For Women’s History Month it is my pleasure to welcome Rozsa Gaston to History…the Interesting Bits, with an article on Margaret of Austria. Rozsa is here to share with you why Margaret is important to history as a founding figure of European coalition politics.  

Over to Rozsa….

Margaret knew, or was related to, most of early 16^th century Europe’s rulers. 

Her action-packed childhood prepared her for a lifetime of leadership as ruler of the Burgundian-Habsburg Netherlands, and as one of the most important treaty negotiators of her era. 

Let’s look at the players in Margaret of Austria’s life:  

Maximilian I, archduke of Austria and the future Holy Roman Emperor – was Margaret’s father.  

Charles V –future King of Spain and Holy Roman Emperor, is her nephew and ward.  Margaret was Charles V’s legal guardian until he was 15 years old. 

Henry VIII of England –Margaret’s trade partner. English sheep provided the wool for Flanders’ cloth industry. Flanders, in the Low Countries, was world renown from the 12^th century on for its fine cloth textiles and its tapestries, which were sought after the world over as a display of wealth and power.  

Catherine of Aragon, Henry VIII’s queen – was Margaret’s former sister-in-law.  

Anne Boleyn, Henry VIII’s 2^nd queen  -maid-of-honor at Margaret’s Court of Savoy in Mechelen (Malines) in the Burgundian-Habsburg Low Countries (now Belgium).  

Philip the Handsome, Duke of Burgundy –was Margaret’s brother.  

Juana the Mad – the daughter of Isabella and Ferdinand of Spain was Philip’s wife and Margaret’s sister-in-law.  

Isabella and Ferdinand of Spain – Margaret’s former in-laws. 

Louise of Savoy – former sister-in-law & the mother of Francis the First, King of France, Louise was the power behind the throne during her son’s reign. 

Margaret of Austria was born in 1480 in Brussels, the only daughter of the heads of two of Europe’s top dynastic houses: the House of Burgundy and the House of Habsburg. Her mother, Mary of Burgundy, was ruler of Burgundy, the only child of Burgundy’s last duke. She was known throughout Europe as Mary the Rich.   

Margaret’s father was Maximilian the First of Austria, head of the House of Habsburg and later to become Holy Roman Emperor. Mary and Maximilian’s dramatic love story is told in the 2017 Starz Mini Series Maximilian. Well worth viewing.  

Margaret lost her mother in a riding accident at age two. One year later her father contracted with the French king, Louis the Eleventh, known as the Spider King, to marry Margaret to Louis’ son and heir, the future Charles VIII of France. Margaret was sent to France at age 3 to be raised at the French court to prepare her to become Queen of France one day. 

Margaret’s statue towers over the main market square of Mechelen  (pronounced “Meh ku luhn”) Belgium, 18 miles, or 29 kilometers, north of Brussels. Erected in 1849, it was made by sculptor Joseph Tuerlinckx. 

Her palace in Mechelen is called the Court of Savoy. It was the first Renaissance palace built in the Low Countries and is a main tourist destination. The Low Countries are now known as the Benelux countries: Belgium, the Netherlands and Luxembourg. 

Margaret held one of Europe’s most important Renaissance courts at her Court of Savoy for the duration of her career from 1507-1530 as ruler of the Burgundian-Habsburg Netherlands. 

Here is Margaret’s palace, the Court of Savoy, in Mechelen, Belgium. Despite her title, Margaret of Austria hailed from what is now called Belgium, a country that was created in 1830, 300 years after she died.  

In the 16^th century the northern part of Belgium was known as Flanders, a Low Countries province within the realm of Burgundy. Everything in orange on this map is Burgundy. Burgundy now no longer exists, but it was the wealthiest realm in Europe in the 14^th to late 15th centuries.

Margaret’s native tongue was French. She ruled the Burgundian-Habsburg Netherlands for 23 years, with the exception of two years, from 1515-1517. During those two years, her nephew and ward, Charles the Fifth, came of age, and typical of a teenage boy, he wanted to take control of his realm for himself.  

