Maria of Austria was born on 21 June 1528 as the second child and eldest daughter of Charles V, Holy Roman Emperor and Isabella of Portugal. Of her seven siblings, only her elder brother Philip (the future King Philip II of Spain) and her younger sister Joanna (born in 1535) survived to adulthood. Through her marriage to her first cousin Maximilian, she eventually became Holy Roman Empress and the mother of 16 children, of whom seven survived to adulthood. Several years after her husband’s death, she returned to Spain with her youngest daughter, where she received special permission to live in the Convent of Las Descalzas Reales without becoming a nun.
Maria of Austria, Holy Roman Empress (1528-1603) by Rubén González Cuerva is the first English-language biography about Maria, and the different chapters cover the different roles she played during her lifetime. Despite its scholarly providence, I found it easy to read and quite suitable for the average reader. Maria was quite an interesting figure, and I was especially surprised at how she spent her last years with her daughter in the convent. For the late medieval woman, she had certainly fulfilled all the roles expected of her, though she still kept her own voice throughout.
Maria of Austria, Holy Roman Empress (1528-1603) by Rubén González Cuerva is a beautiful read, and if I had to say something I did not like, it would be the choice of image cover for this book – it does not entice me to want to read this book.
Maria of Austria, Holy Roman Empress (1528-1603) by Rubén González Cuerva is available now in the UK and the US.
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