The Hapsburg Madrid is one of the capital’s most prized treasures. Its streets bear witness to what the city once was: the scene of the comings and goings of the crown, of royal tensions and the anxieties of the court. If we pay attention to the Zone, which is made up of different administrative districts of today’s Madrid, we find many interesting brands. The names of the streets, squares and monuments form a mosaic of the great personalities of the time.
However, in this historical puzzle there is an important absence: the Austrias are missing. The women of the court, as involved in the cultural life of the kingdom as the men, hardly enjoyed any recognition. A walk through its streets not only allows us to find the female presence in the neighborhood, but also to enjoy it with a more critical and conscious look.
The Plaza de la Villa and Margaret of Austria, aunt of Charles V
The life of Charles V (1500-1558) was marked from the beginning by that of the women who surrounded him. From his aunts, in charge of his education, to his sisters or wife, to whom he granted some of the most important positions in the kingdom: all the Habsburgs participated in making Charles I of Spain and V of Germany the most important sovereign in Christendom.
Among all of them, the work of Margaret of Austria (1480-1530) stands out. Margarita’s life was marked by tragedy from the beginning. Rejected by the dauphin of France, with two failed marriages behind her and no children, Marguerite dedicated her last years to two missions: to educate and to govern. After the death of Philip I of Castile and the confinement in Tordesillas of Juana I of Castile (whom everyone thought was crazy), Margarita took charge of the education of her nephews . Among them, Charles I, who would consider her for the rest of his life as a mother.
As a politician, Margarita was characterized by her prudent and diplomatic character, always seeking the most favorable solution for her territory and avoiding confrontations. He played an important role in the election of Charles as Holy Roman Emperor, dealt with insurrections, wars, economic crises, the advance of Protestantism… But undoubtedly, his greatest achievement came with the Peace of the Ladies (1529).
After years of confrontation between France and Spain, the War of the League of Cognac (1526-1530) ended thanks to the intervention of two women: Louise of Savoy, mother of the French King François I (who years earlier had been held captive in the Lujanes Tower in Madrid’s Plaza de la Villa), and Margarita de Austria. In 1529 they signed the Peace of Cambrais or Peace of the Ladies, a treaty that put an end to the conflict over Italian lands that both countries were disputing and that had depleted the treasures of the two powers.
The Monastery of the Descalzas Reales and Juana of Austria, sister of Philip II
As the daughter of Charles V and sister of Philip II, the royal responsibilities of Juana of Austria (1535-1573) led her to be constantly on the move. Her childhood and youth were spent in the Royal Sites of Castile such as Madrid, Alcalá de Henares and Valladolid, until 1552, when she was given in marriage to her first cousin, Prince Juan Manuel of Portugal.
However, Juana’s liaison with the eldest son of the Portuguese monarch was brief. The consanguinity between the houses of Spain and Portugal created weak princes, so that in 1554 John Manuel of Portugal died without ever knowing his son, the future King Sebastian I. Once mother, the Portuguese had no more need of Juana. His stay at the Portuguese court had been rather problematic: his intellectual concerns were interpreted as haughtiness. In May 1554, just a couple of months after giving birth, Juana would leave Portugal to become regent of Spain.
It was in that country that he developed a broad religious life. After her return to Madrid in 1957, Juana had a palace in the center of the city (where she herself was born) converted into a convent for the Discalced Poor Clares, an order of cloistered nuns. It is the monastery of the Descalzas Reales, located in the heart of Madrid, in the current Plaza de las Descalzas.
This convent would become the favorite place of the princess, who after fulfilling her political obligations would retire to a pious life. He remained there for the rest of his life until 1573, when, at the age of 38, he died in the el Escorial Palace. His funeral chapel is still in the monastery, on the side of the presbytery where he used to pray.
