Margaret of Parma
| Margaret of Parma | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| Duchess consort of Florence | |
| Tenure | 18 January 1536 – 6 January 1537 |
| Duchess consort of Parma and Piacenza | |
| Tenure | 10 September 1547 – 18 January 1586 |
| Born |
28 December 1522 Oudenaarde |
| Died | 18 January 1586 (aged 63) Ortona |
| Burial | Church of San Sisto, Piacenza |
| Spouse |
Alessandro, Duke of Florence Ottavio, Duke of Parma |
| Issue | Charles Farnese Alexander Farnese, Duke of Parma |
| Father | Charles V, Holy Roman Emperor |
| Mother | Johanna Maria van der Gheynst |
Margaret of Parma (Italian: Margherita di Parma; 28 December 1522 – 18 January 1586) was Governor of the Netherlands from 1559 to 1567 and from 1578 to 1582. She was the illegitimate daughter of the then 22-year-old Holy Roman Emperor Charles V and Johanna Maria van der Gheynst. She was a Duchess of Florence and a Duchess of Parma and Piacenza by marriage.
Her mother, Johanna Maria van der Gheynst, a servant of Charles de Lalaing, Seigneur de Montigny, was a Fleming. Margaret was brought up in Mechelen, under the supervision of two powerful Spanish and Austrian Habsburg Imperial family relatives, her great-aunt, the Archduchess Margaret of Austria, and her aunt Mary of Austria, who were successive governors of the Netherlands from 1507 to 1530 and from 1530 to 1555, respectively.
In 1527, in the year she turned five, she became engaged to the Pope's nephew, Alessandro de' Medici, Duke of Florence, to assist her father's ambition in gaining influence in Italy. The marriage negotiations had been initiated in 1526, and in 1529 the agreement was officially signed by her father and the Pope.In 1529, Margaret was acknowledged by her father and allowed to assume the name Margaret of Austria, and in 1533, the 11-year-old girl was brought to live in Italy and educated in the courts of Florence, Rome, and Parma. Though she was multi-lingual, she was to prefer the Italian language for the rest of her life.
In 1536, she married Alessandro, who was assassinated in 1537. On 4 November 1538, the 15-year-old widow married Ottavio Farnese, Duke of Parma, the 14-year-old grandson of Pope Paul III. At first she refused to marry him. Although the union proved an unhappy one, it gave her years of experience in Rome, and produced twin sons, one of whom died in infancy. The couple lived separately for much of their lives, and Margaret maintained her own court and chapel. She was in a somewhat difficult position, as the Pope and the Emperor argued about authority over Parma. In 1555, the Farnese family were acknowledged as rulers of Parma by Spain in exchange for the custody of her son.
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