Margaret of Austria, Queen of Spain


Margaret of Austria was Queen of Spain and Portugal by her marriage to King Philip III & II.

Biography

Margaret was the daughter of Archduke Charles II of Austria and Maria Anna of Bavaria and thus the paternal granddaughter of the Holy Roman Emperor Ferdinand I. Her elder brother was the Archduke Ferdinand, who was elected emperor in 1619. Two of her sisters, Anna and Constance, through their subsequent marriages to King Sigismund III Vasa, became Queens of Poland.

Queen of Spain

Margaret married Philip III of Spain, her first cousin, once removed, on 18 April 1599.
She became an influential figure at her husband's court. Philip had an "affectionate, close relationship" with Margaret, and paid her additional attention after they had a son in 1605.
Margaret was also a great patron of the arts. She was considered by contemporaries to be a pious Catholic and "astute and very skillful" in her political dealings.
Alongside the Empress Maria, widow of Holy Roman Emperor Maximilian II, and the latter's daughter Archduchess Margaret, who lived as a nun in Madrid, Queen Margaret formed a circle of women wielding considerable influence over the king. They emphasised Spain's status as a Catholic power acting in the interest of Catholic Europe and also highlighted the unity of the House of Habsburg. They were successful, for example, in convincing Philip to provide financial support to Ferdinand II, Holy Roman Emperor.
The pro-Austrian camp at the Spanish court was opposed by the Duke of Lerma, the King's chief minister, who argued that Spain should pursue her own course of action independently of religious or dynastic ties. Queen Margaret was "melancholic" and unhappy about the influence of the Duke, whom she considered corrupt, over her husband, and continually fought him for influence over the King. In this conflict, she was supported by her favourite, prioress of the Monasteria la Encarnación, her husband's confessor Father Luis de Aliaga, and her daughter Maria Anna's confessor, the Franciscan friar Juan de Santa María—who was felt by contemporaries to have an excessive influence over the King at the end of his life. The Duke of Lerma was eventually removed from power in 1618, though only after Margaret's death.
Margaret died while giving birth to her youngest child, Alfonso. Her husband never remarried and died ten years later.
In October 1611, the English diplomat John Digby reported a rumour that the strong scent of amber gloves worn by Philip III had accidentally led to the death of the Margaret of Austria.

Issue

Margaret and Philip had eight children:

Depiction in media

Margaret of Austria is portrayed by Elena Rivera in the Spanish TV show El ministerio del tiempo.
Actress Viveca Lindfors portrayed Margaret in the 1948 Hollywood movie Adventures of Don Juan.