amid the struggles and anxieties which caused d. john to know contempt and humiliations for the first time, he had one pleasure, which, in spite of there being much to embitter it, must still have been a great one, that of making the acquaintance of his mother, and of embracing her for the first and last time. no sooner had he arrived in luxemburg than he wrote to her at ghent, where she then was, inviting her to come and see him, as he could not, as he ought to do, visit her at that moment; and as the cold, shallow barbara blombergh neither came nor answered the letter, he sent a second message, this time accompanied by everything necessary for her to perform the journey in a suitable and comfortable way. she came, and the mother and the son met. we do not know what she felt on finding herself in the presence of this brilliant and renowned son, who up to now had inspired her with nothing but indifference. as to d. john, apart from the natural love and respect due to her name of mother, she made a disagreeable impression on him, perhaps because his ideals of mothers and widows were formed on the austere and refined model of that great lady do?a magdalena de ulloa.
barbara blombergh was then over fifty, and she preserved traces of her great beauty, which she tried to enhance with cosmetics and fine clothes, unsuited to her age or situation. she, however, lacked that inborn distinction and dignity which then, even more than now, characterised ladies of noble lineage; because education, which to-day refines, polishes and levels manners to a certain extent, belonged then exclusively to dames of high degree. barbara blombergh certainly did not belong to this privileged class, although several historians have asserted it, in order to exalt d. john's maternal descent. she was simply a girl of the middle class, daughter of a citizen of ratisbon of moderate fortune. three years after the birth of d. john she married jerome kegel, who was not a noble gentleman either, but a poor "hére," as gachard calls him, who for a humble position at the court of queen mary, the regent of flanders, compromised himself by giving her his name and sheltering her dishonour.
madam blombergh, as from this time she began to call herself, was left a widow in june, 1569, and then it was that her cold, shallow, hard, extravagant and ungenerous character began to show itself freely. "as vapid as obstinate," said the duque de alba. but what is really surprising about her is the indifference that she always showed for her son d. john, who by the greatness of his name would have seemed called to be her glory and pride, and by his love, respect and solicitude for her, her delight and good fortune. in the alba archives there is a letter from d. john to his mother, the only one known, which begins in this way: "lady, it is many days since i had news of you, which worries me, having written and begged, last from messina, that you should always remember to advise me about your health and of what is your pleasure, as besides the obligation i am under to procure it for you as your son, i also much wish to give it to you, being certain that i owe it to the good mother and lady you are to me." compare this letter with another from d. john to do?a magdalena de ulloa, and it will be plainly seen that if barbara blombergh was in fact his mother, the one who responded to his filial affections was the illustrious widow of luis quijada: "lady, i kiss your hands for the trouble you take in always answering my letters, but principally because what i wish is to hear continually of your health and welfare."
when kegel died d. john begged philip ii to come to his mother's assistance, and the king sent the duque de alba, then governor of the low countries, to visit madam blombergh, and to suggest to her that, having such a son as hers in spain, she should make her residence there. madam blombergh replied that although, doubtless, she would much like to see her son, it was of no use talking to her about going to spain, for she well knew the way women were shut up there, and wild horses would not make her go to such a country. philip ii then gave her an income of 4944 florins, with which she installed herself with a luxury and parade it was impossible to support on these means. her household consisted of a duenna and six waiting-maids, a steward, two pages, a chaplain, a butler, four servants, and a coach with all its paraphernalia of grooms and horses. she then began the gay, but not very decorous, life of festivities and banquets which caused the warnings and complaints of the duque de alba, and first the admonitions and later the violent measures of philip ii, which, however, on account of the political disturbances, could not be carried out until the arrival of d. john in flanders. this made barbara blombergh's departure more than ever necessary, so as not to compromise the authority of d. john at this difficult moment by her frivolities and imprudences. but as neither by prayers nor by wise persuasion could he overcome his mother's invincible obstinacy about going to spain, he resolved to use the stratagem he had devised long ago with his brother philip ii.
he told her that his sister donna margarita of austria much wished to know her, and had invited her to spend a few months at the palace of aquila in the abruzzi. this invitation from such a personage as the duchess of parma gratified madam blombergh immensely, and she accepted at once, only bargaining to settle afterwards to live where she wished. d. john agreed, and madam blombergh set out for italy with all her household the middle of march, 1577. as extra steward d. john sent a confidential person called pero sánchez, who was used to travelling, and who carried secret instructions. on arriving at genoa they found a luxurious galley which pero sánchez said was ready to carry them to naples, and thence they could journey overland to the abruzzi. without any mistrust the embarkation was made, and after a disagreeable voyage of some days' duration they sighted the grey mountains of vizcaya, so different from the blue neapolitan coast, where they thought to arrive. the galley had gone to spain and was at laredo.
