On today's blog, we will be discussing the life of one of the children of Queen Joanna of Castile, unfairly known as Juana la Loca (English: Joanna the Mad) due to her said attack of madness, and her husband, Philippe the Handsome, the Habsburg son of Holy Roman Emperor Maximilian I who was known for being a prince with very good features... and also for his infidelities. Their offspring had lots of Queens, Kings and Emperors, of those, Holy Roman Emperor Charles V being the most famous and his sister Eleanor, twice consort for two kings of distant countries: Portugal, in her first marriage, and France, in her second.
But today the topic is about one of Queen Joanna's less spoken children, Mary of Habsburg, who was not only Queen of Hungary but a Governor of the Netherlands on behalf of her brother, Charles. So who was this woman, well spoken by Erasmus whose beauty we can attest by her portraits above? What were the greatest achievements whilst a politician? That is precise what we intend to find out next.
After facing very difficulties in labour, with her life in risk, Queen Joanna of Castile finally gave birth to her third daughter, whom she named Mary (Spanish: Maria). The archduchess, known then as Mary of Austria, was born in Brussels on 15 September, and would be sent at an early age to be educated at the court of her paternal aunt, Margaret of Austria, after the mental breakdown of her mother around 1506. Earlier that year, before her depart, her grandfather, Holy Roman Emperor Maximilian I, negotiated to have her married to an unborn heir to the crown of Hungary.
After she was placed under the care of Margaret of Austria, alongside her siblings Isabel, Eleanor and Charles, the alliance with Hungary was confirmed upon the birth of the heir Louis, and "when she was eight years old, Mary left Margaret of Austria's court at Mechelen and traveled to Maximilian's court in Vienna in preparation for the conclusion of his proposed alliance."
To reinforce this alliance with Hungary, a sister of Louis, Anne, was offered the hand of either the two brothers of Mary, who turned out to be Ferdinand. So Anne was also sent to Maximilian's court to be educated alongside Mary and there:
Following the death of her husband, whom she would mourn for the rest of her life, Queen Mary sought her brother, Ferdinand, recently elected King of Bohemia, to alert him about the Hungarian defeat and...
Subsequently,
Ferdinand, by 1528, offered the position of regent in Netherland, but Mary declined, claiming that "such affairs need a person wiser than I am", though he would persist in drawing her to politics especially after communicating the death of their aunt, Margaret of Austria the year after, leaving the post of Governor of the Netherlands vacant. Thus, this was offered by Charles V to his sister, who reluctantly thought about whether was wiser to decline or accept.
But was she really "authoritarian"? She was forced to deal with several rebellions, had her complaints and asks for help ignored by her brother Charles, and saw no other way but to declare war against France. In a world where power was largely associated to strenght and this latter, to men, Mary eventually masculinized herself, as she would later say that because of her gender she was hardly taken seriously by her counterparts or even by Charles.
In matters concerning their nieces Dorothea and Christina who, after the death of their mother, Isabella, Queen of Denmark, were under the care of Margaret, they were sent to Mary's after Margaret's past away. At her court, they were educated and Mary also helped in planning their marriages for...
What it may seem stubborness for some and determination for others was a cause for disagreement of the two siblings for long years, but, in spite of them, it is assumed that, though she was not his favourite sister, they were fond of each other and had mutual respect. But it must be remembered that he left Mary in a charge she was unwilling to take from the beginning, despite her sense of duty led her to do the art of government well, and ignored her pleadges for help. She faced difficulties that often made her try to resign, receiving always a decline on the part of Charles. And that is how we understand why she is unfairly seen as "authoritary".
But unlike other contemporaries, like Henry VIII of England or François I of France, she did try to use peace as a mean to achieve her goals, especially within her family. When Charles V abdicate his Holy Roman Empire crown and intended to pass to his son, she had to mediate it for Ferdinand was protesting over the matter. Her relationship with Philippe, her nephew, though, was no better than the one she had with Charles, though it may be assumed that even with Charles she had a better one. It is probably a cause why she wrote a long letter explaining the reasons for resigning one more time. Despite the protests of her brother and her nephew, for apparently she excelled in governing Netherlands for the Spanish Crown, she had her request finally granted.
Mary joined her recently widowed sister Eleanor and returned to Castile, despite fearing to live in a country she was never introduced to its language and costume. So she then flew from Ghent with Eleanor and Charles and was very devasted when they came to die in 1558. But before he died, Charles had requested his sister to be Governor once more, a promise she came to make and was ready to fulfill, but she was too weak and feverish and died in October that same year.
What we learn about Mary, at least in our humble point of view, is the other way her strenght worked. She did not prosecute Protestants, though in a moment she was forced to do so by Charles' command and slight threat of distrusting a member of his family if any of them did so, she was a patron of musicians and arts, a supporter of Reinassacence. A woman of her days, for she believed women should not take part where it doesn't concern them and was always a pious royal, she nonetheless used her heart to do what was expected and yet could and would stand for herself and those she cared, and it is not because she had no scandals in her lifetime that she should be less remembered than some of her siblings.
