Juky 13, 1621: Death of Archduke Albrecht VII of Austria, Governor General of the Australian Netherlands

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Archbishop of Toledo, Archduke Albrecht VII of Austria, Governor General of the Austrian Netherlands, Holy Roman Emperor Maximilian II, Infanta Isabella Clara Eugenia of Spain, King Felipe II of Spain, Pope Clement VIII, Pope Gregory XIII, Pope Leo XI

Archduke Albrecht VII of Austria (November 13, 1559 – July 13, 1621) was the ruling Archduke of Austria for a few months in 1619 and, jointly with his wife, Infanta Isabella Clara Eugenia of Spain, sovereign of the Habsburg Netherlands between 1598 and 1621.

Archduke Albrecht VII of Austria

Prior to this, he had been a cardinal, archbishop of Toledo, viceroy of Portugal and Governor General of the Habsburg Netherlands. He succeeded his brother Archduke Matthias as reigning Archduke of Lower and Upper Austria, but abdicated in favor of Ferdinand II the same year, making it the shortest (and often ignored) reign in Austrian history.

Archduke Albrecht was the fifth son of Holy Roman Emperor Maximilian II and Infanta Maria of Spain, daughter of Holy Roman Emperor Charles V (King Carlos I of Spain) and Infanta Isabella of Portugal.

Archduke Albrecht was sent to the Spanish Court at the age of eleven, where his uncle, King Felipe II, looked after his education, where he was apparently quite intelligent. Initially he was meant to pursue an ecclesiastical career.

On March 3, 1577 he was appointed cardinal by Pope Gregory XIII, with a dispensation because of his age of eighteen, and was given Santa Croce in Gerusalemme as his titular church.

King Felipe II planned to make Albrecht Archbishop of Toledo as soon as possible, but the incumbent, Gaspar de Quiroga y Sandoval, lived much longer than expected; he died on November 12, 1594.

In the meantime Albrecht only took lower orders. He was never officially ordained a priest or bishop, and thus he resigned the See of Toledo in 1598. He resigned the Cardinalate in 1598.

After the dynastic union with Portugal, Albrecht became the first viceroy of the kingdom and its overseas empire in 1583. At the same time he was appointed Papal Legate and Grand Inquisitor for Portugal.

As viceroy of Portugal he took part in the organization of the Great Armada of 1588 and beat off an English counter-attack on Lisbon in 1589. In 1593 Felipe II recalled him to Madrid, where he would take a leading role in the government of the Spanish Monarchy. Two years later, the rebellious Hugh O’Neill, Earl of Tyrone and Hugh Roe O’Donnell offered Albrecht the Irish crown in the hope of obtaining Spanish support for their cause.

While pursuing a war with Spain, Albrecht made overtures for peace with Spain’s enemies, but only the French King Henri IV was disposed to enter official negotiations. Under the mediation of the papal legate Cardinal Alessandro de’Medici — the future Pope Leo XI — Spain and France concluded the Peace of Vervins on May 2, 1598.

Spain gave up its conquests, thereby restoring the situation of Cateau Cambrésis. France tacitly accepted the Spanish occupation of the prince-archbishopric of Cambray and pulled out of the war, but maintained the financial support for the Dutch Republic.

Only a few days after the treaty, on May 6, 1598, Felipe II announced his decision to marry his eldest daughter, Infanta Isabella to Archduke Albrecht and to cede them the sovereignty over the Habsburg Netherlands. The Act of Cession did however stipulate that if the couple would not have children, the Netherlands would return to Spain

Here is some background on Infanta Isabella Clara Eugenia of Spain (August 12, 1566 – December 1, 1633)

Infanta Isabella Clara Eugenia of Spain

Infanta Isabella was the eldest surviving daughter of King Felipe II of Spain and his third wife, Elisabeth of Valois, who was the eldest daughter of King Henri II of France and Catherine de’ Medici.

Engagement

At the age of two, Isabella was promised to marry her cousin Rudolph II, Holy Roman Emperor (1552 — 1612), son of her aunt Maria. However, Isabella had to wait for more than 20 years before the eccentric Rudolph declared that he had no intention of marrying anybody. Meanwhile, she served as her father’s primary caretaker during the last three years of his life, when he was plagued by gout and frequent illness.

Marriage

As mentioned King Felipe II decided to cede the Spanish Netherlands to Isabella on condition that she marry her first cousin, Albrecht VII, Archduke of Austria. He was her former fiancé’s younger brother the former Viceroy.

Archduke Albrecht VII and Archduchess Isabella of Austria, Sovereigns of the Austrian Netherlands

They were to reign over the Netherlands jointly and be succeeded by their descendants according to the male-preference cognatic primogeniture but should a female succeed, she was required to marry the King of Spain or the person chosen by the King of Spain.

