Margaret of Austria

Margaret was born in 1480, and she was already a pretty big deal. Her dad was the Holy Roman Emperor, Maximilian I who ruled huge parts of western Europe, including Austria and the Netherlands. Her Mum was Mary of Burgundy, who was super rich as the ruler of Burgundy. Sadly, (though pretty common in those days) Mary died when Margaret was only three years old.

Her father, keen to keep the his late wife’s Burgundian inheritance in the family, engaged his three year old daughter to the heir to the French throne, son of King Louis XI, Charles. By doing this he hoped that the French would quit trying to get Burgundy for themselves.

Baby Margaret was then sent to be brought up away in the French court. She grew up there, waiting until she was old enough to marry Charles, until her no-good fiancee broke off their engagement by marrying Anne of Bretagne (who was technically married to Margaret’s Dad at the time, meaning that Charles broke up with Margaret to marry her step-mother, ick).

This was a real slap in the face for Margaret’s Dad Maximillian. Not only had Charles married his technical wife, and humiliated his daughter, but he was also refusing to give back any of Margaret’s dowry. So out of revenge, Maximilian allied himself with France’s old enemy, the Spanish.

At 17, poor Margaret found herself again traveling to a foreign country to be a bride to suit her Dad’s political ambitions. She married the heir to the Spanish throne, Prince John. But sadly, their marriage only lasted six months until John died aged only 18. Margaret was pregnant at the time but her child was still-born.

Margaret finally went back to the Netherlands and, once again, her Dad found her a political match. This time she was married to Duke Philibert of Savoy (what a name) and they were super happy together. Unfortunately, this was to be short-lived as Philibert died only 3 years later. She was so sad she even threw herself out of a window, but was apparently saved. At only 24 she was a widow again, marriage hadn’t worked out so great for her so far so she decided it wasn’t for her and refused to get married again.

By her refusing to marry again, Margaret paved the way for a successful independent political career, breaking new ground for female rulers in this period. In 1506, Margaret’s brother died (he was also pretty young, people were dropping like flies back then) and so she was appointed governor of the Netherlands.

Margaret was a super smart woman and had a gift for politics. She governed over a period of wealth, peace and cultural growth in the Netherlands and looked after Dutch interests, all in all, a pretty good ruler.

She also brought up some of her brother’s children, including her Dad’s heir, Charles. When her Dad died and Charles became the Holy Roman Emperor (Charles V), he came to recognise Margaret for the wise advisor she was. She even helped him on Europe’s political stage, negotiating a peace between Charles and the French.

She was an influential patron of the arts, and her court was visited by some of the great thinkers of the age, including Erasmus and Heinrich Cornelius Agrippa. Agrippa even dedicated his ‘Declamation on the Nobility and Preeminence of the Female Sex’ book to her, a book which said that women were theologically and morally superior (i.e. girls are better than boys.)

She eventually died because she trod on some broken glass and the wound got infected, but she was 50 which was pretty good going for the time.

Margaret’s life had seemed destined to be married off to suit her Dad’s politics, but after a series of tragedies she came into her own. She proved how talented she was and became an influential and successful ruler in a time where women weren’t really considered ‘ruler material.’