Maria, Queen, consort of Louis II, King of Bohemia and Hungary, 1505-1558

Mary of Austria (15 September 1505 – 18 October 1558), also known as Mary of Hungary, was Queen of Hungary and Bohemia as the wife of King Louis II, and was later governor of the Habsburg Netherlands. The daughter of Queen Joanna and King Philip I of Castile, Mary married King Louis II of Hungary and Bohemia in 1515. Their marriage was happy but short and childless. Upon her husband's death following the Battle of Mohács in 1526, Queen Mary governed Hungary as regent in the name of the new king, her brother, Ferdinand I. Following the death of their aunt Margaret in 1530, Mary was asked by her eldest brother, Charles V, Holy Roman Emperor, to assume the governance of the Netherlands and guardianship over their nieces, Dorothea and Christina of Denmark. As governor of the Netherlands, Mary faced riots and a difficult relationship with the Emperor. Throughout her tenure she continuously attempted to ensure peace between the Emperor and the King of France. Although she never enjoyed governing and asked for permission to resign several times, the Queen succeeded in creating a unity between the provinces, securing for them a measure of independence from both France and the Holy Roman Empire as well as in creating of a permanent navy for Netherlands alongside Maximilian of Burgundy and Cornelis de Schepper. After her final resignation, the very frail Queen moved to Castile, where she died.