Statue of Margaret of Austria - Mechelen

The statue of Margaret of Austria is located on Mechelen's Schönmarkt . He was one of the most important figures in the history of Mechelen .

The city flourished under her. At that time, Mechelen was not only the judicial capital of the Netherlands, but also the administrative capital.

He was born in Brussels in 1480. Last but not least, his parents were Emperor Maximilian I of Austria and Maria von Burgundy.

Her first husband, Joan of Aragon-Castella, heir to the throne of Spain, died of tuberculosis a few months after the marriage in 1497. In the deal, Margareta gave birth to a stillborn daughter . A few years later (1501) she remarried Philibert II, Duke of Savoy. Three years later , her beloved husband died from drinking copious amounts of ice water after a hot day's hunting.

Margareta remained a widow for the rest of her life . He processed his grief in poems in French.

Willem Vandenameele