# Duchess of Brabant (by marriage)

The Duchess of Brabant refers to a woman married to the Duke of Brabant. But this was only in 1840 when it was revived as an honorific title for the Crown Prince of the newly created Kingdom of Belgium. There have been only three royal duchesses.
Historically the title went back 657 years before Belgium, and had been always associated with the wives of sovereign Dukes of Brabant, who were alive in their husband's reign. In the Duchy's 611 years of existence, it only saw three Duchesses who reigned by their own right and three Dukes who rule by the virtue of their wives: Joanna, Mary the Rich, Mary II; and their husbands Wenceslaus of Luxemburg, Maximilian of Austria, Francis of Lorraine. All these Dukes were reigning monarchs and not consorts. Also there were the two Co-sovereign of the Spanish Netherlands Isabella and Albert.
Before the elevation to a Duchy, Brabant was a Landgraviate of the Holy Roman Empire. After the death on 20 September 1085 of Hermann II, count palatine of Lotharingia, Henry III of Leuven became landgrave of Brabant, which was an imperial fief between the Dender and the Zenne and his wife, Getrude of Flanders, became Landgravine. Elevated to a Duchy by Frederick Barbarossa in favor of Henry I. In 1190, after the death of Godfrey III, Henry I also became Duke of Lotharingia. Formerly Lower Lotharingia, this title was now practically without territorial authority, but was borne by the later Dukes of Brabant as an honorific title. In 1288, the Duchess of Brabant became also Duchess of Limburg. The title fell to the Duchess of Burgundy in 1430. Later on, it followed with the Burgundian inheritance through the Habsburg dynasty until 1794. After the 15th century the title became one of the many appanages associated with the Queen consorts of Spain and later the Holy Roman Empresses. Queen Sofía of Spain and also the late Crown Princess Regina of Austria also has claims to the title.

## Landgravine of Brabant

| Name | Father | Birth | Marriage | Became Landgravine | Cease to be Landgravine | Death | Spouse |
| Gertrude of Flanders | Robert I, Count of Flanders (Flanders) | 1080 | – | 20 September 1085 husband's ascension | July 1095 husband's death | 1117 | Henry III of Leuven |
| Ida of Chiny | Otto II, Count of Chiny (Chiny) | 1078 | 1105 | 1105 | 1117 | 1117 | Godfrey I of Leuven |
| Clementia of Burgundy | William I, Count of Burgundy (Ivrea) | 1078 | 1125 | 1125 | 1133 | 1133 | | Godfrey I of Leuven |
| Luitgarde of Sulzbach | Berengar I, Count of Sulzbach (Babenberg) | 1109 | 1139 | 1139 | 13 June 1142 husband's death | after 1163 | Godfrey II of Leuven |
| Margaret of Limburg | Henry II, Duke of Limburg (Ardennes) | 1135 | 1155/8 | 1155/8 | 1172 | 1172 | Godfrey III of Leuven |
| Imagina of Loon | Louis I, Count of Loon (Loon) | – | 1180 | 1180 | 21 August 1190 husband's death | 5 June 1214 | Godfrey III of Leuven |

## Duchess of Brabant
### House of Leuven, 1183–1406

| Name | House | Birth | Marriage | Became Duchess | Cease to be Duchess | Death | Spouse |
| Mathilde of Flanders | Matthew, Count of Boulogne (Metz) | 1170 | 1180 | 1183/1184 husband's elevated to Duke | 16 October 1210 | 16 October 1210 | Henry I |
| Marie of France | Philip II of France (Capet) | after 1198 | 22 April 1213 | 22 April 1213 | 15 October 1224 | 15 October 1224 | | Henry I |
| Sophie of Thuringia | Louis IV, Landgrave of Thuringia (Ludowinger) | 20 March 1224 | 1240 | 1240 | 1 February 1248 husband's death | 29 May 1275 | Henry II |
| Adelaide of Burgundy | Hugh IV, Duke of Burgundy (Burgundy) | 1233 | 1251, after 21 July | 1251, after 21 July | 28 February 1261 husband's death | 23 October 1273 | Henry III |
| Margaret of France | Louis IX of France (Capet) | 1254 | 5 September 1270 | 5 September 1270 | July 1271 | July 1271 | John I |
| Margaret of Flanders | Guy of Dampierre, Count of Flanders (Dampierre) | 1251 | 1273 | 1273 | 3 July 1285 | 3 July 1285 | | John I |
| Margaret of England | Edward I of England (Plantagenet) | 15 March 1275 | 8 July 1290 | 3 May 1294 husband's ascession | 27 October 1312 husband's death | after 11 March 1333 | John II |
| Marie d'Évreux | Louis of France, Count d'Évreux (Évreux) | 1303 | 19 July 1311 | 27 October 1312 husband's ascession | 31 October 1335 | 31 October 1335 | John III |