But after two years of seeing how difficult it was to manage the Netherlands’ 17 different provinces all with conflicting economic interests, he handed back control to his aunt Margaret, who was a master at negotiating trade agreements and at putting together coalitions for the greater good of the Netherlands’ economic prosperity.  

Margaret was confident, self-possessed, well-organized, and enjoyed being in charge. She did not show her hand. An excellent bluffer at both diplomatic negotiations and the gaming table, she played cards and gambled with heads of state and diplomats to the Low Countries who were sent to her Court of Savoy in Mechelen. 

Margaret’s travels by the age of twenty-seven made her one of Europe’s most cosmopolitan princesses. 

Jan. 10, 1480 – Margaret of Austria is born in Brussels. 
 
Age 3 – She’s sent to France to be raised under Anne of France or Anne de Beaujeu to become its queen one day. 
 
Age 11 –Margaret is jilted by Charles VIII of France, who marries Anne of Brittany instead. 

Age 13- Margaret returns to Flanders in the Low Countries and waits for her father to make another match for her. 
 
Age 17 – Margaret goes to Spain to marry Isabella and Ferdinand’s son Juan, heir to the Spanish throne.  But – he dies six months after they marry.    

Ages 19-21 – Back in Flanders in the Low Countries, Margaret awaits her father’s next marriage choice for her. 

Age 21 – Margaret moves to Savoy when luck arrives with her marriage to Philibert, Duke of Savoy, a childhood friend who becomes the love of her life.  

Age 24 – Luck departs when Philibert dies. 
 
Age 26 – Margaret’s life changes completely when her brother, Philip the Handsome, Duke of Burgundy, dies in Spain, possibly of poisoning, and Margaret takes over rulership of the Burgundian-Habsburg Netherlands. She also takes over guardianship of Philip’s children, the future Charles the Fifth and his three sisters, all Habsburg royals who live in Brussels, and are now functionally orphaned, as their father has died and their mother, Juana of Castile, has gone insane and remains in Spain. 

Ages 27-50 – Margaret lives in Mechelen where she rules the Netherlands and conducts her government from her palace, the Court of Savoy. 

Age 50 – Margaret dies. Two years later her body is transported to Brou, France, where she is buried next to her beloved 2^nd husband Philibert of Savoy. Savoy was a region between France, Switzerland and the duchy of Milan, which was very strategic in the 16^th century because it controlled the pass through the Alps for French soldiers to march to Milan. At that time in history all the great European powers were interested in gaining a piece of Italy. 

Margaret lived just at the moment that the feudal age gave way to the Renaissance.  

Stuck at the French court for two years after being jilted by the French king, an unexpected friendship formed between Margaret and Anne of Brittany, who was three years older and who took her place as Queen of France.  

Instead of hating each other, Margaret and Anne were both politically astute enough to recognize that they were pawns in the hands of the French. They became lifelong friends and wrote to each other until Anne of Brittany’s death. They sent scholars to serve at each other’s courts and were both instrumental in bringing Renaissance art and humanist learning to their respective courts of Burgundy and France. 

After returning to the Low Countries from France at age 13, Margaret’s father Maximilian arranges a match for her with Isabella and Ferdinand of Spain’s son and heir, Juan. Maximilian also arranges for Margaret’s older brother Philip, Duke of Burgundy, to marry Juan’s sister, Juana, known to history as Juana the Mad. At age 17 Margaret is on track to become Queen of Spain. But after only 6 months of marriage her 19-year-old husband dies. 6 months later Margaret gives birth to their child, a stillborn daughter. She never has another child.  

Margaret spends the year after Juan’s death at Isabella and Ferdinand’s Alhambra Palace in Granada, teaching French to their youngest daughter Catherine of Aragon, future  Queen of England. 

Queen Isabella of Spain is a huge influence on Margaret, who spends two years observing her ruling her kingdom as well as managing her husband Ferdinand, whose kingdom of Aragon is much smaller than Isabella’s kingdom of Castile. 

