Margaret of Austria (1480–1530)

Duchess of Savoy. Name variations: Marguérite; Marguerite d'Autriche; Margaret Hapsburg; Duchess of Savoy and regent of the Netherlands. Born in Brussels, Belgium, Jan 11, 1480; died in Malines, Nov 30 or Dec 1, 1530; dau. of Maximilian I, Holy Roman emperor (r. 1493–1519) and king of Germany, and Mary of Burgundy (1457–1482); sister of Philip I the Fair (also called the Handsome [1478–1506], husband of Juana La Loca); stepdau. of Bianca Maria Sforza (1472–1510) of Milan; engaged to future Charles VIII of France, in 1482; m. Infante Juan also known as John of Spain (1478–1497), Spanish crown prince and son of Ferdinand and Isabella I, April 3, 1497 (he died a few months later on Oct 4); m. Philibert II, duke of Savoy (1497–1504), in 1501; children: none.

At 3, married the 12-year-old Dauphin Charles (VIII), crown prince of France (1483); when Louis XI died two months later, became queen to Charles' king; returned to the Low Countries and her father Maximilian after Charles had marriage annulled (1491); when 3rd husband Philibert showed little interest in governing his domains, willingly managed his affairs; her true public career began at age 27, when she was named regent of the Netherlands and guardian of her nephew Charles, later Charles V (1507); remained regent (1507–15, 1519–30) and was a chief player in European politics for the rest of her life; with Louise of Savoy, negotiated the treaty of Cambrai, known as the "Ladies Peace" (1529) between France and the Netherlands; helped to introduce the energy and aesthetic values of the Italian Renaissance to Northern Europe.

See also Eleanor E. Tremayne, The First Governess of the Netherlands: Margaret of Austria (Putnam, 1908); and Women in World History.