### House of Valois, 1406–1482

| Picture | Name | Father | Birth | Marriage | Became Duchess | Cease to be Duchess | Death | Spouse |
| | Jeanne of Saint Pol | Waleran III of Luxembourg, Count of Ligny and Saint Pol (Luxembourg) | 1380/85 | 21 February 1402 | 1 November 1406 husband's ascession | 12 August 1407 | 12 August 1407 | Anthony |
| | Elisabeth, Duchess of Luxembourg | John of Görlitz (Luxembourg) | November 1390 | 16 July 1409 | 16 July 1409 | 25 October 1415 husband's death | 3 August 1451 | Anthony |
| | Jacqueline, Countess of Hainaut | William II, Duke of Bavaria (Wittelsbach) | 16 August 1401 | 18 April 1418 | 18 April 1418 | 7 March 1422 obtained papal divorce | 8 October 1436 | John IV |
| – | Margaret | ? | ? | ? | 17 April 1427 husband's accession | 14 August 1430 husband's death | ? | Philip I |
| | Isabella of Portugal | John I of Portugal (Aviz) | 21 February 1397 | 7 January 1430 | 7 January 1430 | 15 July 1467 husband's death | 17 December 1471 | Philip II |
| | Margaret of York | Richard Plantagenet, 3rd Duke of York (York) | 3 May 1446 | 9 July 1468 | 9 July 1468 | 5 January 1477 husband's death | 23 November 1503 | Charles I |

### House of Habsburg, 1482–1700

| Name | House | Birth | Marriage | Became Duchess | Cease to be Duchess | Death | Spouse |
| Joanna of Castile | Ferdinand II of Aragon (Trastamara) | 6 November 1479 | 20 October 1496 | 20 October 1496 | 25 September 1506 husband's death | 12 April 1555 | Philip III |
| Isabella of Portugal | Manuel I of Portugal (Aviz) | 24 October 1503 | 11 March 1526 | 11 March 1526 | 1 May 1539 | 1 May 1539 | Charles II |
| Mary I of England | Henry VIII of England (Tudor) | 18 February 1516 | 25 July 1554 | 16 January 1556 husband's ascension | 17 November 1558 | 17 November 1558 | Philip IV |
| Elisabeth of Valois | Henry II of France (Valois) | 2 April 1545 | 22 June 1559 | 22 June 1559 | 3 October 1568 | 3 October 1568 | | Philip IV |
| Anna of Austria | Maximilian II, Holy Roman Emperor (Habsburg) | 1 November 1549 | 4 May 1570 | 4 May 1570 | 26 October 1580 | 26 October 1580 | | Philip IV |
| Elisabeth of Bourbon | Henry IV of France (Bourbon) | 22 November 1602 | 25 November 1615 | 31 March 1621 husband's ascension | 6 October 1644 | 6 October 1644 | Philip V |
| Mariana of Austria | Ferdinand III, Holy Roman Emperor (Habsburg) | 24 December 1634 | 25 November 1615 | 25 November 1615 | 17 September 1665 husband's death | 16 May 1696 | Philip V |
| Marie Louise of Orléans | Philippe I, Duke of Orléans (Bourbon-Orléans) | 26 March 1662 | 19 November 1679 | 19 November 1679 | 12 February 1689 | 12 February 1689 | Charles III |
| Maria Anna of the Palatinate-Neuburg | Philip William, Elector Palatine (Wittelsbach) | 28 October 1667 | 14 May 1690 | 14 May 1690 | 1 November 1700 husband's death | 16 July 1740 | Charles III |

### House of Bourbon, 1700–1706

| Picture | Name | Father | Born | Married | Became Duchess | Ceased to be Duchess | Death | Spouse |
| | Maria Luisa of Savoy | Victor Amadeus II of Sardinia (Savoy) | 17 September 1688 | 2 November 1701 | 2 November 1701 | c. 1706 Duchy ceded to Austria | 14 February 1714 | Philip VI |

### House of Habsburg, 1706–1780

| Picture | Name | Father | Born | Married | Became Duchess | Ceased to be Duchess | Died | Spouse |
| | Elisabeth Christine of Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel | Louis Rudolph, Duke of Brunswick-Lüneburg (Welf) | 28 August 1691 | 1 August 1708 | 1 August 1708 | 20 October 1740 husband's death | 21 December 1750 | Charles IV |

### House of Habsburg-Lorraine, 1780–1794

| Picture | Name | Father | Born | Married | Became Duchess | Ceased to be Duchess | Death | Spouse |
| | Maria Louisa of Spain | Charles III of Spain (Bourbon) | 24 November 1745 | 5 August 1765 | 20 February 1790 husband's ascession | 1 March 1792 husband's death | 15 May 1792 | Leopold |
| | Maria Theresa of Naples and Sicily | Ferdinand I of the Two Sicilies (Bourbon-Two Sicilies) | 6 June 1772 | 15 September 1790 | 1 March 1792 husband's ascession | 1794 | 13 April 1807 | Francis |

## Royal Duchesses of Brabant

| Name | House | Birth | Marriage | Became Duchess | Cease to be Duchess | Death | Spouse |
| Archduchess Marie Henriette of Austria | Archduke Joseph, Palatine of Hungary (Habsburg-Lorraine) | 23 August 1836 | 22 August 1853 | 22 August 1853 | 6 December 1813 became queen | 19 September 1902 | Prince Leopold Louis |
| Princess Astrid of Sweden | Prince Carl, Duke of Västergötland (Bernadotte) | 17 November 1905 | 4 November 1926 | 4 November 1926 | 17 February 1934 became queen | 29 August 1935 | Prince Leopold Philippe |
| Jonkvrouw Mathilde d'Udekem d'Acoz | Count Patrick d'Udekem d'Acoz (d'Udekem d'Acoz) | 20 January 1973 | 4 December 1999 | 4 December 1999 | 21 July 2013 became queen | – | Prince Philippe Leopold |