Auf den Spuren der weiberhandlung. Gender, Space und Agency in der Casa de Austria im 16. Jahrhundert

Abstract

This article delineates the contours of female and male dominated negotiation spaces at the imperial Habsburg court in early modern times, and thereby aims to outline the Empress’s spheres of influence and her political agency in interaction with different court members. What kinds of negotiation spaces were accessible to a Habsburg Empress in the second half of the sixteenth century? Or to be more concrete: how can we trace the scope of action of Empress Maria of Austria (1528–1603) during her marriage with Maximilian II (1527–1576)? Which categories are useful to analyse her scope of action at the imperial court? As a first step, the article’s introduction frames the topic by using three categories of analysis – Gender, Space and Agency – also tapping into the explanatory power of the historical term weiberhandlung (women’s action). Secondly, the article introduces both male and female dominated spaces at the imperial court. Their distinctive features are elaborated upon in more detail with regard to the Empress’s scope of action. Finally, the conclusion argues that only a combined analysis of both male and female dominated spaces at the imperial court can provide us with specific insights into the courtly negotiation spaces because those spaces complemented and mutually affected each other.