Margaret of Burgundy, Duchess of Bavaria

Margaret of Burgundy (October 1374 – 8 March 1441) was Duchess of Bavaria as the wife of Duke William II. She acted as regent in Hainaut in the absence of her husband between 1404 and 1417.

Life Margaret was the third child and first daughter out of nine children born to Philip II, Duke of Burgundy, and Margaret III, Countess of Flanders. Margaret's father used the marriages of his children to achieve far-sighted goals. In keeping with this strategy, Margaret and her brother John were wedded in a double marriage to William of Bavaria and his sister Margaret. This marriage, celebrated on 12 April 1385 in Cambrai, would later influence the union of Hainaut and Holland with Burgundy and Flanders, as carried out by Margaret's nephew Philip the Good.

Margaret exerted a lot of political influence during the reign of her spouse: William ruled both Holland and Hainaut, but preferred Holland and spent a lot of his reign there. Margaret thus governed Hainaut in his name.

After 16 years of childless marriage, Margaret gave birth to a daughter, Jacqueline, on 16 August 1401. Margaret's political position increased in the 1410s, as she was granted several towns and castles as her personal fiefs. boxstyle_1=background-color: #fcc; boxstyle_2=background-color: #fb9; boxstyle_3=background-color: #ffc; boxstyle_4=background-color: #bfc; 1= 1. Margaret of Burgundy 2= 2. Philip the Bold 3= 3. Margaret III, Countess of Flanders 4= 4. John II of France 5= 5. Bonne of Bohemia 6= 6. Louis II, Count of Flanders 7= 7. Margaret of Brabant 8= 8. Philip VI of France 9= 9. Joan the Lame 10= 10. John of Bohemia 11= 11. Elizabeth of Bohemia 12= 12. Louis I, Count of Flanders 13= 13. Margaret I, Countess of Burgundy 14= 14. John III, Duke of Brabant 15= 15. Marie of Évreux