She was born into
royalty, with a name gifted to her by her step-grandmother.
The only daughter of Maximilian of Austria and Mary of Burgundy.
But her happy family life was short-lived,
as her mother passed away when she was just two years old.
Her younger brother, Philip the Handsome, succeeded their mother as sovereign
of the Low Countries, with their father as his regent.
In a strange twist of fate, the same year her mother died,
her father promised her hand in marriage
to Dauphin Charles, the son of King Louis XI of France.
When she was just three years old at the time.
But fate had other plans, as Louis XI’s life ebbed away soon after,
leaving the young girl to be raised not as the Queen of France
but to become something even more remarkable.
So join me now as we look back on the unbelievable life
of Margaret of Austria.
Margaret was born on 10 January 1480.
Her upbringing was blessed by the guiding hands of two noble women:
Madame de Segré, her devoted Governess, and Anne de Beaujeu,
the regent of France and Charles’ loving sister.
Under their watchful care, she received a unique education
that would shape her destiny and prepare her for greatness.
Margaret was not alone in her studies; she received education
alongside several noble children, including
Louise of Savoy.
Even though her father had arranged an engagement to Charles
She suddenley developed a genuine affection for him
despite their union being purely political.
But destiny had a cruel twist for Margaret.
In 1491, Charles shattered their engagement
and forcibly wedded Margaret’s former stepmother Anne,
Duchess of Brittany.
The day Margaret returned to Anne of Brittany’s
court was a moment of reckoning.
Her spirit was filled with a deep desire for retribution but nothing could erase
the pain and bitterness that had taken root in her soul.
Maximilian gazed upon the horizon,
and his heart filled with determination and ambition.
He yearned for a grand union, a majestic bond
that would join his empire with the great rulers, Queen Isabella
I of Castile and King Ferdinand II of Aragon.
For Maximilian, this union would mean nothing less than eternal glory,
and he knew, with unyielding certainty, how to make it happen.
Negotiations began to bind their heirs, John,
Prince of Asturias, and Margaret, the daughter of Maximilian.
Margaret left the Netherlands
for Spain in late 1496, but fate had other plans.
As the ship to Spain hit a treacherous storm in the Bay of Biscay,
Margaret was convinced that her engagement to the Prince of Asturias was doomed.
In the face of her
impending demise, Margaret scribbled her epitaph in haste, anxious
that her journey’s end might come before she could articulate her final words.
“Here lies Margaret, the willing bride, Twice married –
but a virgin when she died.”
But Margaret was a survivor, and she made it through the storm.
She married Prince John on 3 April 1497 in Burgos Cathedral,
and they enjoyed a brief but happy marriage.
Tragically, John died of a fever just six months later,
leaving Margaret pregnant with their child.
She gave birth to a stillborn daughter on 2 April 1498
and returned home to the Netherlands the following year.
Back home, Margaret found herself facing a new challenge.
It was suggested that she teach Catherine of Aragon
French, and dutifully took on the task.
But it wasn’t long before her attention turned to her future.
In 1501, she married Philibert II, Duke of Savoy, a man whose realm
played a decisive role in Italy’s rivalry between France and the Habsburgs.
Their relationship was stable, and they enjoyed their time together.
But tragedy struck once again when Philibert
died of pleurisy in 1504.
Margaret was devastated and threw herself out of a window in her grief.
Fortunately, she survived and was eventually persuaded to bury her husband.
Margaret’s love for her deceased husband knew no bounds.
So devoted was she to him that she had his heart embalmed
and cherished it as a precious memento.
After Queen Isabella died in 1504.
In 1507, Margaret was named governor of the Low Countries
and guardian of Charles, along with her nieces Eleanor, Isabella, and Mary.
In a triumph of will, Margaret broke the barriers of gender, becoming
the first and only woman ever elected as the ruler
her title forever confirmed in 1509 by the representative assembly.
Margaret’s successful career broke new ground for women rulers,
acting as an intermediary between her father
and her nephew’s subjects in the Netherlands.
Charles appointed her
as his governor-general in gratitude for her services in 1520.
She served as a diplomat, peacemaker, guardian,
and educator of future rulers.
Despite the storm of Louis XII’s attempts to regain control
of certain territories, Margaret stood steadfast.
She played a vital role in keeping the provinces together,
fulfilling the loud demands for peace from the Netherlandish states.
Margaret was
embroiled in a fierce struggle for control over the County of Flanders.
With the French king
demanding homage from Charles, she knew peace would not come quickly.
Amidst the tumultuous winds of war, Margaret always retained
sight of her mission for peace.
