The First Governess of the Netherlands, Margaret of Austria

A biographical study traces the life and career of Margaret of Austria, following her early marriages and widowhoods, her cultivation of art and piety, and her long service as regent in the Low Countries. It recounts her diplomatic activity amid shifting alliances, her role in episodes such as the League of Cambrai and negotiations leading to the capture of Francis I and the Ladies' Peace, and her personal correspondence and patronage. The narrative examines her commissioning of the Church of Brou, household inventories and library, a poignant private love affair, and the political challenges she managed while shaping a cultured court and leaving a lasting funerary monument.