Maria Magdalena von Habsburg

Maria Maddalena of Austria (7 October 1589 – 1 November 1631) was grand duchess of Tuscany from her husband's accession in 1609 until his death in 1621. With him, she had eight children, including a duchess of Parma, a grand duke of Tuscany, and an archduchess of Further Austria. She was the youngest daughter of Charles II, Archduke of Inner Austria, and his wife Maria Anna of Bavaria. During the minority of her son, Grand Duke Ferdinando, she and her mother-in-law acted as regents. She died on 1 November 1631 in Padua.

Contents [hide]

1 Biography

1.1 Marriage

1.2 Regency

2 Issue

3 Ancestors

4 Citations

5 Bibliography

[edit]Biography

Born in Graz, she was the penultimate child and youngest daughter of Charles II, Archduke of Inner Austria, and his wife Maria Anna of Bavaria.

[edit]Marriage

In 1608, Maria Maddalena was married to Cosimo de' Medici, Grand Prince of Tuscany. Grand Duke Ferdinando I de' Medici, the bridegroom's father, arranged the marriage as to assuage Spain's (where Maria Maddalena's sister was the incumbent queen) animosity towards Tuscany, which had been inflamed due to a string of Franco-Tuscan marriages.[1]

[edit]Regency

Cosimo and herself enjoyed a contented marriage. Together, they had eight children. Cosimo II died in 1621, leaving their ten-year old son Ferdinando as grand duke. Maria Maddalena and her mother-in-law, Christina of Lorraine, acted as regents until the boy came of age. Their collective regency is known as the Turtici. Maria Maddelana's temperament was analogous to Christina's. Together, they aligned Tuscany with the Papacy; re-doubled the Tuscan clergy; and allowed the trial of Galileo Galilei to occur.[2] Upon the death of the last Duke of Urbino, instead of claiming the duchy for Ferdinando, who was married his granddaughter, and heiress, Vittoria della Rovere, they permitted it to be annexed by Pope Urban VIII. In 1626, they banned any Tuscan subject from being educated outside the Grand Duchy, a law later resurrected by Maria Maddalena's grandson, Cosimo III.[3] Harold Acton ascribes the decline of Tuscany to their regency.[3] The Dowager Grand Duchesses sent Ferdinando on a tour of Europe in 1627.[4] She died in 1631, in Padua, one year before her son took over the reigns of government.

[edit]Issue

Maria Maddalena with the Grand Duke Cosimo II and their elder son, Ferdinando

Maria Cristina ( 24 August 1609 – 9 August 1632)

Ferdinando ( 14 July 1610 – 23 May 1670), who married Vittoria della Rovere, the daughter of Francesco Ubaldo della Rovere, Prince of Urbino.

Gian Carlo ( 24 July 1611– 23 January 1663), made Cardinal in 1644.

Margherita ( 31 May 1612 – 6 February 1679), married Odoardo Farnese, Duke of Parma

Mattias de' Medici ( 9 May 1613 – 14 October 1667), governor of Siena

Francesco ( 16 October 1614 – 25 July 1634)

Anna ( 21 July 1616 – 11 September 1676) who married Archduke Ferdinand Charles of Austria

Leopoldo ( 6 November 1617 – 10 November 1675), made Cardinal in 1667.

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