Margaret of Austria (1584–1611)
| Margaret of Austria | |
|---|---|
Margaret of Austria, 1609, by Bartolomé González y Serrano
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| Queen consort of Spain and Portugal | |
| Tenure | 18 April 1599 – 3 October 1611 |
| Born |
25 December 1584 Graz, Austria |
| Died | 3 October 1611 (aged 26) San Lorenzo de El Escorial, Spain |
| Burial | El Escorial |
| Spouse | Philip III of Spain |
| Issue |
Anne, Queen of France Philip IV, King of Spain Maria Anna, Holy Roman Empress Cardinal Ferdinand |
| House | Habsburg |
| Father | Charles II of Austria |
| Mother | Maria Anna of Bavaria |
| Religion | Roman Catholicism |
Margaret of Austria (25 December 1584 – 3 October 1611) was Queen consort of Spain and Portugal by her marriage to King Philip III and II.
Margaret was the daughter of Archduke Charles II of Austria, the son of Holy Roman Emperor Ferdinand I and Anne of Bohemia and Hungary. Margaret's mother was Maria Anna of Bavaria. Her elder brother was the Archduke Ferdinand, who succeeded as Emperor in 1619. Two of her sisters, Anna and Constance, through their subsequent marriages to King Sigismund III Vasa, became Queens of Poland.
Margaret married Philip III of Spain, her first cousin, once-removed, on 18 April 1599 and became a very influential figure at her husband's court. Philip had an "affectionate, close relationship" with Margaret, and paid her additional attention after she bore him a son in 1605.
Margaret was also a great patroness of the arts. She was considered by contemporaries to be a very 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 Holy Roman Emperor Ferdinand II.
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