21 June – An empress in the maze of Habsburg kinship

Maria of Spain, the daughter of Charles V and Isabella of Portugal was born on 21 June 1528. She married her first cousin, Maximilian II. The couple spent their early married years in Spain, acting as regents during the frequent absences of Charles V and later Maria’s brother, King Philip II. They eventually settled in Vienna and, following the death of Maximilian’s father Ferdinand I in 1564, became Emperor and Empress.

In Vienna, Maria surrounded herself with devout Spanish Catholics and often lamented living in what she considered a half-heretical country for its tolerance of Protestants. Her staunch Catholicism frequently clashed with Maximilian’s notable religious tolerance — at one point, he even considered converting to Protestantism.

Despite their religious differences and close kinship, their union produced sixteen children over nineteen years, nine of whom reached adulthood. These included future emperors Rudolf II and Matthias I, and Eleonora, Queen of France. Maria had a lasting religious and educational influence on all her children, though her relationship with Rudolf later became strained.

She remained a dedicated link between the Spanish and Austrian branches of the Habsburgs, fostering connections through extensive correspondence and intermarriage. Her eldest daughter, Anna, married Maria’s brother Philip II of Spain — becoming her mother’s sister-in-law. Their son, Philip III of Spain, was thus Maria’s grandson and her nephew. Another first-cousin marriage between Maria’s son Albert and Philip’s daughter Clara Isabella Eugenia, however, remained childless.

After Maximilian’s death, Maria returned to Spain, where she lived out her long widowhood in a convent. She died in 1603.