History
article | Reading time4 min
The royal monastery of Brou cannot be understood without the personality of its founder, Margaret of Austria (1480-1530). Discover her romantic history marked by tragedies, politics, love and art.
A tormented destiny
1504.
A 24 years old woman suffers the death of her third husband, Philibert le Beau, a husband she cherished. This young woman with a broken heart is Marguerite of Austria.
Margaret of Austria was the daughter of Maximilian I, emperor of the Holy Roman Empire, and Mary of Burgundy, the last heiress of the Grand Dukes of the West
. At the heart of diplomatic negotiations, the beginning of her life was marked by misfortune.
At the age of two, she lost her mother who fell from a horse. At the age of three, she was married by her father to the Dauphin, the future king of France Charles VIII, who ended up repudiating her ten years later. Remarried at 17 to the Infant of Spain, she became a widow after a few months and lost the child she was carrying.
After having been promised queen of France, then queen of Spain, Marguerite of Austria becomes duchess of Savoy during a third alliance. She lives with Philibert le Beau, duke of Savoy, an enchanted parenthesis.
But this happiness ends when the young duke dies suddenly. To overcome her grief, Marguerite of Austria decides to launch the construction of the . Against the advice of all She imposed this new construction site and obtained the approval of the pope.
First built in honor of her beloved husband, she decided a few years later to rest there as well. The church thus shelters three : one for Philibert, one for Philibert's mother and one for Marguerite of Austria.
© Hugo Maertens
An influential woman
If the beginning of her life is similar to that of a " unlucky princess ", Marguerite of Austria makes of these tests a force and becomes a powerful woman.
Refusing to remarry, she preferred to remain faithful to her deceased husband and thus enjoyed theindependence of widows. She raised her nieces and nephews, including the future emperor Charles V, who appointed her regent of the Netherlands.
Marguerite of Austria played a key diplomatic role in the construction of Europe. As the "author of peace", she pacified relations between the Empire and France, ensuring the prosperity of its territories.
It was she who negotiated the treaty of Cambrai in 1529, known as the "Peace of the Ladies", putting an end to fifteen years of war between her two nephews, Charles V and Francis I. A powerful politician, Marguerite of Austria was also one of the greatest art collectors of her time.
Occupied until her death in 1530 by her influential position, Marguerite of Austria never saw with her own eyes the completed monastery of Brou, although she followed its construction from a distance in the smallest details. Her motto " Fortune fortune one "which means " Fate torments a woman greatly ", remains engraved on her tomb.
As you walk through the church, you will also notice the intertwined letters P&M carved throughout the stone, an eternal symbol of the love that founded the monastery.
© Franck Paubel
In the steps of Marguerite !
Throughout your In this exhibition, you will discover works related to the history of Margaret of Austria in order to better understand her singular destiny. In the old apartments where she planned to retire to end her days, you are invited to meet the founder of the monastery by following the three representative themes of her life:love, power andart.
© Laurence Danière