Existing comment:
Grand Master and Patron of Knights
In his desire to secure the goodwill, loyalty, and support of like-minded princes and other nobles, Maximilian cultivated the image of an exemplary knight. He was able to enhance this image by bestowing knighthoods on others and by becoming involved with two notable orders of knighthood.
The Burgundian Order of the Golden Fleece and the Austrian Order of Saint George were dissimilar in purpose and character, but each allowed Maximilian to boost his reputation as a leader and patron of knights. In 1479, immediately after he became duke of Burgundy, he joined and became the head -- known as the sovereign (grand master) -- of the Order of the Golden Fleece, which he successfully revitalized and permanently bound to his dynasty. In 1493, he became the chief protector and advocate of the Order of Saint George, which his late father had established to fight the Ottoman Turks.
Maximilian leveraged his association with these orders and their ideals of chivalry by commissioning and proudly sporting armor and weapons decorated with their badges and by immortalizing his position in printed works that could be circulated. |