During the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries, this convent would stand out for being the place of refuge for numerous women of the royal family. In addition to Juana, this space brought together such outstanding figures as Empress Maria of Austria and Portugal, her daughter Sister Margarita de la Cruz, the daughters of Philip II: the Infantas Isabel Clara Eugenia and Catalina Micaela or Ana Dorotea of Austria, daughter of Emperor Rudolph II. All of them contributed to making the monastery one of the largest collections of art and relics in the kingdom.
The Royal Monastery of the Encarnation and Margaret of Austria, wife of Philip III
After the reigns of Charles I and Philip II, the successive kings who took the crown, the so-called minor Habsburgs, would be considered docile rulers, impressionable and very unfit. Among them, Philip III.
Her marriage, arranged (of course), was to be with a strong personality, capable of defending the interests of the kingdom. There were four archduchess candidates, but after the premature death of one of them and the poor health of the others, the one finally chosen was Margaret of Austria-Styria. Margarita, born in Graz (Austria) in 1584, was in good health, beautiful and educated in the Catholic culture and religion. She is, in the eyes of the times, the perfect candidate.
However, upon her arrival in Spain, Margaret of Austria was disappointed to discover that her husband, Philip III, did not share her political ambitions. Not only that, but he has also handed over the kingdom to his minister and friend: the Duke of Lerma. He manages Spanish politics as he pleases while keeping the king distracted in hunting grounds and extravagant parties.
However, Margarita, although very young, is not so easily duped. Fearing the queen’s political influence, the duke moves the capital to Valladolid and tries to keep the queen away from all the powerful women who could be dangerous, such as Empress Maria of Austria, confined in the convent of the Descalzas Reales, or Isabel Clara Eugenia, the governor of the Netherlands. Her relationship with them, however, will be close, and with their help and that of other women of the court Margarita will begin an open struggle against the Lerma regime.
In addition to an intense political life, Margaret also ordered numerous religious works. Among them, the construction of the Monastery of La Encarnación in Madrid. In 1611, following the example of Princess Juana of Portugal, the queen ordered the construction of a convent on the houses of the Marquises of Pozas, very close to the Royal Alcazar. This building, dedicated to the Augustinian Recollect nuns, is located in the current Plaza de la Encarnación.
Finally, after giving birth to her eighth child, Margarita fell seriously ill and died in the palace of El Escorial at the age of 26.
The Royal Alcazar and Maria Luisa de Orleans, first wife of Carlos II
Marie-Louise of Orleans (1662-1689) was, much to her regret, the first wife of Charles II. Her marriage to the “Bewitched One” was a political strategy agreed upon in the Peace of Nijmegen (1679) and her transfer to the Spanish court was a mere administrative formality. She, who knew the rumors of the King of Spain’s physical and mental capabilities, went so far as to say that she would rather become a nun than his wife.
Finally, Maria Luisa arrived in Madrid. Having been born in the French court of King Louis XIV, his adaptation to Spain was not easy. The Royal Alcazar in Madrid was a much more sober and darker environment than the French palace, and Spanish protocol was much more severe. One can imagine María Luisa’s joy if she had learned that one hundred years later, on Christmas Eve 1734, the Real Alcázar would be destroyed by fire. And even more so if he knew that this crude chateau would be replaced by another of clear French inspiration, the current Royal Palace of Madrid.
On the other hand, the queen did not enjoy the best popularity in the city either. Despite multiple attempts, Charles II’s problems prevented Marie Louise from having a child. The blame, evidently, fell on her, to the point that it was even insinuated that the Queen caused her own miscarriages. A popular song ran through Madrid: “parid, bella flor de lis, que en ocasión tan extraña si parís, parís España, si no parís, a París”.
Finally, Maria Luisa died unexpectedly. After a horseback ride through the Good Retirement she complained of severe stomach pains that kept her bedridden until the following night, when she finally passed away. Charles II’s next wife, Mariana of Neoburg, would not be able to give him a son either, putting an end to the reign of the Austrians in Spain.
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This article has been written thanks to the information of the Royal Academy of History and of National Heritage.