Margaret of Austria
Queen consort of Spain and Portugal
Margaret of Austria, 1609, by Bartolomé González y Serrano
Spouse	Philip III of Spain
Issue
Anne, Queen of France Philip IV of Spain Maria Anna, Holy Roman Empress Ferdinand of Austria, Cardinal
Father	Charles II of Austria
Mother	Maria Anna of Bavaria
Born	25 December 1584 Graz, Austria
Died	3 October 1611 (aged 26) San Lorenzo de El Escorial, Spain
Burial	El Escorial

Arms of Margaret of Austria, Queen of Spain.

Margaret of Austria (25 December 1584 – 3 October 1611), was the daughter of Archduke Charles II of Austria and Maria Anna of Bavaria. She was Queen consort of Spain and Portugal by her marriage to Philip III of Spain, who is also known as Philip II of Portugal.

[edit] Family

Her paternal grandparents were Ferdinand I, Holy Roman Emperor, and his wife, Anna of Bohemia and Hungary. Margaret's maternal grandparents were Albert V, Duke of Bavaria and his wife, Archduchess Anna of Austria.

She had many siblings. One of her elder brothers was Ferdinand II, Holy Roman Emperor. Two of her sisters, Anna and Constance became Queen consort of Poland because they both were married to Sigismund III Vasa. ^[1][2]

[edit] Queen

Margaret married Philip III of Spain on 18 April 1599. Queen Margaret was a great patroness of the arts, a trait that her grandson, Louis XIV of France, would also later display. She was very influential in palace life. She reacted toward the influence of the advisors and the Duke of Lerma during the reign of her spouse and was active in an intrigue to reveal the corruption she accused Lerma of having. This eventually led to his fall from power, although not until after her own death.

Margaret, the sister of the future Emperor Ferdinand II, would be one of three women at Philip's court who would apply considerable influence over the king.^[3] Margaret was considered by contemporaries to be extremely pious - in some cases, excessively pious, and too influenced by the Church^[4] - 'astute and very skillful' in her political dealings,^[5] although 'melancholic' and unhappy over the influence of the Duke of Lerma over her husband at court.^[4] Margaret continued to fight an ongoing battle with Lerma for influence up until her death in 1611. Philip had an 'affectionate, close relationship' with Margaret,^[6], and paid her additional attention after she bore him a son in 1605.^[6]

Margaret with her eldest daughter Infanta Anna

Margaret, alongside the Empress Maria - the daughter of Charles V, and the Austrian representative to the Spanish court - and Margaret of the Cross, Maria's daughter - formed a powerful radical Catholic and pro-Austrian Hapsburg voice within Philip's life.^[3] They were successful, for example, in convincing Philip to provide financial support to Ferdinand from 1600 onwards.^[6] Philip steadily acquired other religious advisors. Father Juan de Santa Maria - confessor to Philip's daughter, Dona Maria, was felt by contemporaries to have an excessive influence over Philip at the end of his life,^[7] and both he and Luis de Aliaga, Philip's own confessor, were credited with influencing the overthrow of Lerma in 1618. Similarly Mariana de San Jose, a favoured nun of Queen Margaret's, was also criticised for her later influence over the King's actions.^[7]

Two religious figures, the Franciscan friar Juan de Santa María and Mariana de San José, prioress of the Monastery of la Encarnación in Madrid, both of whom were close to the queen, used their influence to undermine Rodrigo Calderón. Margaret died while giving birth to her youngest child, Alfonso ^[8]. Her husband never remarried and died ten years later.

[edit] Issue

Margaret and Philip were the parents of eight children

[edit] Ancestors

[edit] References

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