Margaret and Catherine of Aragon remained lifelong friends. 

At age 19 Margaret leaves Spain and returns to the Low Countries to await her father’s next marriage choice for her. Margaret’s 2^nd husband, Philibert, Duke of Savoy, was a childhood friend from Amboise, where he also grew up at the French court with his sister Louise of Savoy. The same age as Margaret, he and she fell madly in love.  

But Philibert was not interested in ruling Savoy and had left it to his illegitimate half brother to manage. Soon after Margaret arrived, she ousted his half brother and took over ruling Savoy herself. Philibert was not a natural-born leader, but an excellent athlete and hunter, very good-looking with a faithful heart. He was happy for Margaret to take the reins and he supported her leadership.  

But at age 24, Philibert went out hunting on a hot day and developed a lung inflammation after drinking ice cold water from a mountain stream. He died 9 days later. Margaret remained in Savoy as Duchess and ruler for two more years, devoting herself to building a church to honor Philibert, and where she intended to be buried with him.  

Margaret’s church at Brou is a masterpiece of flamboyant Gothic architecture. It’s a must-see for visitors to the Geneva-Lyon area. Commissioned by her in 1506 it took 26 years to build. Margaret is buried there with her husband Philibert and his mother, Margaret of Bourbon, who was from the same Bourbon or Bourbon dynasty that rules Spain today with King Felipe of Spain at its head. 

The Church and Royal Monastery at Brou is 69 miles west of Geneva and 50 miles north of Lyon. Author of the foreword to my book on Margaret of Austria, Austrian archduke Géza von Habsburg has visited and says that the restaurant in its town square serves the best coq au vin (or chicken in wine sauce) in all of France.

These are the tomb effigies of Philibert and Margaret. Someone has placed a rose on Philibert’s chest, undoubtedly because he was so handsome. 

Margaret designed the placement of Philibert’s effigy so that he appears to be looking at her. 

The standard Renaissance style of the day was to place the lying-in-state effigy on top and the deathbed effigy on the bottom. Their actual tombs are in the crypt below the church nave. Unusually, they were not desecrated during the French Revolution because Brou was so obscurely located that the revolutionaries couldn’t find it. When Margaret’s tomb was opened in the 19^th century, her long dark blonde hair was still intact. 

Margaret of Austria and her father Maximilian I both hated the French. Why?  

They had both been jilted by the French, due to the land grab of Charles the Eighth’s powerful older sister, Anne of France, who ruled France as regent while Charles was still a child. 

In 1490 when Anne of Brittany was 13 and ruling Brittany, she was married by proxy to Margaret’s father Maximilian I. But he failed to come to her rescue when France invaded Brittany the next year. Anne never actually met Maximilian. 

Charles, the 21-year-old king of France, was betrothed to Margaret, who was only 11 at that time. But in Dec. of 1491 Charles wed Anne of Brittany in order to acquire Brittany for France.  

Margaret spent the next two years from ages 11-13 in limbo in France, while Charles VIII of France and Maximilian I argued over the return of her dowry.  

Anne of France was one of Europe’s most politically powerful women of the late 15^th century. She escorted Margaret of Austria at age 3 from the Low Countries border to the French court in Amboise where Margaret lived for the next 10 years under her guardianship. 

Plans to marry Margaret to the French king changed when Anne of France decided Brittany was a bigger plum for France to acquire than Margaret’s dowry lands on the French/Low Countries border. After eight years of overseeing Margaret’s education Anne of France cast Margaret aside overnight and replaced her with Anne of Brittany as Charles’ wife.  

Margaret never forgave Anne of France or her younger brother Charles for their betrayal. But — the lessons Margaret learned from Anne of France in self-control and political maneuvering honed Margaret’s political skills as governor of the Netherlands and as an important treaty negotiator years later. 

Game of Queens by well-known British historian and author Sarah Gristwood opens with a chapter on Margaret of Austria. I highly recommend Game of Queens to those interested in women who held political power in 16^th century Europe.  

