Queens and Queenship in Sixteenth-Century Hungary and the Netherlands

About this episode

The episode discusses queenship in sixteenth-century Hungary and the Netherlands, focusing on Mary of Austria and her impact on politics and culture.

Why was it important for the regent of the Netherlands to be unmarried? What is the connection between a Hungarian Queen and Luther? Why did Mary of Austria sign herself as Mary of Hungary? And why is it possible to create an exhibition about these queens full of empty glass boxes? In this interview, Chris Mielke speaks with Orsolya Réthelyi, a specialist in Early Modern Queenship, and explores unexpected facts from the lives of queens in Hungary and the Netherlands. The central person of the discussion is Mary of Austria, a Hungarian Queen, who was also a regent of Law Countries and an important figure in Habsburg politics. Orsolya Réthelyi tells how the queen dealt with wars, lack of money, and Reformation, and which unique personal documents can be found about her. Then, the discussion reveals the general patterns of queenship in the sixteenth century and the cultural transformations, which were the consequences of queens moving from one country to another. In addition, the professor reveals her recent research of songs about dying queens and how they show the personalities of these famous women and the acceptance of queens among subjects. Past Perfect! is CEU Medieval Radio’s…

People in this episode

Host: Chris Mielke

Guest: Orsolya Réthelyi

Topics covered

• Queenship
• Sixteenth Century
• Hungarian History
• Netherlands History
• Habsburg Politics
• Cultural Transformations

Keywords

• Mary of Austria
• Queenship
• Habsburg
• Reformation
• Cultural Transformations
• Early Modern History
• Queens
• Hungary
• Netherlands

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: CEU Medieval Radio

Books & works: Past Perfect!

Places: Hungary, Netherlands

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