germanaustriannoblesandroyals:Royal Women of Austria (11/?): Mary, The Duchess of BurgundyMary was b

germanaustriannoblesandroyals:Royal Women of Austria (11/?): Mary, The Duchess of BurgundyMary was born as the only child of Charles the Bold, The Duke of Burgundy, and his second wife Isabella of Bourbon. Although celebrated lavishly, neither her grandfather nor her father took part in her christening. Her godparents were her maternal grandmother Infanta Isabella of Portugal and King Louis XI. of France, at the time still The Dauphin of France. For the first six years of her life, she lived with her parents. But when her father became The Governor of Holland, he moved with his wife but without his daughter there. Mary was sent to Ghent to prevent further riots of the citizens there. She was raised bilingual in French and Flemish but always prevered French. Mary received a formal education befitting that of a princess but was never prepared to rule as her parents still hoped for a male heir. This hope ended when Isabella of Bourbon died in 1465. The marriage of Charles and Margaret of York, which happened in 1468, resulted in no further children, keeping Mary as the sole heir. Margaret, who was only eleven years older than Mary, became one of young woman’s most trusted advisors and friends. Their relationship was described as sisterly. Margaret also taught her stepdaughter the English language.In 1467, Mary’s grandfather died and her father became The Duke of Burgundy. The 10-year-old Mary was his only living child and became his heir presumptive. Because of that and the wealth the House of Burgundy controlled, she was an interesting marriage candidate. Already five years prior a marriage between the future king of Aragon, Ferdinand II, and her was proposed. Charles, The Duke of Berry - the younger brother of Mary’s godfather King Louis XI of France - approached her as well as Nicholas, The Duke of Lorraine, who was killed in battle in 1473. The question of a husband would reappear when Mary succeeded her father at the age of only twenty. Her godfather seized the opportunity of a defenseless Mary and invaded great parts of her country. Louis XI presented himself as a patron saint for Mary and demanded of her to marry his only seven-year-old son and heir Charles. Mary also felt pressure from within her country. Only a month after her accession, she had to grant the Great Privilege to her citizens. It included that she had no right to declare war, make peace, or raise taxes without the consent of the provinces and towns and only to employ native residents in official posts.Mary’s only chance for regaining control was to marry and she did. Archduke Maximilian of Austria, The Holy Roman Emperor’s only son and heir. With their marriage on August 19th, 1477, he became the co-ruler of Burgundy. The couple had three children of whom the two oldest survived into adulthood: Philip the Handsome and Archduchess Margaret of Austria. Philip would later become the first Habsburg king of Castile through his marriage to Queen Joanna “the Mad” of Castile. He was the founder of the Spanish branch of the House of Habsburg. Margaret would marry twice, first becoming The Princess of Asturias and second The Countess of Savoy. Later, she was made the governess of the Habsburg Netherlands by her father after her brother’s death.Mary of Burgundy died on March 7th, 1482, at the age of only 25 due to injuries she suffered after falling from her horse during a falcon hunt. With her death, her inheritance went to the House of Habsburg through her son Philip. This would lead to a brewing conflict between France and Spain in the following 200 years. If she had not died young, she would have gone on to become Holy Roman Empress through her husband Maximilian I.// Christa Théret as Mary of Burgundy in Maximilian - Das Spiel von Macht und Liebe -- source link

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