Governor of the Spanish Netherlands, a region that roughly encompassed present-day Belgium, the Netherlands and Luxembourg. Her tenure was a turbulent period amid a growing and convulsive religious and political tension between Calvinist Protestants and Catholics, an alarming economic situation, and continual plots by the nobility.

In August 1567, a series of riots and protests broke out that culminated in the so-called "Iconoclastic Fury", a wave of destruction of religious images and property by the Protestants. Margaret handled the crisis by resorting to diplomacy to separate the nobility from the popular uprising, negotiating with the rebel leaders.

Once this was achieved, the uprising began to be suppressed, with Tournai and Valenciennes being recovered. This was, however, too late in the judgment of Philip II, who appointed Fernando Álvarez de Toledo y Pimentel, 3rd Duke of Alba de Tormes (a descendant of King Alfonso XI of Castile) to replace his half-sister Margaret in the governorship of the Netherlands.

In 1567 Margaret withdrew to L'Aquila in Italy. She was appointed governor of Abruzzo, where she had inherited a domain from her late husband. She acted as an adviser to her son and to her half-brother, John of Austria. In 1578, her son Alexander Farnese was appointed Governor General of the Netherlands; Philip named her his co-regent, intending that they would balance each other. However, they could not work together, and Margaret withdrew to Namur in 1582. Philip gave her permission to return to Italy in 1583.

She died in Ortona in 1586 and was buried in the church of S. Sisto in Piacenza.

Ancestry

• 1. Margaret of Parma
• 2. Charles I of Spain
• 3. Johanna Maria van der Gheynst
• 4. Philip I of Castile
• 5. Joanna I of Castile
• 6. Gilles Johann van der Gheynst
• 7. Johanna van der Caye van Cocambi
• 8. Maximilian I of Habsburg
• 9. Mary of Burgundy
• 10. Ferdinand II of Aragon
• 11. Isabella I of Castile
• 16. Frederick III of Habsburg
• 17. Eleanor of Avis
• 18. Charles the Bold
• 19. Isabella of Bourbon
• 20. John II of Aragon
• 21. Juana Enríquez
• 22. John II of Castile
• 23. Isabella of Portugal

Bibliography

• FERNÁNDEZ ÁLVAREZ, Manuel (1999). Carlos V, el césar y el hombre (in español). Madrid: Espasa-Calpe, S.A. ISBN 84-239-9752-9.

External links

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