Maria of Spain
| Maria of Austria | |
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Holy Roman Empress Archduchess consort of Austria |
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| Tenure | 25 July 1564 – 12 October 1576 |
| Predecessor | Isabella of Portugal |
| Successor | Anna of Tyrol |
| Queen of the Romans and Bohemia | |
| Tenure | 20 September 1562 – 12 October 1576 |
| Predecessor | Anne of Bohemia and Hungary |
| Successor | Anna of Tyrol |
| Queen consort of Hungary | |
| Tenure | 8 September 1563 – 12 October 1576 |
| Predecessor | Anne of Bohemia and Hungary |
| Successor | Anna of Tyrol |
| Born |
June 21, 1528 Madrid, Spain |
| Died | February 26, 1603 (aged 74) Convent of Las Descalzas Reales, Madrid, Spain |
| Spouse | Maximilian II, Holy Roman Emperor |
| Issue |
Anna, Queen of Spain Rudolf II, Holy Roman Emperor Ernest, Archduke of Austria Elisabeth, Queen of France Matthias, Holy Roman Emperor Maximilian III, Archduke of Austria Albert VII, Archduke of Austria Archduke Wenceslaus Archduchess Margaret |
| House | Habsburg |
| Father | Charles V, Holy Roman Emperor |
| Mother | Isabella of Portugal |
Archduchess Maria of Austria (21 June 1528 – 26 February 1603) was the spouse of Maximilian II, Holy Roman Emperor and King of Bohemia and Hungary. She was the daughter of Emperor Charles V and twice served as regent of Spain.
Maria was born in Madrid to Charles V, Holy Roman Emperor and King of Spain, and Isabella of Portugal. She grew up mostly between Toledo and Valladolid with her siblings, Philip and Joanna. They built a strong family bond despite their father's regular absences. Maria and her brother, Philip, shared similar strong personal views and policies which they kept during the rest of their lives.
On 15 September 1548, aged twenty, she married her first cousin Archduke Maximilian. The couple had sixteen children during the course of a twenty-eight-year marriage.
While her father was occupied with German affairs, Maria and Maximilian acted as regents of Spain from 1548 to 1551 during the absence of Prince Philip. Maria stayed at the Spanish court until August 1551, and in 1552 the couple moved to live at the court of Maximilian's father in Vienna. During another absence of her brother, now King Philip II, from 1558 to 1561, Maria was again regent of Spain and returned to Madrid during that time.
After her return to Germany, her husband gradually succeeded his father Ferdinand I as ruler of Germany, Bohemia and Hungary, which he ruled from 1564 to his death in 1576. Maria was a devout Catholic and frequently disagreed with her religiously ambiguous husband. She had great influence over her sons, the future emperors Rudolf and Matthias.
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Wikipedia