by Emily McMahon
June 20 2010
Most of us are aware that the Habsburg Dynasty acquired a great deal of their vast territory through two marriages that took place in 1477 and 1496 between Maximilian I, Holy Roman Emperor and Mary of Burgundy, and between their son Phillip and Juana of Spain. The German-Italian county of Tyrol, however, came to the Habsburgs a century earlier and under far more colorful circumstances. The story of Margaret of Tyrol is one of bigamy, Church propaganda, and misogyny that had an unexpected echo in visual art and literature of the 17th and 19th centuries.
Margaret was born in 1318, the only surviving child of Henry of Gorizia-Tyrol and Adelaide of Brunswick-Grubenhagen. Henry appeared to be aware that leaving a single daughter as an heir was indeed a precarious situation. Henry made early arrangements for his daughter’s marriage to John Henry of Luxembourg and assurance of her succession in Tyrol and Carinthia. The marriage to John Henry would not only protect Margaret, but it would also reunite her with lands in Bohemia that John Henry’s father had taken from Henry of Gorizia-Tyrol. Nevertheless, the Habsburgs succeeded to Carinthia and Margaret had to fight her way into inheriting Tyrol.
Margaret had married John Henry in 1330 when both were still children. Margaret’s father died in 1335 and she became Countess of Tyrol. John Henry did not seem to progress much past their marriage. With an arrogant, immature spouse that was disliked by her Tyrolean subject, Margaret sought to distance herself from John Henry. Charles IV – the future Holy Roman Emperor – tried to intervene, but had little success in reuniting the mismatched couple and providing stability in the duchy. In 1341, Margaret had finally had enough and forbid John Henry from her lands and possessions.
Like her father, Margaret was aware of her vulnerability and knew she needed some sort of support in the wake of her separation. She turned to the dashing Louis V, Duke of Bavaria. Louis was happy with the possibility of bringing Tyrol into his family (the Wittelsbachs), who were gaining more prominence in southern Germany. A union that benefited both parties, Louis and Margaret married in 1342 – even though Margaret was not divorced from John Henry.
Louis declared his new wife’s marriage to John Henry to be invalid as it was supposedly unconsummated. This action was supported by William of Ockham and Marsilius of Padua, leading scholars of the time. Charles IV used military force on Tyrol to break up the new union and defend his family’s honor, but was forced to withdraw. It appeared at first as though Margaret had won in obtaining independence from her insufferable husband.
Margaret had left John Henry during the height of the Avignon Papacy, a 70 year period in which the French monarchy held considerable control over the papal court, so much so that the popes resided in Avignon during this time. The newest pope, Clement VI, was decided Francophile with few sympathies to his other subjects. Clement responded to the marriage of Margaret and Louis by excommunicating both and placing an interdict on Tyrol. It was around this time that Margaret earned the nickname “Maultasch,” which translated as “bag mouth.” This may have referred to Margaret’s supposed wide mouth and possible jaw deformity. More likely, this name had a more unsavory meaning that suggested Margaret being loose with her sexual favors. Either way, it was hardly a flattering title.
Margaret and John Henry were divorced by canon law in 1349. By this time, Margaret and Louis had two sons – Hermann and Meinhard. In 1359, the more judicious Pope Innocent VI absolved Margaret and Louis of their excommunication and lifted the interdict from Tyrol. Margaret seemed to have weathered the storm and emerged with her dignity – and her lands – intact.
The peace was to last for a very short time. In 1360, Hermann died at age 17. Louis died suddenly the following year with Meinhard as his heir. Meinhard was in a good position having been married to Margaret of Austria, the sister of Rudolf IV of Austria and a powerful ally. Finally, in 1363, Meinhard died as well, just before his twentieth birthday. He did not leave any surviving children.
Margaret was now completely vulnerable, as Louis’s younger brother Stephen claimed not only Louis’s lands, but Tyrol as well. After fighting for her lands over two marriages, the loss of her reputation, and the deaths of all of her family members, Margaret finally willed Tyrol to Rudolf IV. Margaret then retired to Vienna, where she died in 1369. Tyrol was now part of the Habsburg domain, where it would stay for nearly six centuries.
Margaret’s legacy was not her determination to keep her lands, her colorful marital history, or the tragic end of her line, but of the Maultasch moniker. Although contemporary paintings portray Margaret as a well-dressed and attractive aristocrat, Flemish painter Quentin Matsys may have used Margaret as an inspiration for his 1515 portrait aptly titled A Grotesque Old Woman, also known as The Ugly Duchess. The portrait is based on a portrait by Leonardo da Vinci and is now displayed in the National Gallery in London. Margaret’s supposed likeness is also echoed in Sir John Tenniel’s illustrations of the Duchess in Lewis Carroll’s Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland. Margaret’s life also inspired a 21st-century play – also titled The Ugly Duchess – based on her legendary appearance and tragic life. Margaret’s character in the play is generally played by a man.
Ironically, this portrayal of Margaret is symbolic of the overall course of her life as a woman being played by a series of men. Like many other women of her time, Margaret spent most of it as a pawn amongst men wanting to control her lands. Margaret’s one big act of independence – the escape from her first marriage – led her into the arms of another man and earned her a lurid nickname that has outlived her by six and a half centuries. Although Margaret lost her battle to keep her lands, her famous name will always be tied to her beloved Tyrol.