Maria, known to her family as Maria de Medici is the wife of the Emperor Charles V and mother of Emperor Charles VI. Maria had been expected to live an entirely sheltered life; it was only upon her marriage to a Spanish nobleman, who had a disastrous influence on her mind, did Maria lose touch with her roots. The nobility of Spain loved to make their ladies “more Roman”, by means of elaborate court ceremonial and costumes; this included dressing them in elaborate bridal gowns and headdresses. Maria was made to wear clothes that exceeded even those worn by the royal families of her home country; and so it was not surprising that Maria’s personality began to rebel when her husband divorced her in 1575. Charles VI rewarded Maria’s loyalty by giving her the governorship of a small Spanish province named Arrecifea, which was to be given to her as a reward for her loyalty.
Maria enjoyed her position, and it was not long before she found her true calling; but it was not until she visited the Netherlands, that Maria truly became aware of the depth of her religious convictions. In that region of Europe, where the Catholic Church has maintained the strictest form of morality, it is unusual for a woman to hold any office of public employment; yet Maria, in an effort to bring justice to the suffering people of the Lowlands, made a vow of obedience to the Pope and in 1586 entered into the Order of Sant Celia, which was headed by the Queen Anne of Cleves. Her appointment as first Superior General of the Sant Celia brought with it certain obligations, such as obedience to the wishes of her superior and the acceptance of the authority of the Pope. Maria refused to renounce her vows of loyalty to the Pope and her position as superior general, and in order to protect her position she carried out the commission given to her in 1587, by conspiring with the archduke of Burgundy, to cause the arrest of the king of Spain and the queen, which would end in the deposition of the Spanish king and queen, Henry IV and Elizabeth of England.
Maria remained at her post for almost twenty years, until 1593 when her position as Queen consort was terminated; and she retired to her country house at Fontainhas, in Spain, where she died of a heart attack. She was buried at the place where her body was discovered. Her remains were exhumed and found to be in a good condition, though the skeleton was not discovered. Maria’s life, history and experiences are connected with one another through the medium of art, and many paintings, sculptures and paintings have been inspired by her life.