Bibliography:
http://www.monstrousregimentofwomen.com/2015/07/mary-of-austria-heart-to-do-anything.html
http://www.liquisearch.com/mary_of_hungary_governor_of_the_netherlands
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mary_of_Hungary_(governor_of_the_Netherlands)
After she was placed under the care of Margaret of Austria, alongside her siblings Isabel, Eleanor and Charles, the alliance with Hungary was confirmed upon the birth of the heir Louis, and "when she was eight years old, Mary left Margaret of Austria's court at Mechelen and traveled to Maximilian's court in Vienna in preparation for the conclusion of his proposed alliance."
To reinforce this alliance with Hungary, a sister of Louis, Anne, was offered the hand of either the two brothers of Mary, who turned out to be Ferdinand. So Anne was also sent to Maximilian's court to be educated alongside Mary and there:
"(...) the fourteen-year-old Anne knelt next to Maximilian, renounced her title as "empress" and was married by proxy to Maximilian's grandson. Following this ceremony, the "little queens", now sisters-in-law, were sent to Innsbruck."What we know about Archduchess Mary's education is that she received a very good education from excellent tutors. Her grandfather also encouraged her hunting activities, an habit she would still practice, though her passion were much more like culture, music and arts, as seen in the paragraph below:
"That year [1516], Mary's father-in-law died, making Louis and Mary king and queen of Hungary and Bohemia. Mary moved to Innsbruck, where she was educated until 1521. Maximilian encouraged her interest in hunting, while childhood lessons prompted an interest in music. This passion would later be demonstrated during her tenure as governor of the Netherlands."Once her marriage was celebrated on 11 December 1520, and the next year she departed to Hungary, it was then during the period afterwards when the royal couple was blessed in Buda, that she and Louis fell in love. At first, because of her youth, Mary held little influence at court, but it was not too soon until she surrounded herself with German and Dutch influences, which "formed the base for the interests of the House of Habsburg" and made use of her authority by putting to an end factions that divided court. As we can perceive next:
"By 1524, (...) the new queen had negotiated considerable influence and authority for herself, and by 1525, in a "spectacular coup", she gained even more when she assumed control of one powerful political faction and put down the threat, for the moment, of another. A friend wrote to the humanistic scholar Erasmus expressing the hope and regret of many: "If she could only be changed into a king, our affairs would be in better shape."Often, Mary and Louis were seen riding and hunting when they were not busy trying to contain Hungary from the political threats coming from the Ottoman Empire. Hungarian nobility was quite a problem from the weak Louis, who had "inherited the crown of a country whose noblemen were fighting among themselves and against the peasantry." It is no surprise to understand that, consequently, the country was very divided and that made easy to Ottoman Empire break in. Louis eventually leaded the army against the Ottomans, and though he was close to a victory, he slipped from his frightened horse and died drowned after the Battle of Mohács.
Following the death of her husband, whom she would mourn for the rest of her life, Queen Mary sought her brother, Ferdinand, recently elected King of Bohemia, to alert him about the Hungarian defeat and...
"sending him a warning: 'I fear the Turk will not stop at my lord brother's borders.' Shortly thereafter, an urgent message was sent to the archduke, urging him to come immediately to Hungary's aid--until he could arrive, troops were requested to support Mary 'so that the kingdom does not fall away from us entirely and Your Serene Highness can the better come into Hungary with her help'."As a result, the Queen Dowager was chosen to be the regent on behalf of Ferdinand, though this was done against her will. Nonetheless, as dutiful as she was, she "spent the following year working to secure the election of Ferdinand as King of Hungary." There was an attempt of resigning, but her request was denied at least until summer of 1527, when he assumed the crown.
Subsequently,
"Hungary was divided into three parts: Ottoman Hungary- a part of the Ottoman Empire, Royal Hungary- ruled by Mary's brother Ferdinand, and Eastern Hungarian Kingdom- ruled by John Zápolya."In the next year, her aunt Margaret suggested a marriage to King James V of Scotland, of which Mary refused, claiming that, for having loved her husband, she would not be capable of loving again, so she had no wishes for another marriage. Another brother of Mary, Holy Roman Emperor and King of Spain, Charles, proposed Frederick of Bavaria instead, who had unsuccessfully tried to court Eleanor, Mary's sister, years before. But again Mary refused.
Ferdinand, by 1528, offered the position of regent in Netherland, but Mary declined, claiming that "such affairs need a person wiser than I am", though he would persist in drawing her to politics especially after communicating the death of their aunt, Margaret of Austria the year after, leaving the post of Governor of the Netherlands vacant. Thus, this was offered by Charles V to his sister, who reluctantly thought about whether was wiser to decline or accept.
"As her biographer Jane de Iongh states Mary's dilemma, on the one hand she could remain a queen "without a country, without a crown, without money", but with some measure of independence. On the other, she could assume the regency of the Netherlands which offered action, responsibilities, and power--but no independence.
