Marguerite of Austria, The Great Mother of Europe

For Marguerite of Austria, travel was never a matter of choice. Her life unfolded along paths traced by her father, the Emperor Maximilian I of Habsburg. With striking composure,With striking composure, she yielded to his will, filling her days with duties as though she had long mastered the art of governing time itself.

Portrait of Marguerite of Austria, aged 10, by Jean Hey

Orphaned of her mother, Mary of Burgundy, at the age of three, she was sent to France to marry the Dauphin, Charles VIII, then a boy of eleven. At four, she was Queen of France; yet, seven years later, the union was cast aside when the young king, newly crowned, sought a more advantageous bride.

Humiliated, Marguerite lingered at the French court for two years, until her father summoned her back to the Netherlands. She was thirteen. Soon after, she was dispatched once more — this time to the court of Ferdinand and Isabella — to wed their only son, the Infante John. She prepared, once again, for a crown that seemed within reach. But after scarcely six months of marriage, the frail prince died, and at fifteen Marguerite was a widow. For a time, she remained at the court of los Reyes Católicos, suspended between one destiny and the next.

In 1501, Maximilian arranged a third marriage, to Philibert, Duke of Savoy, a loyal ally. In Savoy, a rare happiness seemed to blossom. Though childless, the union allowed Marguerite to exercise authority, as her husband devoted himself more readily to the chase than to affairs of state. Yet this fragile contentment endured but three years: Philibert died suddenly, and the young duchess, widowed again, cut off her golden hair and withdrew into mourning. She vowed to rebuild the church of Brou, where he lay, inscribing above its entrance words of quiet defiance: “Fate is very cruel to women.”

The Hôtel Savoie in Mechelen, Flanders,Belgium

But hers was not a life destined for retreat. Upon the death of her brother, Philip of Burgundy, she became guardian to his children — among them Charles, the future Emperor. Returning to the Netherlands, she was appointed Regent, the first woman to bear the title. At Mechelen, in Flanders, she established her court in a residence she named Hôtel de Savoie, in memory of her lost husband.

There she cultivated a haven of refinement, echoing the splendour of her Burgundian lineage. Travellers were drawn to her court, renowned for its collections: luminous Flemish paintings, rare objects from distant lands, and wonders newly arrived from the New World. It became one of the earliest Cabinets of Curiosities in Northern Europe, a quiet dialogue with the princely courts of the Italian Renaissance.

Portrait of Henry VIII by Hans Holbein the Younger, Walker Art Gallery, Liverpool

Yet Marguerite was no mere patron of beauty. Beneath her cultivated grace lay a keen and disciplined political mind. She played a decisive role in the formation of the League of Cambrai, uniting Europe against Venice, and emerged as a figure of consequence in a continent shaped by three young sovereigns: Henry VIII of England, Francis I of France, and Charles V.

Portrait of Francis I of France by Jean Clouet, Louvre Museum, Paris

A contemporary observed: “This woman possessed a man’s talent for the conduct of affairs — indeed, she surpassed most men, for her ability was joined to the charm of her sex, and she had been taught to conceal her feelings.”

And I, reflecting upon the inner life of women, find myself asking: through what hidden language did she give voice to those guarded emotions? Perhaps she turned to her small painting box, lined with blue velvet, and chose one of her seven silver brushes. Did she speak in colour, where words were forbidden?

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