Mary of Burgundy

MARY OF BURGUNDY

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Mary of Burgundy was born in Brussels, on the 13th February 1457.

Her parents were Charles the Bold and his wife Isabella of Bourbon.

Legend says, that at the moment of her birth, a large clap of thunder came from the otherwise clear twilight sky.

As an only child, Mary inherited the Burgundian lands, at the age of 19, upon the death of her father on 5th January 1477.

Mary's hand in marriage was eagerly sought by a number of princes, from an early age.

These included the future King Ferdinand II of Aragon, and George Plantagenet, brother to King Edward IV of England.

King Edward prevented the match, for both political and personal reasons.

Upon her father's death, the king of France was anxious that Mary should marry his six year old son Charles.

The negotiations ended in failure, as Louis XI demanded unacceptable terms, including the surrender of the Duchy of Burgundy.

Mary soon made her choice among the many suitors for her hand, by selecting Archduke Maximilian of Austria ~ the future Holy Roman Emperor Maximilian I, who became her co-ruler.

The marriage took place at Ghent on 19th August 1477, she was 20 years old, while he was two years younger.

Mary's marriage into the House of Habsburg initiated two centuries of contention, between France and the Habsburgs.

Their marriage was a happy one, the couple indulged themselves with dancing, hunting, music and shared a mutual love for animals.

Mary tried to teach him iceskating, which he struggled to master. They would sit and read romances together, for hours.

Soon after the wedding, she brought falcons into their shared bedroom, which was a shocking thing at the time.

Spouses normally lived in separate apartments, but the young couple chose to share their bedroom instead.

With Maximilian by her side, Mary's position became stronger, politically and militarily.

Although he came with no money nor army, nor support from the Empire, and no prior experience in governance, his competence in military matters and his prestige as the son of an emperor boosted the stability of her realms.

He took over the war effort, concerning both military and financial details.

Mary and Maximilian had three children together, and Mary was a devoted mother, even nursing her children herself.

These were~

Philip the Handsome.

Philip succeeded his mother as Philip IV of Burgundy, and became Philip I of Castile through his marriage to Katharine of Aragon's sister, Joanna of Castile.

Margaret.

Margaret married firstly to Juan Prince of Asturias, the son and heir of King Ferdinand of Aragon and Isabella of Castile, and secondly to Philibert II, Duke of Savoy.

Franz or François, who died at 12 weeks old.

Mary loved riding, and was hunting with Maximilian and knights of the court, when her horse tripped, and threw her in a ditch.

The horse then landed on top of her, breaking her back.

Mary died several weeks later on 27th March 1482 from internal injuries.

Sadly, 25 year old Mary had also been pregnant.

Maximilian was devastated.

She had initially hidden the extent of her injury to calm him down. When he continued to display uncontrollable grief, she had to force him out of her chamber so that she could discuss matters of the state with her nobles.

Maximilian was not present when she said her last words.

Mary was buried in the Church of Our Lady of Bruges on 3rd April 1482.

The bankrupted court honoured her with a glorious funeral, and Maximilian even ordered the crockery melted down, for the occasion.

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https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mary_of_Burgundy

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https://ko-fi.com/thetudorintruders

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Portrait of Mary of Burgundy, possibly painted by Michael Pacher, c. 1490.