A Cyclopaedia of Female Biography/Mary of Hungary
MARY OF HUNGARY,
Daughter of Philip, King of Spain, married, in 1521, Louis, King of Hungary, who was killed in battle five years after. She was made governess of the Netherlands by her brother, Charles the Fifth, where she behaved with great courage, and opposed, successfully, Henry the Second of France. She was a friend to the Protestants, and a patroness of literature. Her fondness for field-sports procured her the name of Diana; and from her military prowess, she was called 'the mother of the camp.'
Her sagacity and penetration were of singular service to her brother, by whom she was consulted on all affairs of government. She conducted several wars with glory and success, frequently mingling on horseback with the troops. While Charles the Fifth was besieging Mentz, Mary made a diversion in Picardy, to prevent the King of France from succouring the besieged; she caused, on this occasion, great havoc, ruining seven or eight hundred villages, and burning Folembrai, a royal palace, built by Francis the First. Henry the Second of France, in retaliation, burned several of the populous towns of the Netherlands, and the royal palace of Bains, the wonder of the age. When Mary heard of this, she vowed that all France should repent the outrage; and she carried out the threat, even to cruelty, as far as she could. Henry ardently desired to take Mary prisoner, to see whether she would retain in captivity the same courageous and lofty spirit.
Her person was majestic and handsome, and her manners agreeable; her court was celebrated for the magnificence of its feasts, its tournaments, and its spectacles. She was also fond of study, particularly of the Latin authors. In 1555, she left her government of the Netherlands and returned to Spain, where she died, in 1558.