Margaret remained steadfast in her resolve.
In 1511, she joined forces with England and laid siege to Venlo,
only to face another challenge as Charles of Egmont invaded Holland.
Despite the odds stacked against her, Margaret refused to back down,
signing a treaty with Charles in 1513.
Through it all, she remained a beacon of hope
and a symbol of strength, inspiring those around her
never to give up the fight for what they believed in.
Margaret played a crucial role in bringing together
the participants of the Holy League, targeting France in 1512.
With her beloved Maximilian gone, Margaret found solace
in her nephew Charles, guiding him towards a future of greatness.
Together they formed a plan to secure Charles’ place in history
as Holy Roman Emperor, using every tool, from diplomacy to bribery.
Margaret knew that the election of Charles would secure the future
of the Habsburg dynasty and ensure their continued dominance.
She played a crucial role in his election, defeating the candidacy of French King
Francis I and securing her nephew’s place on the throne of the Holy Roman Empire.
Inheriting long-standing conflicts with the Kings of France,
Charles V faced immense challenges as Emperor.
But Margaret, with her unwavering spirit and a sharp mind,
held off the French forces of the League of Cognac for years.
And then, she worked her diplomatic magic again,
negotiating the “Ladies Peace”.
In a moment of reunion with her sister-in-law, Louise of Savoy,
Margaret ended a war France could no longer sustain.
She allowed the people of these regions to breathe free
and thrive in the light of their sovereignty.
Margaret’s cunning and determination earned her admiration and respect,
and her legacy as a formidable diplomat and stateswoman lived on.
Margaret’s remarkable talent
for business helped maintain the prosperity of the Low Countries,
which was an essential source of income for the Imperial treasury.
She skillfully negotiated trade agreements with England and Denmark, which brought
huge profits and ensured the regular grain supply into the Netherlands.
Despite her familial ties with Christian II,
Margaret placed the economic interests of the Netherlands
above dynastic interests, which led her to refuse to support him.
Instead, she provided funds and war supplies for her nephew’s troops
and consolidated Habsburg forces’ hold over several regions.
However, Margaret’s reign was not without internal conflict,
especially in the face of the Protestant Reformation,
which began to take hold in the north of the Netherlands and led to the burning
of the first martyrs in 1523.
As Margaret of Austria settled into her role as Governor of the Netherlands,
she decided to make the Hof van Savoye in Mechelen her new residence.
However, she soon found it too small and began
an ambitious expansion project in 1507.
Under Margaret’s patronage, beauty and art, flourished.
With a discerning eye, the Governess sought the most skilled painters
to fill her court with life and colour.
Margaret also had a rich library containing works by famous authors,
and her court was frequented by renowned humanists such as Erasmus and Heinrich
Cornelius Agrippa, who dedicated his work to the nobility of women, to her.
Margaret of Austria, the beloved Governess of the Netherlands,
lived a life full of grandeur, and accomplishments.
She oversaw a prosperous nation, kept peace among her people,
and raised her beloved family in the lavish Hof van Savoye.
But fate is cruel,
and even the most remarkable individuals are not immune to its whims.
In the twilight of her life, Margaret suffered a fatal injury
a mere shard of glass cutting her flesh,
causing her excruciating pain.
Although Margaret was unfazed at first by her injury, fate had other plans.
Gradually, gangrene crept in and overwhelmed her body.
Despite her brave face, Margaret’s heart sank
as she realized the inevitability of her fate.
With great trepidation, she finally submitted to the amputation
of her leg, hoping against hope that it might not be in vain.
As she lay on her bed, surrounded by those she held dear,
she knew that her time was running out.
But Margaret, always the dutiful ruler, refused to leave this world
without ensuring that her beloved Netherlands would be in good hands.
She designated her nephew, Charles V, as her sole heir
and penned a letter urging him to maintain peace with their neighbours.
And then, as the night fell, the doctors came to her bedside.
In a last-ditch effort to ease her pain, they gave her opium,
but the drug proved too strong, and she never woke up.
Margaret of Austria, the great Governess, breathed her last breath
sometime between midnight and one o’clock on 1 December, 1530.
The nation she ruled and loved mourned her passing,
and her body was laid to rest beside her second husband
in the Royal Monastery of Brou that she had commissioned.
Today, a statue of Margaret stands next to St.
Rumbold’s Cathedral in Mechelen, a testament to the legacy of a woman
who led her people with grace and intellect and whose presence
brought peace and prosperity to her land.
Her story continues to inspire and captivate all who hear it, a shining
example of the power and strength of a woman in a world
dominated by men.