It was stipulated that, should they have no children, the Netherlands would revert to the King of Spain upon the death of either spouse.

As Albrecht was the Archbishop of Toledo, he had to be released from his religious commitments by Pope Clement VIII before the wedding could take place.

Shortly before King Felipe II died on September 13, 1598, he resigned the thrones of the Netherlands in favor of Isabella and her fiancé. The Pope celebrated the union by procuration on November 15, at Ferrera. On April 18, 1599, 33-year-old Isabella married the 40 year old Albrecht in Valencia.

April 2, 1545: Birth of Elisabeth of Valois, Queen Consort of Spain

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Carlos I of Spain, Catherine de Médici, Charles V, Elisabeth of Valois, Felipe II of Spain, Infanta Isabella Clara Eugenia of Spain, King Henri II of France, Philip II of Spain

Elisabeth of Valois (April 2, 1545 – October 3, 1568) was a Spanish queen consort as the third spouse of Felipe II of Spain.

She was born in the Château de Fontainebleau, the eldest daughter of Henri II of France and Catherine de’ Medici.

She was raised under the supervision of the governor and governess of the royal children, Jean d’Humières and Françoise d’Humières. Her childhood was spent in the French royal nursery, where her father insisted she share her bedroom with her future sister-in-law, Mary, Queen of Scots, who was about three years older than Elisabeth.

Even though Elisabeth had to give precedence to Mary (since Mary was already a crowned queen), the two would remain close friends for the rest of their lives. While it is acknowledged that her sister Margaret and her future sister-in-law Mary were prettier than she, she was one of Catherine’s attractive daughters. Elisabeth was also described as being shy, timid and very much in awe of her formidable mother; although there is also evidence that Catherine was tender and loving toward Elisabeth.

In 1550, Elisabeth’s father, Henri II, began negotiations for her marriage to Edward VI of England. This arrangement brought condemnation from Pope Julius III who reportedly stated that he would excommunicate both if they married. Henri II, undeterred, agreed to a 200,000 ecus dowry, which became irrelevant upon Edward’s death in 1553.

Elisabeth had originally been betrothed to Felipe II’s son, Carlos, Prince of Asturias, but political complications unexpectedly necessitated instead a marriage to Philip.

Elisabeth married Felipe II of Spain son of Charles V, Holy Roman Emperor, (Carlos I of Spain) and Isabella of Portugal in 1559. Originally married via proxy at Notre Dame (with Fernando Álvarez de Toledo, 3rd Duke of Alba standing in for Felipe) prior to leaving France, the actual ceremony took place in Guadalajara, Spain, upon her arrival. The marriage was a result of the Peace of Cateau Cambrésis (1559). His second wife, Mary I of England, had recently died, making Elisabeth of Valois Felipe II’s third wife.

Felipe II of Spain

Felipe II was completely enchanted by his 14-year-old bride, (Felipe II was 32 at the time of his marriage) and by 1564 had given up his infidelities. Despite the significant age difference, Elisabeth was also quite pleased with her husband. (In letters to her mother, she proclaimed herself to be fortunate to have married so charming a prince.)

Her relationship with her troubled stepson Carlos was warm and friendly. Despite reports of his progressively bizarre behavior, Carlos was always kind and gentle to Elisabeth. When it eventually became necessary for Felipe to lock him away (which shortly led to the Prince’s demise), Elisabeth cried for days.

Felipe II was very attached to Elisabeth, staying close by her side even when she was ill with smallpox. Elisabeth’s first pregnancy in 1564 ended with a miscarriage of twin girls. She later gave birth to Infanta Isabella Clara Eugenia of Spain on August 12, 1566, and then to Isabella’s younger sister Catherine Michelle of Spain on October 10, 1567.

Queen Elisabeth and Infanta Isabella Clara Eugenia of Spain

Felipe II and Elisabeth were very close to both of their daughters buying them jams, dolls, toys and more. It is said ‘ both rejoiced at the birth of Isabella as if it had been the birth of a son’. Elisabeth had another miscarriage on 3 October 1568, and died the same day, along with her newborn infant daughter.

After the death of Elisabeth, Catherine de’ Medici offered her younger daughter Margaret as a bride for Felipe. Felipe declined the offer.

In 1570 Felipe II married his niece Archduchess Anna of Austria, the daughter of Infanta Maria of Spain, (sister of Felipe II) and Maximilian II, Holy Roman Emperor, who were first cousins. She was born in Spain during the reign of her maternal grandfather, Emperor Charles V, (Carlos I) her future husbands father, but lived in Vienna from the age of four.
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