Mary of Austria (1505–1558)

Infobox Austrian Royalty|archduchess
name =Mary of Austria
title =Queen consort of Hungary and Bohemia
Governor of the Habsburg Netherlands


caption =
reign =1522 -1526
reign-type =Consort
spouse =Louis II
spouse-type =Consort to
issue =
royal house =House of Jagiellon
House of Habsburg
father =Philip I of Castile
mother =Joanna of Castile
date of birth =18 September 1505
place of birth =
date of death =death date and age|1558|10|18|1505|18|9|mf=y
place of death =|

Mary of Habsburg, also named Mary, Maria, or Marie of Hungary, of Austria, of Castile, or of Burgundy (18 September, 1505 – 18 October, 1558) was the Queen consort of Louis II of Hungary and Bohemia, and later governor of the Netherlands for her brother, Emperor Charles V.

Origins

She was born in Brussels to Philip I of Castile ("the Handsome") and Joanna "The Mad" of Castile. Her paternal grandparents were Maximilian I, Holy Roman Emperor and his first wife Mary of Burgundy. Her maternal grandparents were Ferdinand II of Aragon and Isabella of Castile.

Maria was a younger sister of Eleanor of Habsburg, Charles V, Holy Roman Emperor, Isabella of Habsburg and Ferdinand I, Holy Roman Emperor. She was an older sister of Catherine of Habsburg.

Queen of Hungary

Before Maria closed her first year of life, she was promised as a wife to the first son to be born to Ladislaus II of Bohemia and Hungary and his fourth wife Anne de Foix. This son was born in 1506 and was to become Louis II of Hungary and Bohemia.

They were married on 13 January, 1522 in Buda. Their joint portrait still exists. Both his robes and her alleged wedding dress are on display at the National Museum of Hungary.

Maria served as Queen consort of Hungary and Bohemia for four years and seven months. On 29 August, 1526, Louis was killed in the Battle of Mohács while leading his forces against Suleiman the Magnificent of the Ottoman Empire. They were childless. The joined crowns of Hungary and Bohemia passed to her brother Ferdinand.

It was an arranged marriage, but it became a happy one. After the death of Louis she continuously mourned him till her death. After the battle of Mohács, Nicolaus Olahus, secretary of Louis, attached himself to the party of King Ferdinand I, but retained his position with the queen-dowager. She rejected every marriage proposal and always wore the heart-shaped medallion that was borne by her husband in the fatal battle of Mohács.

Governor in the Netherlands

Maria would not marry again. Her chance at personal rule came four years later. Her paternal aunt Margaret of Austria died on 1 December, 1530, leaving the position of Governor of the Seventeen Provinces vacant. Her brother Charles established Maria as Margaret's successor in the Netherlands. She remained on the post until 1555. Charles gave her the castle of Binche south of Brussels, as a reward for her devoted service. She rebuilt it in conscious emulation of Fontainebleau; it was destroyed by Henri II's troops in 1554, but two of Titian's four paintings on the theme of punishments of rebels, commissioned in 1548 for Binche, are conserved at the Prado ("illustration"). She was succeeded as Governor by Emmanuel Philibert, Duke of Savoy.

She died in Cigales. In her last will she requested that her heart-shaped gold medallion, once worn by her husband, be melted down and distributed among the poor.

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1= 1. Mary of Austria
2= 2. Philip I of Castile
3= 3. Joanna I of Castile
4= 4. Maximilian I, Holy Roman Emperor
5= 5. Mary, Duchess of Burgundy
6= 6. Ferdinand II of Aragon
7= 7. Isabella I of Castile
8= 8. Frederick III, Holy Roman Emperor
9= 9. Eleanor of Portugal
10= 10. Charles, Duke of Burgundy
11= 11. Isabella of Bourbon
12= 12. John II of Aragon
13= 13. Juana Enriquez
14= 14. John II of Castile
15= 15. Isabella of Portugal
16= 16. Ernest, Duke of Austria
17= 17. Cymburgis of Masovia
18= 18. Edward of Portugal
19= 19. Leonor of Aragon
20= 20. Philip, Duke of Burgundy
21= 21. Isabella of Portugal
22= 22. Charles I, Duke of Bourbon
23= 23. Agnes of Burgundy
24= 24. Ferdinand I of Aragon
25= 25. Eleanor of Alburquerque
26= 26. Frederick Enríquez, Count of Melgar
27= 27. Merina de Cordova
28= 28. Henry III of Castile
29= 29. Katherine of Lancaster
30= 30. Infante João, Lord of Reguengos
31= 31. Isabella of Braganza