In her response of 29 January, Mary agreed to take over the regency for Charles. In October, she was invested with the power to uphold the law, to receive petitions, to supervise legislation and finances, to command the army, and to head the various governors of the provinces: "In short, she received the right to perform everything that could serve to maintain the sovereign's authority and the welfare of the country."As Governor of the Netherlands, Mary was a sole ruler, even though she was so on behalf of her brother, the Emperor, who, as he told herself, could not always be in every place, so he trusted in the members of his family to play this role. However, it was observed that many female rulers were either unmarried or widows who masculinized themselves in order to hold authority. With Mary this was no different. Because of that, she is often seen as "authoritarian" unlike her charismatic aunt, who was much praised for her beauty and intelligence.
But was she really "authoritarian"? She was forced to deal with several rebellions, had her complaints and asks for help ignored by her brother Charles, and saw no other way but to declare war against France. In a world where power was largely associated to strenght and this latter, to men, Mary eventually masculinized herself, as she would later say that because of her gender she was hardly taken seriously by her counterparts or even by Charles.
In matters concerning their nieces Dorothea and Christina who, after the death of their mother, Isabella, Queen of Denmark, were under the care of Margaret, they were sent to Mary's after Margaret's past away. At her court, they were educated and Mary also helped in planning their marriages for...
"Charles, like his Habsburg grandfather, decided to follow the course of "happy Austria" in using marriage to effect in arranging political alliances."In here we find one more time conflicts between Mary and Charles; though it is true that, in one hand, he relies on her and trusts in her capacibility in reigning on his behalf, on the other, he values above all opinions his own and not of those he trusts. For example: Mary argued with her brother that Christina was far too young to consummate her marriage with the duke of Milan, providing him with religious and social arguments how against she was with this act, but he ignored. She then delayed it, claiming first Christina to be sick, before going to some part of Netherland to resolve the matter, until she could do so no longer for Christina had reached the age of 12, as we can see in the following paragraph:
"At this, Mary of Austria responded, for once, as her biography notes, abadoning 'the humble attitude of modest pupil' which she had adopted with her brother and speaking with a 'conviction and a confidence in her own judgment that cannot have escaped Charles despite the careful terms in which her letter was couched':
I reply to Your Majesty...only to unburden my conscience... and to warn you of the difficulties I think I discern... I am of the opinion that it contravenes the law of God and all reason to have her marry so young, before she is twelve years old... I hold it not only contrary to God's command, but I am moreover convinced that you may endanger her life, should she become pregnant before she is altogether a woman. It has often happened that in such cases neither the mother nor the child has survived the birth.
Monseigneur, I am aware that I have said more about this matter, and that I express myself more clumsily, than is desirable. I beg you to forgive me, for my conscience and the love I bear the child compel me to it."Christina was not long married when, some years later, she returned a widow to her aunt's court. At this year, she received a propose from King Henry VIII of England, a match that Mary great disapproved and used all of her will to disencourage it, in spite of Charles' insistances. With Henry VIII's excommunication, however, she managed to convince her brother.
What it may seem stubborness for some and determination for others was a cause for disagreement of the two siblings for long years, but, in spite of them, it is assumed that, though she was not his favourite sister, they were fond of each other and had mutual respect. But it must be remembered that he left Mary in a charge she was unwilling to take from the beginning, despite her sense of duty led her to do the art of government well, and ignored her pleadges for help. She faced difficulties that often made her try to resign, receiving always a decline on the part of Charles. And that is how we understand why she is unfairly seen as "authoritary".
But unlike other contemporaries, like Henry VIII of England or François I of France, she did try to use peace as a mean to achieve her goals, especially within her family. When Charles V abdicate his Holy Roman Empire crown and intended to pass to his son, she had to mediate it for Ferdinand was protesting over the matter. Her relationship with Philippe, her nephew, though, was no better than the one she had with Charles, though it may be assumed that even with Charles she had a better one. It is probably a cause why she wrote a long letter explaining the reasons for resigning one more time. Despite the protests of her brother and her nephew, for apparently she excelled in governing Netherlands for the Spanish Crown, she had her request finally granted.
Mary joined her recently widowed sister Eleanor and returned to Castile, despite fearing to live in a country she was never introduced to its language and costume. So she then flew from Ghent with Eleanor and Charles and was very devasted when they came to die in 1558. But before he died, Charles had requested his sister to be Governor once more, a promise she came to make and was ready to fulfill, but she was too weak and feverish and died in October that same year.
What we learn about Mary, at least in our humble point of view, is the other way her strenght worked. She did not prosecute Protestants, though in a moment she was forced to do so by Charles' command and slight threat of distrusting a member of his family if any of them did so, she was a patron of musicians and arts, a supporter of Reinassacence. A woman of her days, for she believed women should not take part where it doesn't concern them and was always a pious royal, she nonetheless used her heart to do what was expected and yet could and would stand for herself and those she cared, and it is not because she had no scandals in her lifetime that she should be less remembered than some of her siblings.
Bibliography:
http://www.monstrousregimentofwomen.com/2015/07/mary-of-austria-heart-to-do-anything.html
http://www.liquisearch.com/mary_of_hungary_governor_of_the_netherlands
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mary_of_Hungary_(governor_of_the_Netherlands)
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