autograph of barbara blombergh
from a photograph by lacoste
barbara blombergh was met at this port by do?a magdalena de ulloa, who had been warned of her advent by d. john, and at san cebrian de mazote she was awaited by do?a magdalena's brother and sister-in-law, the marqueses de la mota, who wished to help the illustrious widow of luis quijada over this difficult meeting. in truth it needed all do?a magdalena's tact, patience, and love for d. john to tame the furious wild beast who was disembarked at laredo on the 3rd of may in the form of barbara blombergh. do?a magdalena took her at once to the castle of san cebrian de mazote, where the marqués de la mota and his wife received her very kindly, and entertained her splendidly, and such pains did the good and discreet do?a magdalena take, that in the three and a half months madam blombergh was with her, the angry, wild animal was changed into a gentle lamb, and when the hour of farewell came she herself asked to retire to the dominican convent of santa maria la real, in the village of san cebrian, where do?a magdalena had prepared for her a comfortable, separate apartment, so that she could go in and out.
from the 3rd of may, 1577, when she disembarked at laredo, until the end of july, 1579, when, after d. john's death, philip ii gave her an income of 3000 ducats, all the expenses of barbara blombergh were borne by do?a magdalena de ulloa. this is shown, without any shadow of doubt, by the paper presented by this lady in the testamentary accounts of d. john of austria, which exists in the alba archives, signed and with this label:
"that which i, do?a magdalena de ulloa, have paid in virtue of two letters from the very serene d. john of austria, god rest his soul, one dated from louvain the 23rd of april, 1577, the other from brussels the 4th of july of the same year, about the expenses of madam blombergh his mother, also arranging her apartment and her ordinary expenses, and her extraordinary personal ones, servants and wages and clothes and other things, some furniture indispensable and necessary for her use, the which i gave over to her servants, and that which i gave for this is the following."
a detailed account of the money made over to madam blombergh and her stewards follows, divided into thirty-six items; then comes the reimbursement by the same do?a magdalena in three items by the hand of melchor de camago, juan de escovedo, and antonio pérez, and this curious document concludes by making the following balance and protest: "so what i have paid by order of his highness, according to the said letters relating to the building of the house and other things belonging to it, and providing for the said house and servants of the said madam his mother, comes to one million three hundred and forty thousand one hundred and ninety-two maravedis, which as i have said in the items by god and my conscience i gave over to madam and her servants, and what i have received on account of this amounts to nine hundred and seventeen thousand and eighty-eight maravedis: so that it is more than the goods of the said lord d. john by four hundred and twenty-two thousand and five hundred and four maravedis; and i certify that the account and items, of the receipt as of the fact, by my conscience are certain and true, and that the said amount is due to me, and i have not received it, nor has anything been given to me on account, and this being true, i sign this with my hand and with my name, this date at valladolid, fourteenth of july, one thousand five hundred and eighty-two."
"do?a magdalena de ulloa."
thus it is proved that d. john, helped by do?a magdalena, provided everything necessary for his mother until his last hour; and when he was dying he commended her to his brother d. philip through his confessor p. dorante, for which reason philip ii granted her an income of 3000 ducats for her life. no sooner was d. john dead, however, than madam blombergh presented a memorial to the king, claiming d. john's estate as sole and lawful heiress. this was granted to her without hesitation, as d. john had no private property, and his debts amounted to much more than the value of the jewels and furniture he possessed.
barbara blombergh lived peaceably at the convent of santa maria la real for several years; but as regularity and quietness were not her strong point, she became bored, and begged philip ii to move her to some other place. as the house of the unfortunate escovedo at colindres was at philip's disposal at that time, she retired there, and there died the same year as philip (1598), leaving directions that she was to be buried at the franciscan convent in the town of escalante.
by her marriage with jerome kegel barbara blombergh had two sons. the younger drowned himself in a cistern in his own house, eight days after his father's death; the elder, who was named conrad, took the name of pyramus, which his father bore, joined to that of kegel. he began to study for the church, well supplied with funds by d. john, at whose death he abandoned these studies, owing to his love of arms. he joined the army, being helped by alexander farnese, and became a colonel. he married the baroness de st. martin, and died before his mother, during whose lifetime his widow came to spain, and died there; but where or when we do not know.