Mary of Burgundy: AI Animated Real Faces of the Mother of Habsburgs

Mary of Burgundy was 19 years old queen of the Flanders, She was also the Wife of Maximillian I and the Mother of the Habsburgs. She was the only daughter of Duke Charles the Bold of Burgundy and took over his father’s Duchy after his father died in the Battle of Nantes.

Mary proved to be a very capable ruler and also chose a good husband in Maximillian I who later became the Holy Roman Emperor. Her son became the King of Castile and her grandson was the famous Holy Roman Emperor Charles I.

Chapters:

00:00 Intro: Mary of Burgundy
00:17 The Most Eligible Princess in Europe
01:12 Suitor: Ferdinand II of Aragon
01:26 Suitor: Charles VIII of France
01:40 Suitor: Nicholas of Anjou
01:54 Choosing Maximillian I as her Husband
02:50 The Perfect Marriage
03:18 Children: Phillip and Margaret
03:34 Phillip I of Castile and Charles V
03:46 Margaret of Austria
04:15 Mary of Burgundy, the Huntress
04:28 Death of Mary of Burgundy due to Riding Accident
05:10 Maximillian helping Henry VIII at Battle of the Spurs
05:27 Outro

Mary of Burgundy or Mary the Rich (1457-1482) was the daughter and only child of Charles the Bold, the Duke of Burgundy. She inherited Burgundy and the Low Countries at 19 after her father died at the Battle of Nancy on 5 January 1477.

Her grandfather was Duke Phillip the Good of Burgundy, and her godfather was Louis, Dauphin of France (who later became Louis XI). Louis was in exile from his father at the time. Louis named her after his mother, Mary of Anjou.

Since Mary the Rich was the only child of the Duke of Burgundy and heiress to Burgundy and most of the Low Countries, she was one of the top marriage prospects for European Princes at the time.

These suitors included Ferdinand II of Aragon, the famous father of Catherine of Aragon before he married Isabella of Castile.

Charles of Berry and Louis XI’s son, Charles, who later became the French King Charles VIII, also approached Mary. The younger Charles VIII was 15 years younger than Mary.

Nicholas of Anjou, another French Duke from the powerful Anjou family, was also keen to marry her to combine the Duchy of Lorraine and Burgundy; The proposal failed after Louis XI poisoned him.

After she inherited her lands, Mary the Rich chose Maximillian I of Austria, the son of Holy Roman Emperor Frederick III as her husband.

Maximillian was two years younger than her at 18. Although he was brave and experienced in military matters, he was still very inexperienced in state matters at the time.

Maximillian brought no army, land or wealth with him into the marriage. Mary’s father had also spent his and her entire fortune fighting in his last wars before he died.

For this reason, Mary initially had to pawn many of her heirlooms to raise and finance their armies.

Their marriage worked perfectly, as Mary was a natural in governing Netherland and her remaining lands, whole Maximillian was a brilliant commander.

They also had a great family life; they shared a bedroom instead of living in separate apartments as accustomed by monarchs of the time.

They had two children, Philip and Margaret, whom Mary looked after and raised herself.

Philip would later marry Joanna of Castile and became the King of Castile and father of Charles V.

Margaret of Austria would become one of the respected rulers of the Netherland and another famous women rulers of Europe.

Mary was also a seasoned huntress. Most of her depictions during her lifetime were on horseback and with a falcon.

However, Mary died from an injury she suffered during a falcon hunt in 1482 when her horse tripped, landed on top of her and broke her back.
Maximillian was devastated. She had to force him out of her chamber so that she could discuss state matters with her nobles and advisors while making them swear loyalty to Maximillian and her children.

Some interesting videos:
Mary of Burgundy by the Bygone Girls

The first meeting of Mary of Burgundy and Maximillian I of Austria by Lili1127:

Some interesting Websites:
Medievalist on the Women around the Emperor:

Mary of Burgundy Page on Phillipa Gregory Fandom:

Maximillian I on the Habsburger:

The Music is “Dreams And Memories” by Patrick Rundblad licensed via Music Vine: CN3A21ZWPG1UWREN

The second music is “Flow” licensed by Patrick Rundblad via Music Vine: XZ5PMQU61FCPIPOV

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