54 - The Widowed Bride
From History of the Netherlands by Republic of Amsterdam Radio
April 28, 2025 · 59 min · Episode 54
About this episode
The episode discusses the life of Margaret of Austria after the death of Prince Juan and her subsequent political matchmaking by her father.
After Prince Juan’s death in 1497, Margaret of Austria spent almost two years in mourning in Spain, being treated with empathy and kindness by the Catholic Monarchs Isabella and Ferdinand. Margaret’s sudden singleness meant that, whether she liked it or not, her father Maximilian was going to update her profile on the Tinder for European royalty, and start swiping through every eligible prince or king throughout the continent to see how he could next use his daughter for his own political gains. We will sort through the prospective matches and, while Margaret travels through France on her way back home, we’ll make a detour there ourselves for a game of royal tennis which will end in a royal death, divorce and subsequent sex scandal. Salacious! Margaret of Austria arrived back in Ghent in March 1500, just in time to be present at the christening of her nephew, Charles, a grandiose celebration such as had not been seen in the Low Countries before, even including a fire breathing dragon. In the aftermath, Margaret’s future would once again be discussed within the various courts of Europe and she would be married off for a third and final time, this time to Philibert the Handsome…
Topics covered
- Margaret of Austria
- European royalty
- political marriage
- historical events
- royal tennis
Keywords
- widowed bride
- Catholic Monarchs
- Maximilian
- Philibert the Handsome
- Duke of Savoy
Mentioned in this episode
Places: Austria, Spain, France, Ghent, the Low Countries, Europe
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