Margaret not only ruled the Netherlands but negotiated pan-European treaties on behalf of her father Maximilian, the Holy Roman Emperor, her father-in-law Ferdinand of Aragon, and her nephew, Charles V, King of Spain and Holy Roman Emperor.  

Margaret’s most important treaty was the 1529 Treaty of Cambrai that she negotiated with her sister-in-law Louise of Savoy. Louise of Savoy was the power behind the throne of her son Francis, King of France. The 1529 Treaty of Cambrai took 2 and a half weeks to negotiate and ended the war between the Holy Roman Empire and France. It is known to history as The Ladies’ Peace. 

Margaret on the left signs on behalf of her nephew, Charles the Fifth, King of Spain and Holy Roman Emperor. 

Louise of Savoy on the right signs on behalf of her son, Francis I, King of France.  

In 1529 Charles V and Francis I were Europe’s two most powerful rulers. A close third was Henry VIII of England, but he was still up-and-coming in those days, and England was still a bit of a backwater compared to continental Europe.  

All three of these men were young and ambitious, all ruled by powers behind the throne: Francis by his mother Louise, Henry by his chancellor Cardinal Wolsey, and Charles V by his aunt Margaret.  

Charles V’s title of Holy Roman Emperor was an elected position. He ran against Francis I and Henry VIII for that office and won in 1519, due to Margaret’s gifts, visits, trade incentives, and bribes to the seven German Prince-Electors who voted him into office. 

What was the secret of Margaret’s success? She had strong female mentors. She was mentored by Europe’s most powerful female political leaders of her times, Anne of France, and Isabella of Spain.  

Secondly, Margaret had a devoted support team. She was supported in her political leadership by both her father, Maximilian of Austria, and her 2^nd husband, Philibert of Savoy. She brought a team of six counselors with her to the Low Countries in 1507 from Savoy, including her legal counsel and two private secretaries. These men were devoted to her and served at her court for their entire lives. 

Another secret to Margaret’s success was that Margaret was a master bluffer both at cards and at the diplomatic negotiating table. She never showed her hand. 

Henry VIII’s chancellor Cardinal Thomas Wolsey is thought to be on the right. You can see how worried he looks, up against master card shark Margaret.  Margaret got a lot of deals done over the gaming table at her evening parties at the Court of Savoy. She was sociable, vivacious, charming, and careful not to let anyone know what she was really thinking. Her evening entertainments functioned in the same way as present-day CEO’s golf outings do where important decisions are made on the golf course.  

This is a painting of Margaret of Austria’s nephew Charles V’s palace in Brussels, to give you an idea of the scope of Burgundian splendor. Coudenberg Palace burned down in 1731. You can tour its ruins today on Coudenberg Hill in the Royal Quarter neighborhood of Brussels in Belgium. 

Without a doubt, I would say that Margaret of Austria was one of the most powerful and influential historical figures of the northern European Renaissance.  

She set the precedent for successful female rule in the Netherlands, a tradition that continues to this day with unbroken female rulership from 1890 to 2013 thru Queens Wilhelmina, Juliana, and Beatrix.  

Discover more of Margaret’s story in my 2023 book on her life, Margaret of Austria, with a foreword by noted historian Susan Abernethy of The Freelance Writer’s blog and European Women in History.  

*

About the author: 

Rozsa Gaston is a historical fiction author who writes books on women who reach for what they want out of life.  

She is the author of Margaret of Austria, 2023 Chaucer Book Awards finalist for Pre-1750s Historical Fiction, the Anne of Brittany Series: Anne and Charles; Anne and Louis, General Fiction Winner of the 2018 Publishers Weekly Booklife Prize; Anne and Louis: Rulers and Lovers; and Anne and Louis Forever Bound, First Place Winner of the 2022 Chaucer Book Award for Pre-1750s Historical Fiction. 

Other works include Sense of Touch, Marguerite and Gaston, and The Least Foolish Woman in France. 

