A woman of power: Exhibition shines a light on Mary of Hungary’s influential role in the Low Countries

The formidable figure of Mary of Hungary, the sister of Charles V and governor of the Low Countries, is finally honoured in Belgium in a major exhibition at the Royal Museum of Mariemont.

Mary of Hungary. Art and Power in the Renaissance offers and immersion into a critical period of Belgian and European history through the prism of the Hapsburg family sage. As part of Europalia Espana, the arts festival that has long collaborated with the Hainaut museum and domain.

Occupying a linchpin role in the powerful House of Hapsburg, Mary wielded considerabe political and artistic influence during the first half of the 16th century. Born in Brussels and raised in Mechelen, she was an avid huntswoman, exercised a keen interest in military architecture and innovation, and was a major patron of the arts.

This is also a personal and symbolic show for Mariemont, the museum and domain that is named after the royal figure. Mary established a hunting lodge on the forested site near La Louvière, as well as a resplendent royal palace in nearby Binche. It is one reason the history exhibition focuses on the 20 year span from 1539 to 1559 when the Hapsburg noble lavishly transformed the region into a political and artistic powerhouse that was the envy of Europe.

“This was a crucial period in terms of the art and power exercised. When talking about the Hapsburgs and the international ramifications today, you need focus,” insists Krista De Jonge, a professor at KU Leuven and co-curator of the exhibition with museum director Gilles Docquier.

In celebrating for the first time its founding figure, Mariemont not only displays some of the prestigious works from its own collection of classical antiquity treasures, it welcome loans from over 40 museums and private collections, including portraits attributed to Titian.

Paintings, sculptures, drawings, engravings, manuscripts, goldsmith works and archival documents explore the context in which Mary of Hungary lived and operated during this fascinating Renaissance period. They are enlivened by multimedia sound and visual installations that recreate the artistry of the Renaissance.

Spanning five sections, the ambitious exhibition launches with an introduction to the three figures at its heart of its story: Mary of Hungary, her older brother Emperor Charles V who reigned over much of Europe, and his son and heir, the future Philippe II.

After marrying King Louis of Hungary at the age of 17, Mary was widowed four years later when her husband died on the battlefield. She then wisely chose to remain a widow. “Beneath the guise of a widow, she was a free woman,” points out De Jonge. This was an era when princesses were essentially commodities to be traded in dynastic marriages and Mary clearly understood her supporting role in the family.

It was this loyalty as well as her indisputable attributes that were rewarded in 1531 when her brother appointed her governor of the Low Countries. After settling into the Palace of Coudenberg in Brussels, she immediately commissioned the construction of a vast gallery in the style of a male sovereign, explains De Jonghe. Mary established an influential court and conducted secret council meetings in her quarters, while also commissioning paintings and portraits by established artists.

A series of remarkably preserved hand-written charts, as well as engravings and portraits, attest to the Hapsburg’s reign over significant territories in Europe. But the dynasty was at risk from uprisings. After Charles V’s wife Isabella of Portugal died in 1539, Mary played a crucial role in ensuring the succession his only son, Philip II. As he was raised in Spain, she helped elevate his profile by overseeing all the joyous entries he made in the Low Countries in the presence of his father. The orchestrated campaign was a deliberate propaganda ploy to shore up the family’s waning power, alongside the visual reminders of their influence in the art works affirming their authority.  

A grateful Charles V granted his younger sister the provostship of Binche in Hainaut, where she established a new home, a sumptuous palace designed in an avant-garde style by local architect Jacques Du Broeucq, as well as the hunting lodge at Mariemont. It was here that the series of joyous entries culminated in 1549, in an eight-day celebration encompassing balls, banquets and a mock battle involving hundreds of extras.

A unique digital installation brings the spectacle alive with the help of a surviving rare watercolour of the palace ballroom. Via headsets, visitors can listen to a recreation of the music and soundscape of the occasion, including dancing and feasting.

But Mary’s powerful position made her a target for Hapsburg enemies. Just a few years later, Henry II of France’s invading troops completely destroyed the palace and hunting lodge. Even the trees that had been carefully transplanted from the Sonian forest were uprooted.

One section of the exhibition is devoted to the changing landscape and architecture of Mariemont. A large-scale modern installation reveals how the geography of the site has evolved over the years. It is overlooked by an exceptional restored 16th-century tapestry believed to depict the Mariemont hunting lodge, which has recently been acquired by the museum’s circle of benefactors.

A final space outlines the end of the Hapsburg era as Charles V takes the unprecedented step of abdicating following illness and various defeats. Mary was key to the transfer of power as the Hapsburgs retreated to Spain from where they ruled over the Spanish Netherlands as the Low Countries were now known.

Within this family saga, “Mary was an exceptional woman who played a prominent role in what was one of the crucial battlegrounds of the era,” says De Jonghe. Possessing the latest editions of military manuals in several languages, she fortified territories and would personally inspect buildings rather than delegate to her nobles. “There’s absolute intelligence and she’s clearly a political animal, not adverse to blackmail,” adds the curator. Even if her name has remained alive over the centuries since her death in 1558, “history is written by males for males.”

For De Jonghe, the exhibition’s focus on an important era for European identity is relevant today. “I don’t believe in history as prefiguration but there is a comparison to make, especially as we are in a time of war. It is not only topical, its a part of history that we should be aware of.”

The multimedia heritage exhibits, a result of academic research at KU Leuven, brings alive Renaissance arts and architecture as part of the European Mary4all project. It employs innovation to connect the public with a rich period in European history where few vestiges remain.

A free audio guide accompanies visitors around the exhibition and a special itinerary is available for children.

Mary of Hungary. Art and Power in the Renaissance
Until 10 May
Domain & Royal Museum of Mariemont
Chaussée de Morlanwelz 100
Mariemont (Hainaut)

Photos: (main image) ©Paris, Les Arts décoratifs, photo Jean Tholance; Château and park of Mariemon in 1620 ©Musées royaux des Beaux-Arts de Belgique, photo J Geleyns; Commemorative medal of Mary's regency ©Musée royal de Mariemont; museum foyer ©Sarah Crew; exhibition view ©BE CULTURE; Animation de l'aquarelle du palais de Binche ©KU Leuven & RicercarLab-MARY4ALL 2025; exhibition view ©BE CULTURE; Map of county of Hainaut ©Musée royal de Mariemont