Margaret, Queen of Spain, passed away on 3 October 1611. She was the granddaughter of Emperor Ferdinand I and the sister of the future Emperor Ferdinand II. At the age of fifteen, she reluctantly married her first cousin once removed, Philip III of Spain.
At the Spanish court, Margaret had to contend with the real ruler of the realm, the Duke of Lerma, favourite of her affectionate but politically weak husband. In this struggle, she was supported by her aunt by marriage, Maria — the widow of Emperor Maximilian II and paternal aunt of Philip III — who had retired to Madrid. Together with the Empress Dowager’s youngest daughter, the nun Sister Margaret of the Cross, the three women formed a circle of politically astute and consistent figures at court.
During her twelve-year marriage, Margaret bore eight children, including the future king Philip IV. Among her daughters, the best known were Anna Maria Mauricia and Maria Anna, who married Louis XIII of France and Emperor Ferdinand III, respectively. Through them, Margaret became grandmother to the two great rivals of 17th-century Europe: Louis XIV of France and Emperor Leopold I. She died at the age of twenty-six, shortly after giving birth to her youngest son.
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