Margaret of Austria (25 December 1584 – 3 October 1611) was

Queen of Spain The monarchy of Spain or Spanish monarchy () is the constitutional form of government of Spain. It consists of a Hereditary monarchy, hereditary monarch who reigns as the head of state, being the highest office of the country. The Spanish ...

and

Portugal Portugal, officially the Portuguese Republic, is a country on the Iberian Peninsula in Southwestern Europe. Featuring Cabo da Roca, the westernmost point in continental Europe, Portugal borders Spain to its north and east, with which it share ...

by her marriage to King Philip III & II.

Biography

Margaret was the daughter of Archduke Charles II of Austria and Maria Anna of Bavaria and thus the paternal granddaughter of the

Holy Roman Emperor The Holy Roman Emperor, originally and officially the Emperor of the Romans (disambiguation), Emperor of the Romans (; ) during the Middle Ages, and also known as the Roman-German Emperor since the early modern period (; ), was the ruler and h ...

Ferdinand I. Her elder brother was the Archduke

Ferdinand Ferdinand is a Germanic name composed of the elements "journey, travel", Proto-Germanic , abstract noun from root "to fare, travel" (PIE , "to lead, pass over"), and "courage" or "ready, prepared" related to Old High German "to risk, ventu ...

, who was elected emperor in 1619. Two of her sisters, Anna and Constance, through their subsequent marriages to King

Sigismund III Vasa Sigismund III Vasa (, ; 20 June 1566 – 30 April 1632 N.S.) was King of Poland and Grand Duke of Lithuania from 1587 to 1632 and, as Sigismund, King of Sweden from 1592 to 1599. He was the first Polish sovereign from the House of Vasa. Re ...

, became Queens of Poland.

Queen of Spain

Margaret married

Philip III of Spain Philip III (; 14 April 1578 – 31 March 1621) was King of Spain and King of Portugal, Portugal (where he is known as Philip II of Portugal) during the Iberian Union. His reign lasted from 1598 until his death in 1621. He held dominion over the S ...

, her first cousin, once removed, on 18 April 1599. She became an influential figure at her husband's court. Philip had an "affectionate, close relationship" with Margaret, and paid her additional attention after they had a son in 1605.Sánchez, p. 100. Margaret was also a great patron of the arts. She was considered by contemporaries to be a pious Catholic and "astute and very skillful" in her political dealings.Sánchez, p. 98-99. Alongside the Empress Maria, widow of

Maximilian II, and the latter's daughter Archduchess

Margaret Margaret is a feminine given name, which means "pearl". It is of Latin origin, via Ancient Greek and ultimately from Iranian languages, Old Iranian. It has been an English language, English name since the 11th century, and remained popular thro ...

, who lived as a nun in Madrid, Queen Margaret formed a circle of women wielding considerable influence over the king.Sánchez, p.91. They emphasised

Spain Spain, or the Kingdom of Spain, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe with territories in North Africa. Featuring the Punta de Tarifa, southernmost point of continental Europe, it is the largest country in Southern Eur ...

's status as a

Catholic The Catholic Church (), also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the List of Christian denominations by number of members, largest Christian church, with 1.27 to 1.41 billion baptized Catholics Catholic Church by country, worldwid ...

power acting in the interest of Catholic Europe and also highlighted the unity of the

House of Habsburg The House of Habsburg (; ), also known as the House of Austria, was one of the most powerful Dynasty, dynasties in the history of Europe and Western civilization. They were best known for their inbreeding and for ruling vast realms throughout ...

. They were successful, for example, in convincing Philip to provide financial support to

Ferdinand II, Holy Roman Emperor Ferdinand II (9 July 1578 – 15 February 1637) was Holy Roman Emperor, King of Bohemia, King of Hungary, Hungary, and List of Croatian monarchs, Croatia from 1619 until his death in 1637. He was the son of Archduke Charles II, Archduke of Austr ...

. The pro-Austrian camp at the Spanish court was opposed by the Duke of Lerma, the King's chief minister, who argued that Spain should pursue her own course of action independently of religious or dynastic ties. Queen Margaret was "melancholic" and unhappy about the influence of the Duke, whom she considered corrupt, over her husband, and continually fought him for influence over the King. In this conflict, she was supported by her favourite , prioress of the ''Monasteria la Encarnación'', her husband's confessor Father Luis de Aliaga, and her daughter Maria Anna's confessor, the Franciscan friar Juan de Santa María—who was felt by contemporaries to have an excessive influence over the King at the end of his life.Sánchez, p.97. The Duke of Lerma was eventually removed from power in 1618, though only after Margaret's death. Margaret died while giving birth to her youngest child, Alfonso. Her husband never remarried and died ten years later. In October 1611, the English diplomat John Digby reported a rumour that the strong scent of amber gloves worn by Philip III had accidentally led to the death of the Margaret of Austria.

Issue

Margaret and Philip had eight children: * Anna Maria Mauricia (22 September 1601 – 20 January 1666), queen of France * Maria (1 February 1603 – 1 March 1603) *

Philip Philip, also Phillip, is a male name derived from the Macedonian Old Koine language, Greek (''Philippos'', lit. "horse-loving" or "fond of horses"), from a compound of (''philos'', "dear", "loved", "loving") and (''hippos'', "horse"). Prominen ...

(8 April 1605 – 17 September 1665), king of Spain * Maria Anna (18 August 1606 – 13 May 1646), empress of the Holy Roman Empire *

Charles Charles is a masculine given name predominantly found in English language, English and French language, French speaking countries. It is from the French form ''Charles'' of the Proto-Germanic, Proto-Germanic name (in runic alphabet) or ''* ...

(14 September 1607 – 30 July 1632) *

(16 May 1609 – 9 November 1641), a cardinal *

(24 May 1610 – 11 March 1617) * Alphonse Maurice (22 September 1611 – 16 September 1612)

Ancestors

Depiction in media

Margaret of Austria is portrayed by Elena Rivera in the Spanish TV show '' El ministerio del tiempo''. Actress Viveca Lindfors portrayed Margaret in the 1948 Hollywood movie '' Adventures of Don Juan''.

Bibliography

*Magdalena S. Sánchez. ''Pious and Political Images of a Habsburg Woman at the Court of Philip III (1598–1621)''. in: Magdalena S. Sánchez and Alain Saint-Saëns (ed.), ''Spanish women in the golden age: images and realities''. Greenwood Publishing Group (1996).

References

, - {{DEFAULTSORT:Margaret Of Austria 1584 births 1611 deaths Austrian princesses Burials in the Pantheon of Kings at El Escorial Daughters of dukes Deaths in childbirth Duchesses of Burgundy Countesses of Holland Duchesses of Milan 16th-century House of Habsburg 17th-century House of Habsburg Queens consort of Portugal Royal consorts of Naples Royal consorts of Sicily Spanish royal consorts 16th-century Spanish women 17th-century Spanish women Philip III of Spain Mothers of Spanish monarchs Mothers of Portuguese monarchs