forest entranced the eye.
Still, I didn‟t see anything to compare with the sheer breadth of Spain‟s
magnificence, no austere plateaus that plunged into fertile valleys, no endlessly
changing skies. In Flanders everything seemed new, a fitting accompaniment to my
new life; and soon I was tossing coins from my purse to the crowds with a largesse
that would have been unknown in my country, reveling in the anonymous faces
gazing up at me as if I were a goddess.
_________________
IN LATE APRIL WE WENT TO THE HABSBURG KINGDOM OF AUSTRIA for a
weeklong visit with Philip‟s father, the emperor Maximilian. I was curious to meet my
exalted father-in-law, ruler of half the civilized world and inheritor of the coveted
crown of Holy Emperor. I found him a staid man of robust health and little humor.
His palace was magnificent, filled with aspiring scholars and artists seeking his favor;
and evidence of his wealth was everywhere. As a welcoming gift, he gave me a
necklace of emeralds so heavy it hurt to wear it, and we dined with him and his
second wife, the Italian-born empress., on gold plate so encrusted with gems I could
scarcely pick it up. I couldn‟t help but think of how my mother had pawned her jewels
and melted her plate to finance her wars, and how to this day she had her gowns
mended and re-mended while she painstakingly saved up the coin she needed to
reclaim her jewelry from the money-lenders.
I attended my first (and my last) bear bait at the Austrian court, held in honor of
our visit. I‟d heard of this particular custom, but nothing could have prepared me
before the pitiful roars of that proud black beast chained to a stake in the pit,
surrounded by yelling courtiers as mastiffs took turns tearing it apart. The bear
managed to gore and disembowel three of the savage dogs before it in turn was taken
down; by then I was faint from the stench of blood and entrails, and sickened by the
court‟s apparent delight in the suffering of these creatures. I rose to excuse myself,
followed by my equally green-faced ladies; Philip barely paid me mind, flushed from
his shouting and keen on winning the bets he‟d laid with his men. As I staggered from
the tiers with my hand pressed to my mouth, desperate for fresh air, I heard
Maximilian drawl, “I never heard of a Spaniard lacking for spleen when it came to
slaughter.”
I almost retorted that spleen or not, he‟d never see such barbarity exercised in
Spain. Then I recalled Cisneros‟s burning of heretics and clamped my jaw.
Nevertheless, I vowed to never again witness such gleeful torture.
I also saw firsthand the tension between Philip and his father, confirming
everything my husband had told me about their estrangement. Though they
resembled each other physically, they spoke on the most formal of terms, without a
single gesture of affection between them. When the time came for us to leave, even
their farewell was carefully rehearsed and utterly lacking in any warmth.
After that, Philip and I were obliged to separate. It would be our first time apart
since our wedding. He would continue on to the official gathering of his Estates-
General, a governing body composed of officials from the imperial states, while I
returned to Brussels. I wanted to stay with him, but he assured me I‟d be bored to
tears and he wouldn‟t have a moment to spare. “Not to mention that your presence
would be too tempting of a distraction,” he added, with a wink.
So my entourage and I returned to our palace. The afternoon following my arrival
I took to the gallery, eager to tell all those ladies who hadn‟t accompanied me about
my adventures, for I must admit, I‟d enjoyed being the center of attention and was
loath to relinquish the role.
I was so engrossed in my own splendor I almost failed to mark the timid girl who
crept tentatively toward me, a chambermaid or servant-girl, with downcast eyes.
“Your Highness, I beg your leave,” I
Still, I didn‟t see anything to compare with the sheer breadth of Spain‟s
magnificence, no austere plateaus that plunged into fertile valleys, no endlessly
changing skies. In Flanders everything seemed new, a fitting accompaniment to my
new life; and soon I was tossing coins from my purse to the crowds with a largesse
that would have been unknown in my country, reveling in the anonymous faces
gazing up at me as if I were a goddess.
_________________
IN LATE APRIL WE WENT TO THE HABSBURG KINGDOM OF AUSTRIA for a
weeklong visit with Philip‟s father, the emperor Maximilian. I was curious to meet my
exalted father-in-law, ruler of half the civilized world and inheritor of the coveted
crown of Holy Emperor. I found him a staid man of robust health and little humor.
His palace was magnificent, filled with aspiring scholars and artists seeking his favor;
and evidence of his wealth was everywhere. As a welcoming gift, he gave me a
necklace of emeralds so heavy it hurt to wear it, and we dined with him and his
second wife, the Italian-born empress., on gold plate so encrusted with gems I could
scarcely pick it up. I couldn‟t help but think of how my mother had pawned her jewels
and melted her plate to finance her wars, and how to this day she had her gowns
mended and re-mended while she painstakingly saved up the coin she needed to
reclaim her jewelry from the money-lenders.
I attended my first (and my last) bear bait at the Austrian court, held in honor of
our visit. I‟d heard of this particular custom, but nothing could have prepared me
before the pitiful roars of that proud black beast chained to a stake in the pit,
surrounded by yelling courtiers as mastiffs took turns tearing it apart. The bear
managed to gore and disembowel three of the savage dogs before it in turn was taken
down; by then I was faint from the stench of blood and entrails, and sickened by the
court‟s apparent delight in the suffering of these creatures. I rose to excuse myself,
followed by my equally green-faced ladies; Philip barely paid me mind, flushed from
his shouting and keen on winning the bets he‟d laid with his men. As I staggered from
the tiers with my hand pressed to my mouth, desperate for fresh air, I heard
Maximilian drawl, “I never heard of a Spaniard lacking for spleen when it came to
slaughter.”
I almost retorted that spleen or not, he‟d never see such barbarity exercised in
Spain. Then I recalled Cisneros‟s burning of heretics and clamped my jaw.
Nevertheless, I vowed to never again witness such gleeful torture.
I also saw firsthand the tension between Philip and his father, confirming
everything my husband had told me about their estrangement. Though they
resembled each other physically, they spoke on the most formal of terms, without a
single gesture of affection between them. When the time came for us to leave, even
their farewell was carefully rehearsed and utterly lacking in any warmth.
After that, Philip and I were obliged to separate. It would be our first time apart
since our wedding. He would continue on to the official gathering of his Estates-
General, a governing body composed of officials from the imperial states, while I
returned to Brussels. I wanted to stay with him, but he assured me I‟d be bored to
tears and he wouldn‟t have a moment to spare. “Not to mention that your presence
would be too tempting of a distraction,” he added, with a wink.
So my entourage and I returned to our palace. The afternoon following my arrival
I took to the gallery, eager to tell all those ladies who hadn‟t accompanied me about
my adventures, for I must admit, I‟d enjoyed being the center of attention and was
loath to relinquish the role.
I was so engrossed in my own splendor I almost failed to mark the timid girl who
crept tentatively toward me, a chambermaid or servant-girl, with downcast eyes.
“Your Highness, I beg your leave,” I
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