The First Governess of the Netherlands, Margaret of AustriaTremayne, Eleanor E.
History
The First Governess of the Netherlands, Margaret of Austria
Tremayne, Eleanor E.
Margaret, of Austria, Regent of the Netherlands, 1480-1530; Netherlands -- History -- Charles V, 1506-1555
The series of objections from the Council, and Margaret's firm
determination, are still more apparent in the following quaint
dialogue recorded by a witness in Paradin's _Chronique de
Savoie_:--'When several prominent people pointed out that as she was
the daughter of a great Emperor, and had been Queen of France, and had
since married so great and famous a Prince, she would be put to heavy
and intolerable expense in order to accomplish something worthy of her
greatness, she replied that God would take care of the expense. They,
moreover, said to her: "Madame, possibly you regret that the body of
Madame, his mother, is buried in this little place of Brou; a
dispensation could easily be procured from the Pope to carry it
elsewhere"; she answered, no dispensation was needed for a thing one
could do oneself; they also put before her that after she had done
what she intended, if a war should break out in this country, the
enemy could retire and quarter themselves there, and from thence fight
the town, which in the end would mean the destruction of the
monastery. Margaret replied: "The power of princes is nowadays so
greatly increased by artillery that should Bourg be besieged there
would be no need to wait for the attack." They then pointed out that
in the church of Notre-Dame de Bourg there was a very fine beginning,
and that if it pleased her to employ what she wished to spend on this
monastery, she would have the prayers of ten million people, for
every one in Bourg goes once a day to pray in the said church of
Notre-Dame. To that my said lady replied, shedding big tears: "You say
truly, and it is my greatest regret, but if I did as you say, the vow
would not be accomplished which by the help of God I shall fulfil."
These are the objections that were made, and the replies which she
gave when they tried to persuade her to give up this enterprise.'
Margaret had already had the plans and estimates drawn up for the
church and monastery of Brou, with the help of Laurent de Gorrevod,
Governor of Bresse. The estimate was given to the workmen in the early
spring of 1505, and the first stone of the sanctuary laid by the
princess herself in the spring of the following year.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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