Johanna Maria van der Gheynst (also called ''Jeanne Marie van der Gheynst'', ''Johanna Maria van der Gheenst''; - 15 December 1541) was briefly the

mistress Mistress is the feminine form of the English word "master" (''master'' + ''-ess'') and may refer to: Romance and relationships * Mistress (lover), a term for a woman who is in a sexual and romantic relationship with a man who is married to a ...

of Emperor Charles V in 1521-1522 and the mother of one of his daughters,

Margaret of Parma Margaret of Parma (; 5 July 1522 – 18 January 1586) was Governor of the Netherlands from 1559 to 1567 and from 1578 to 1582. She was the illegitimate daughter of the then 22-year-old Holy Roman Emperor Charles V and Johanna Maria van der Gh ...

. Margaret served as Governess-General of the Netherlands from 1559 to 1567 and from 1580 to 1583.

Life

Johanna Maria van der Gheynst was the daughter of the

carpet A carpet is a textile floor covering typically consisting of an upper layer of pile attached to a backing. The pile was traditionally made from wool, but since the 20th century synthetic fibers such as polypropylene, nylon, or polyester hav ...

manufacturer Manufacturing is the creation or production of goods with the help of equipment, labor, machines, tools, and chemical or biological processing or formulation. It is the essence of secondary sector of the economy. The term may refer to ...

Gilles Johan van der Gheynst and his wife Johanna van der Caye van Cocambi. Her parents lived at Nukerke near

Oudenaarde Oudenaarde (; french: Audenarde ; in English sometimes ''Oudenarde'') is a Belgian municipality in the Flemish province of East Flanders. The municipality comprises the city of Oudenaarde proper and the towns of Bevere, Edelare, Eine, Ename, H ...

. She entered the service of Charles I de Lalaing, Governor of Oudenaarde and Seigneur of Montigny. The young Emperor Charles V met the beautiful Johanna when he visited the castle of the Seigneur of Montigny in autumn 1521. Their short affair produced a daughter who was named Margaret and put in the care of the De Douvrin family in

Brussels Brussels (french: Bruxelles or ; nl, Brussel ), officially the Brussels-Capital Region (All text and all but one graphic show the English name as Brussels-Capital Region.) (french: link=no, Région de Bruxelles-Capitale; nl, link=no, Bruss ...

. Charles V did not conceal his liaison with Johanna and in July 1529 he acknowledged Margaret as his daughter. Margaret would eventually become Governess-General of the Netherlands. The Emperor granted Johanna van der Gheynst a modest pension. On 13 October 1525 she married Jean van den Dyke, a jurist and member of the Brabant Chamber of Accounts. The couple had several children. Johanna died in 1541, her husband on 1 September 1572.

References

* Alfred Kohler: ''Karl V.'' C. H. Beck, second edition, Munich 2000, p. 85. * C.P. Serrure ''Sur la naissance de Marguerite de Parme, gouvernante des Pays-Bas'', Ghent, 1836
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Gheynst, Johanna Maria van der Mistresses of German royalty 1500s births 1541 deaths Year of birth uncertain