Maria Pypelincks

Maria Pypelinckx
Portrait of a woman formerly called Maria Pypelinckx, by Rubens
Born	20 March 1538 Antwerp
Died	19 October 1608 (1608-10-20) (aged 70) Antwerp

Maria Pypelinckx (20 March 1538 – 19 October 1608) was a writer from the Southern Netherlands, best known today as the mother of the painter Peter Paul Rubens.

Pypelinckx was born in Antwerp as the daughter of Hendrik Pypelinckx, a tapestry dealer from Hasselt, and Clara Touion. Little is known of her early life, but she married the lawyer Jan Rubens in 1561 in Antwerp who had just resettled there in 1558 after a long trip to Italy. They lived in a house on the Meir. Rubens was a magistrate in Antwerp during the period of upheaval, and survived the beeldenstorm. He became known for his Calvinist sympathies and the family was forced to flee in 1568, possibly to avoid working for the Council of Troubles. Maria had already borne four children by 1567 but it is unknown how many children accompanied them on their flight. They settled in Cologne, but always intended to return when the troubles settled.

Rubens found work as a lawyer among the many refugees in that city and was approached by Anna of Saxony to help her recover some of her bridal dowry, which her husband's family had invested in their war on the Duke of Alva. Her husband William the Silent was constantly travelling to muster support for his cause. Anna had already had three children in Brussels before the couple fled Alva's troops. They found sanctuary in Dillenburg, where Anna had given birth to her fourth child, Maurice, Prince of Orange. By then her husband had left her to prepare for the Battle of Heiligerlee (1568). Anna came to Cologne to attempt to secure her own income in order to gain some autonomy. She had felt herself a prisoner in the stronghold of the Nassaus in Dillenburg. While in Cologne, she became pregnant again after a visit from her husband and Countess Emilia of Nassau was born on 10 April 1569.