Mary of Burgundy, the daughter of Charles the Bold, died on 27 March 1482. She was the sole heir to the wealthy, refined, and powerful Duchy of Burgundy. Descended from the kings of France, England, Portugal, and Aragon, Mary embodied the perfect prototype of a fairy-tale princess: young, beautiful, educated, cultured, and – last but […]
The Holy Roman Emperor Maximilian I was born on 22 March 1459. He was the son of Emperor Frederick III and Eleanor of Portugal, whom I wrote about just a few days ago. Maximilian’s life and reign fell during the transitional period between the Middle Ages and the Renaissance. His personality reflected the ambiguity of […]
Maria Josepha of Bavaria, the second wife of Joseph II, was born on 20 March 1739 in Munich. Through their grandfathers, Emperors Joseph I and Charles VI, they were second cousins. Maria Josepha was yet another tragic example of a life overshadowed by an unhappy marriage. The widowed Joseph fiercely opposed the idea of remarrying, […]
Emperor Frederick III and Eleanor of Portugal married on 16 March 1452. This was one of the most baffling unions among the Habsburgs. Frederick’s attitude towards women was extremely reserved, to put it mildly, and he avoided committing himself until the age of 37. His choice of Eleanor, 20 years his junior, as his bride […]
Emperor Charles V and Isabella of Portugal married on 10 March 1526. This event could easily be called another ‘wedding of the century’ — though only for the Spanish branch of the Habsburgs. Through their shared grandparents, Isabella of Castile and Fernando of Aragon, the newlyweds were first cousins. While Isabella had previously declared that […]
Maria Anna of Bavaria, wife of the future Ferdinand II, died on 8 March 1616. By Habsburg standards, they were not closely related, being “only” double cousins on both their paternal and maternal sides. She was chosen as Ferdinand’s bride by his ambitious and politically active mother, herself a former Bavarian princess. Maria Anna was […]
In the mid-19th century, the beginning of March must have seemed an ominous time — at least for some members of the imperial family. On 1 and 2 March, in 1792 and 1835 respectively, two emperors — father and son, Leopold II and Francis II — passed away. It would be hard to find two […]
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