An Emperor who Never Saw his Bride

Nearly all of the important events in the history of Maximilian I., Emperor of Germany, were in some way associated with his matrimonial affairs. In 1477, before he came to the throne, he married Mary of Burgundy, daughter and heiress of the late Charles the Bold, of France. This occasioned several years of strife between the Emperor and Louis XI., King of France, who claimed part of the possessions of Charles the Bold. An agreement was finally concluded, by which Margaret, the daughter of Maximilian and Mary, was to marry Charles the Dauphin, of France, and was to receive as her dower Artois, Flanders, and the Duchy of Burgundy. This was all arranged regardless of the fact that the Dauphin, by a previous treaty, was already affianced to Elizabeth, daughter of Edward IV., of England. Margaret, now called the Dauphiness, was sent to France, when only two years old, to be educated as the future Queen of France. The untimely death of her mother, Mary, left Maximilian free to take another wife, and he chose the rich Princess Anne, of Brittany, to whom he was married by proxy, in 1482, being at the time engaged in a war with Hungary. In the meantime Louis XI. had died, and his son, the Dauphin, had come to the throne as Charles the VIII. Disregarding the proxy marriage of Maximilian with Anne, of Brittany, he broke his engagement with Margaret, sent her back to Vienna, and immediately consummated a marriage with Anne himself. Thus Brittany, the last of the independent provinces, was annexed to the crown of France.

The offended and indignant Maximilian, although he had never seen his bride, immediately prepared to invade France, and secured the cooperation of Henry VII., of England, and the free cities of Suabia. This formidable movement, however, received a severe check in the refusal of the Netherlands to acknowledge the league. Henry VII. withdrew from the alliance, and Maximilian was obliged to conclude a treaty of peace, in 1493, on his accession to the Imperial throne of Germany. He afterward married Bianca Sforza, a daughter of the Duke of Milan; this marriage involved him in wars with Venice, Milan, the Pope, Naples, France and Spain. Notwithstanding his numerous wars, his government of Germany did not lack good results; commerce and industry, as well as science and art, made progress, and he succeeded in establishing a much higher grade of public safety throughout his realm. Maximilian's reign is considered the link between the Middle Ages and modern times. His valiant deeds in battle and tournament were stamped with the character of the Middle Ages, while, on the other hand, the discoveries and inventions of his age were heralds of the modern period. He has been styled "The Last of the Knights." He died in 1519, and was succeeded by his grandson, Charles V.