Vlissingen

Margaretha of Austria was the aunt of Emperor Charles and regent of the Netherlands. Margaretha of Austria was born in 1480 under a favorable star. As the daughter of Mary of Burgundy and Maximilian of Austria, she was well aware that she would not have to worry about financial matters for the rest of her days. But a person does not find happiness from money alone, and Margaretha quickly realized that it was love that would give her life added value. As a girl of good lineage, she was not shy about suitors. On the contrary, she was barely three, still in her toddler shoes, when she was already betrothed to Charles of Valois, the son of Louis XI, the French king.

You must understand that marriages were a wonderful political move at that time. Despite all romantic connotations, 'Le petit Charlet' was 10 years older than his bride and not exactly world-renowned for his 'good looks': he was a little dwarf with crooked legs, a hollow chest, narrow shoulders, and a large head. Nevertheless, he proved to be an extremely suitable partner for Margaretha, who would in turn be prepared to become a worthy French queen. For that reason, it was agreed that Margaretha would live at the French court until she was 12 years old, after which she would begin married life with her husband. For nine long years, she was eagerly waiting, and when it finally happened, it turned out that Charles had set his sights on Anne of Brittany and wanted nothing more to do with his little Margrietje. She was mercilessly sent back to Mechelen with the excuse that the marriage had never been consummated in all those years, as Margaretha and he had never shared a bed together. Consequently, it could not truly be referred to as a marriage.

Margaretha was obviously heartbroken. She returned to Mechelen, locked herself away, and swore to herself: 'I will never fall in love again, I will never marry again.' But her words were barely out when a new suitor presented himself. This time, it was Juan of Spain, the son of Isabella of Castile and Ferdinand of Aragon, who was the lucky one. And Margaretha was feeling optimistic about it all. The two decided to marry, and right after the wedding, Margriet was to take her furniture and belongings on a boat to Spain to live with her husband.

The journey departed from Vlissingen. However, the ship was hardly out at sea when, as you might guess, an incredible hurricane arose. Margaretha must have thought to herself: 'I will never make it out of here alive.' So like providence itself, she began to draft her epitaph. Apparently, she was quite traumatized by her previous marriage experience and also quite frustrated about why her first marriage had ended in disaster, as she solemnly wrote: 'Here rests Margaretha of Austria, noble maiden, twice married... and still a virgin.' By a miracle, the ship emerged from the storm unscathed, and Margaretha arrived safely in Spain. It turned out to be true love between her and Juan. The passion flared high, and before long, Margaretha was pregnant. The newlywed couple could not contain their happiness, and Juan's love for his lady was boundless. He had given her his whole heart, and unfortunately, he did not have such a strong heart. The passion and desire became a bit too much for him, and six months after their first wedding night, he suffered a heart attack and died suddenly as a result. Margaretha no longer knew where she stood, and to make matters worse, her child was stillborn a few weeks later. She threatened to sink into depression and returned to Mechelen, where she locked herself away and once again swore to herself to never fall in love or marry again.
However, she had hardly climbed out of the black hole when a new marriage candidate announced himself. This time it was Philibert of Savoy who came to her with...

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