Margaret of Austria (1584–1611)

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Margaret of Austria, Queen of Spain, Portugal, Naples and Sicily (1609)
Diego Velazquez - Queen Margaret on Horseback, oil on canvas, around 1635, Museo del Prado , Madrid

Margarete of Austria (Spanish: Margarita de Austria-Estiria) (* December 25, 1584 in Graz ; †  October 3, 1611 in Real Sitio de San Lorenzo de El Escorial ) was an Archduchess of Austria and, by marriage, Queen of Spain , Portugal , Naples and Sicily .

Life

Archduchess of Austria

Margarete was a daughter of Archduke Charles II of Austria-Styria (1540–1590) from his marriage to Maria Anna (1551–1608), daughter of the Bavarian Duke Albrecht V. Margarete had fourteen siblings, including the later Swedish and Polish Queen Anna and the later Roman-German Emperor Ferdinand II.

Margarete and her sisters were not considered beauties, the Habsburg lower lip is said to have reappeared clearly in the girls. Margarete was however described as moderate, sociable and cheerful.

Early on, the marriage of an Austrian archduchess with the later Spanish king Philip III. negotiated. In 1596 the Admiral of Aragon appeared in Graz and had the portraits of Margarete and her sisters Eleonore and Gregoria handed over to him. Although Philip had decided in favor of Margarete based on the portraits, and even with a blind mix of portraits, Philip drew the portrait of Margarete, Philip's father decided the eldest of the sisters, Gregoria, to be the bride. Surprisingly, however, she only died at the age of 16 and Margarete took her place as the bride of the Spanish Crown Prince. It was difficult for her to give her consent to the wedding.

Queen of Spain

On April 18, 1599 she married King Philip III in Valencia . of Spain (1578–1621), who had ascended the throne the year before the marriage. The marriage had already been carried out by procura by Pope Clement VIII in Ferrara , where Margaret made her way to Spain at her mother's side. Archduke Albrecht had taken the place of bridegroom . From Genoa we went by ship to Valencia for the actual wedding. The princess received the sum of 100,000 ducats as a dowry.

Philip was considered an extremely weak ruler, but his marriage to Margarete was described as happy and Margarete showed interest in government tasks. The real regent of Spain, the Duke of Lerma, occupied Margarete's court with persons devoted to him and finally forbade Margarete any interference in politics, and he increasingly isolated her from her husband. Margarete confided to the imperial ambassador in Madrid, Johannes Khevenhueller, that she would rather be a nun in a convent than Queen of Spain. The attempt to replace her confessor, however, failed due to Margarete's resistance. During a meeting of the state budget, Margarete pointed out that Lerma was wasting state money, but the minister regained the king's trust. Margarete at least succeeded in having Lermas' favorite, Don Rodrigo de Calderon, removed from the court.

Margarete made a name for herself in Spain as a sponsor of various orders and social institutions as well as a supporter of those in need.

death

Bartolomé González y Serrano - Archduchess Margarete (1584–1611), Queen of Spain with a child holding a lion tamarin, oil on canvas, around 1605, Kunsthistorisches Museum , Vienna

Margarete died a few days after the birth of her last child, but it is rumored that she perished from poisoned incense that Don Rodrigo de Calderon lit in her room. In 1619 Calderon was charged and tortured as a result, but the charge was dropped and Calderon was acquitted of all guilt regarding the Queen's death.

Margaret was buried in the Pantheon of the Kings of the Monastery of El Escorial .

progeny

Margarete had eight children from their marriage:

⚭ 1615 King Ludwig XIII. of France (1601–1643)
  • Maria (* / † 1603)
  • Philip IV (1605–1665), King of Spain
⚭ 1. 1615 Princess Elisabeth of France (1602–1644)
⚭ 2. 1649 Archduchess Maria Anna of Austria (1634–1696)
⚭ 1631 Emperor Ferdinand III. (1608–1657)

ancestors

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 Philip I (Castile) (1478–1506)
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 Ferdinand I. (HRR) (1503-1564)
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 Joan of Castile (1479–1555)
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 Charles II (Inner Austria) (1540–1590)
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 Vladislav II (Bohemia and Hungary) (1456–1516)
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 Anna of Bohemia and Hungary (1503–1547)
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 Anne de Foix-Candale (1484–1506)
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 Margaret of Austria (1584–1611)
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 Wilhelm IV. (Bavaria) (1493–1550)
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 Albrecht V (Bavaria) (1528–1579)
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 Maria Jakobäa of Baden (1507–1580)
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 Maria Anna of Bavaria (1551–1608)
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 Ferdinand I. (HRR) (1503-1564)
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 Anna of Austria (1528–1590)
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 Anna of Bohemia and Hungary (1503–1547)
 
 
 
 
 
 

literature

Web links

Commons : Margaret of Austria, Queen of Spain  - Collection of pictures, videos and audio files

Individual evidence

  1. ^ German Society for Racial Hygiene: Archive for Racial and Social Biology, including Racial and Social Hygiene . Volume 8, p. 779 (digitized version)
  2. ^ Societatea Academică Română: Acta historica. Volume 3, Societatea Academică Română, 1959, p. 162.
  3. ^ Karl Acham: Art and the humanities from Graz. Volume 2, Böhlau Verlag Wien, 2009, p. 88.
  4. ↑ Yearbook for European History 2007. Volume 8, Oldenbourg Wissenschaftsverlag, 2007, p. 46 (digitized version)
  5. ↑ Magdalena S. Sánchez, Alain Saint-Saëns: Spanish women in the golden age: images and realities. Greenwood Publishing Group, 1996, p. 98.
  6. ↑ Colin Pendrill: Spain 1474-1700: the triumphs and tribulations of Empire. Heinemann, 2002, p. 131.
predecessor Office Successor
Anna of Austria Queen of Spain and Portugal
1599 to 1611 		Isabella de Bourbon
personal data
SURNAME Margaret of Austria
ALTERNATIVE NAMES Margarethe of Austria
BRIEF DESCRIPTION Archduchess of Austria, Queen of Spain, Portugal, Naples and Sicily (as wife, not as ruler of her own right)
DATE OF BIRTH December 25, 1584
PLACE OF BIRTH Graz
DATE OF DEATH October 3, 1611
Place of death Real Sitio de San Lorenzo de El Escorial