Gaston studied European history at Yale and received her master’s degree in international affairs from Columbia. She worked at Institutional Investor magazine, then as a columnist for The Westchester Guardian.  

She is currently working on a book on Anne Boleyn at Margaret of Austria’s court. She lives in Bronxville, New York with her family. 

Gaston can be found online on Facebook, or at her website.

Her motto? History matters. 

My Books:

Signed, dedicated copies of all my books are available through my online bookshop.

Out Now! Women of the Anarchy

Two cousins. On the one side is Empress Matilda, or Maud. The sole surviving legitimate child of Henry I, she is fighting for her birthright and that of her children. On the other side is her cousin, Queen Matilda, supporting her husband, King Stephen, and fighting to see her own son inherit the English crown. Women of the Anarchy demonstrates how these women, unable to wield a sword, were prime movers in this time of conflict and lawlessness. It show how their strengths, weaknesses, and personal ambitions swung the fortunes of war one way – and then the other.

Available from Bookshop.org, Amberley Publishing and Amazon UK.

Coming on 15 June 2024: Heroines of the Tudor World

Heroines of the Tudor World tells the stories of the most remarkable women from European history in the time of the Tudor dynasty, 1485-1603. These are the women who ruled, the women who founded dynasties, the women who fought for religious freedom, their families and love. These are the women who made a difference, who influenced countries, kings and the Reformation. In the era dominated by the Renaissance and Reformation, Heroines of the Tudor World examines the threats and challenges faced by the women of the era, and how they overcame them. From writers to regents, from nuns to queens, Heroines of the Tudor World shines the spotlight on the women helped to shape Early Modern Europe.

Heroines of the Tudor World is now available for pre-order from Amberley Publishing and Amazon UK.

Also by Sharon Bennett Connolly:

King John’s Right-Hand Lady: The Story of Nicholaa de la Haye is the story of a truly remarkable lady, the hereditary constable of Lincoln Castle and the first woman in England to be appointed sheriff in her own right. Available from all good bookshops or direct from Pen & Sword Books, bookshop.org and Amazon. Defenders of the Norman Crown: The Rise and Fall of the Warenne Earls of Surrey tells the fascinating story of the Warenne dynasty, from its origins in Normandy, through the Conquest, Magna Carta, the wars and marriages that led to its ultimate demise in the reign of Edward III. Available from Pen & Sword Books, Amazon in the UK and US, and Bookshop.org. 

Ladies of Magna Carta: Women of Influence in Thirteenth Century England looks into the relationships of the various noble families of the 13th century, and how they were affected by the Barons’ Wars, Magna Carta and its aftermath; the bonds that were formed and those that were broken. It is now available in paperback and hardback from Pen & Sword,  Amazon, and Bookshop.org. Heroines of the Medieval World tells the stories of some of the most remarkable women from Medieval history, from Eleanor of Aquitaine to Julian of Norwich. Available now from Amberley Publishing and Amazon, and Bookshop.org. Silk and the Sword: The Women of the Norman Conquest traces the fortunes of the women who had a significant role to play in the momentous events of 1066. Available now from Amazon,  Amberley Publishing, and Bookshop.org.

Alternate Endings: An anthology of historical fiction short stories including Long Live the King… which is my take what might have happened had King John not died in October 1216. Available in paperback and kindle from Amazon.

Podcast:

Have a listen to the A Slice of Medieval podcast, which I co-host with Historical fiction novelist Derek Birks. Derek and I welcome guests, such as Bernard Cornwell and Elizabeth Chadwick, and discuss a wide range of topics in medieval history, from significant events to the personalities involved.

*

Don’t forget! Signed and dedicated copies of all my books are available through my online bookshop.

For forthcoming online and in-person talks, please check out my Events Page.

You can be the first to read new articles by clicking the ‘Follow’ button, liking our Facebook page or joining me on Twitter and Instagram.

*

©2024 Sharon Bennett Connolly FRHistS and Rozsa Gaston.