Archduchess Maria of Austria (15 May 1531 – 11 December 1581) was the daughter of

Ferdinand I, Holy Roman Emperor Ferdinand I (10 March 1503 – 25 July 1564) was Holy Roman Emperor from 1556, King of Bohemia, King of Hungary, Hungary, and List of rulers of Croatia, Croatia from 1526, and Archduke of Austria from 1521 until his death in 1564.Milan Kruhek ...

from 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 ...

and

Anna of Bohemia and Hungary Anna of Bohemia and Hungary (23 July 1503 – 27 January 1547), sometimes known as Anna Jagellonica, was Queen of Germany, Bohemia, and Hungary and Archduchess of Austria as the wife of King Ferdinand I (later Holy Roman Emperor). Early ...

Early life

Maria was born on the 15 May 1531 in

Prague Prague ( ; ) is the capital and List of cities and towns in the Czech Republic, largest city of the Czech Republic and the historical capital of Bohemia. Prague, located on the Vltava River, has a population of about 1.4 million, while its P ...

and grew up in

Hofburg The Hofburg () is the former principal imperial palace of the Habsburg dynasty in Austria. Located in the Innere Stadt, center of Vienna, it was built in the 13th century by Ottokar II of Bohemia and expanded several times afterwards. It also ser ...

. She was described as "small" for her age as well as "almost intelligent", well-mannered and attractive, despite having inherited the facial features characteristic of the Habsburgs. Maria and her sisters received a strict and thorough Catholic religious education from the humanist Kaspar Ursinus Velius. She was taught German, Italian, Latin and French. She was also taught how to play keyboard instruments and dance.

Marriage

As part of the Treaty of Venlo, William of Jülich-Cleves-Berg was proposed a marriage to one of Emperor

Charles V Charles V may refer to: Kings and Emperors * Charles V, Holy Roman Emperor (1500–1558) * Charles V of Naples (1661–1700), better known as Charles II of Spain * Charles V of France (1338–1380), called the Wise Others * Charles V, Duke ...

's nieces, with William being allowed to pick between Maria and her sister, Anna. In June 1546 Maria, along with her mother and her sister, arrived in

Regensburg Regensburg (historically known in English as Ratisbon) is a city in eastern Bavaria, at the confluence of the rivers Danube, Naab and Regen (river), Regen, Danube's northernmost point. It is the capital of the Upper Palatinate subregion of the ...

for the marriage negotiations and to meet William. While William initially chose Maria's sister, Anna, she was instead married to Albrecht V of Bavaria, and on 18 July 1546, Maria married William in a lavish ceremony with festivities lasting for days.

Life in Düsseldorf

Information about Maria's life after marriage at the court of Jülich is very scarce. Some sources suggest that the princess had little mental capacity. Letters from her husband from bear witness to the tender relationship between the two, as well as Maria's supposed mental or physical infirmity. According to a diplomat who visited the court of William the following year, Maria had doubts about the legality of her own marriage due to her husband's forceful union with

Jeanne d'Albret Jeanne d'Albret (, Basque language, Basque: ''Joana Albretekoa''; Occitan language, Occitan: ''Joana de Labrit''; 16 November 1528 – 9 June 1572), also known as Jeanne III, was Queen of Navarre from 1555 to 1572. Jeanne was the daughter of He ...

, which made her mentally disturbed at the time. The mental illness of her son Johann Wilhelm, born in 1562, was possibly inherited from his mother. The theory that the princess was sickly and therefore not a part of court life as well as the fact that she gave birth to six children in eight years might have taxed her already frail health and psyche and pushed her into mental confusion. Her paternal grandmother was

Joanna of Castile Joanna of Castile (6 November 1479 – 12 April 1555), historically known as Joanna the Mad (), was the nominal queen of Castile from 1504 and queen of Aragon from 1516 to her death in 1555. She was the daughter of Queen Isabella I of Castile ...

and much like her grandmother, she was regarded as moody and was at first temporarily and later entirely insane.

Death

Maria died after being ill for eight days on the 11 December at Hambach castle. She was attended by her husband and daughter Sibylle.

Issue

Maria had 7 children with William: # Marie Eleonore (1550–1608); married Albert Frederick, Duke of

Prussia Prussia (; ; Old Prussian: ''Prūsija'') was a Germans, German state centred on the North European Plain that originated from the 1525 secularization of the Prussia (region), Prussian part of the State of the Teutonic Order. For centuries, ...

# Anna (1552–1632); married

Philip Louis, Count Palatine of Neuburg Philipp Ludwig of Neuburg (2 October 1547 – 22 August 1614) was Count Palatine of Neuburg from 1569 until 1614. Life Philipp Ludwig was born in Zweibrücken in 1547 as the eldest son of Wolfgang, Count Palatine of Zweibrücken. After his fat ...

# Magdalene (1553–1633); married John I, Count Palatine of Zweibrücken, brother of

# Charles Frederick (1555–1575) # Elizabeth (1556–1561) # Sibylle (1557–1627); married Karl II Habsburg (1560–1618) of Austria, Margrave of Burgau, a

morganatic Morganatic marriage, sometimes called a left-handed marriage, is a marriage between people of unequal social rank, which in the context of royalty or other inherited title prevents the principal's position or privileges being passed to the spous ...

son of

Ferdinand II, Archduke of Austria Ferdinand II, Archduke of Further Austria (Linz, 14 June 1529 – 24 January 1595, Innsbruck) was ruler of Further Austria and since 1564 Imperial count of County of Tyrol, Tyrol. The son of Ferdinand I, Holy Roman Emperor, he was married to ...

# John William (1562–1609),

Bishop of Münster A bishop is an ordained member of the clergy who is entrusted with a position of authority and oversight in a religious institution. In Christianity, bishops are normally responsible for the governance and administration of dioceses. The role ...

, Count of

Altena Altena (; Westphalian language, Westphalian: ''Altenoa'') is a town in the district of Märkischer Kreis, North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. The town's castle is the origin for the later Dukes of Berg. Altena is situated on the Lenne river valley, i ...

, Duke of Jülich-Cleves-Berg; married firstly, in 1585, to Jakobea of Baden (1558–1597), daughter of Philibert, Margrave of Baden-Baden; married secondly, in 1599, to Antonia of Lorraine (1568–1610), daughter of

Charles III, Duke of Lorraine Charles III (18 February 1543 – 14 May 1608), known as ''the Great'', was Duke of Lorraine from 1545 until his death. Life He was the eldest surviving son of Francis I, Duke of Lorraine, and Christina of Denmark. In 1545, his father died, a ...

)

References

1531 births 1581 deaths 16th-century Austrian women 16th-century German nobility 16th-century House of Habsburg 16th-century German women Austrian princesses Countesses of Mark Countesses of Ravensberg Duchesses of Berg Duchesses of Cleves Duchesses of Jülich Daughters of emperors Children of Ferdinand I, Holy Roman Emperor Nobility from Prague Mothers of German monarchs {{Europe-royal-stub