Around 1600 the Spanish Netherlands was the financial and artistic centre of northern Europe. The area, covering roughly what is now Belgium, belonged to the Spanish-Austrian Empire and was ruled by members of the Habsburg family. From 1598, Isabella Clara Eugenia and her husband, Albert, were governors. This was a largely peaceful period, and at their court in Brussels the arts flourished. Following Albert’s death in 1621, Isabella ruled alone until 1633.