Existing comment:
The Burgundian Inheritance
Maximilian began his apprenticeship as a ruler at the age of eighteen and under adverse conditions. In 1477, the daughter and sole heir of Charles the Bold, duke of Burgundy, elected to marry Maximilian after her father died in battle. Mary of Burgundy's subjects had negotiated concessions that undermined her authority, and her most powerful neighbor, the king of France, had invaded her lands in Burgundy and the Low Countries with the intent of keeping them.
As Mary's consort, Maximilian focused on upholding his wife's rights and restoring the greatness of the Burgundian state. Born and raised in the German-speaking lands, however, he was unfamiliar with the languages (French and Flemish) and customs of Mary's people. Worse, perhaps, he had neither experience in governance nor independent wealth. An outsider, he struggled to find acceptance and mobilize support for his cause -- especially after his wife, the main source of his political authority, died suddenly in 1482.
The political, military, and financial challenges of this formative period prompted Maximilian to develop ways of legitimizing his rule, a mission that would inform his actions for the rest of his life. |