Marie of Burgundy

Marie of Burgundy , born with Brussels the February 13rd 1457 and died in Flanders with the castle of Prinsenhof with Bruges the March 27th 1482, was duchess of car-proclaimed Burgundy (1477 - 1482), countess of Burgundy (1477 - 1482) and other titles.

Only daughter of the duke of Burgundy Charles Bold the (1433 - 1477), count de Bourgogne, count de Flandre (and other titles) and of Isabelle de Bourbon (1437 - 1465).

In 1477, after the death of his/her father with Nancy, during a battle against the duke of Lorraine Rene II, it married Maximilien Ier de Habsbourg (1459 - 1519), future emperor of the Saint Worsens Germanic, and in dowry the Burgundian Netherlands brought to him (current Benelux), the Franche-Comté (Comté of Burgundy).

Birth and childhood

1457 : The February 13rd, Marie is born with the Château from Coudenberg to Brussels, which depended then on the Duché of Burgundy. It is the only daughter of the duke Charles Bold the and of Isabelle de Bourbon. She is baptized four days later, the February 17th, with the church of the Château of Coudenberg, by the bishop of Cambrai, Jean-François of Burgundy (bastard of his/her grandfather Philippe III of Burgundy (Philippe the Good)). Marie spends a few years to the castle of the Quesnoy (in current the Nord-Pas-de-Calais), old residence of the Counts of Hainaut.

1463 : Towards the 6 years age, it leaves the castle, considered too near to the armies of Louis XI, for the castle of Ten Walle of Ghent, in Flanders (current Belgium). It passes there the major part of its childhood, with the animals of the zoo of the castle, one of the great subjects of interest of its life, whereas his/her parents settle with Gorcum, in Holland. She learns the Flemish , the French and of the rudiments of Latin.

1465 : Whereas Marie is 8 years old, his/her mother dies of the Tuberculose, like her grandfather, the duke Philippe III of Burgundy (Philippe the Good). His/her father who accustoms it to the very young public life, makes it attend his nomination with all the titles of the duchy of Burgundy which he inherits then.

1468 : His/her father remarie in the County of Flanders with Marguerite of York, girl of duke Richard of York and sister of two successive kings Edouard IV of England and Richard III of England, to the Lock, and gives imposing festivities of sumptuous and historical luxury to Bruges (marriage of the century, reconstituted since every year for the tourists with Bruges). Bruges will be the preferred city of Marie. The new young person marries of the duke sees little her husband, it does not have a child but defers all his maternal affection on Marie. Marie reads much, in particular the Romance of the Rose , and learns how to play of the Clavicorde

Projects of marriage

The sterility of the third woman of Charles Bold the makes of the Marie duchess of Burgundy, heiress of the Duché of Burgundy (richest and powerful duchy of Europe of the XVe century), the largest heiress of its time. Charles Bold the tries to forge an alliance against Louis XI thanks to the marriage of its single heiress with:

the king Jean II of Aragon and Navarre who asks for the hand for his son, the future Ferdinand II of Aragon (Ferdinand the Catholic), whereas Marie is only 5 years old.

There was then a project of marriage with Charles of France, younger brother of Louis XI, but the king opposed it and manda one of his secretaries near the pope Paul II to dissuade it to grant the exemption necessary to the marriage, because of the family ties. The pope granted nevertheless his exemption. Louis XI then sent a message to his/her brother to recall him his oath to Saintes and to inform it that in the event of birth of a son, the succession would escape to him. He even claimed that Marie of Burgundy was reached Syphilis. To prevent this marriage Louis XI went until only asking for the hand of Marie of Burgundy for her own son, one year old, with promise to return Amiens and Saint-Quentin in Picardy.

There was also a project of marriage with powerful the duke Nicolas of Lorraine, which fights at the sides of the Duché of Burgundy and takes part in the invasion of the Picardy, like to the seat of Beauvais, but it dies at the 25 years age at the time of a battle to take Metz in 1473

1477: The wealthy heiress of Europe

1477 : The death of his/her father, Charles Bold the, the January 5th, during a battle of the duchy of Burgundy against the king of France with Nancy leaves Marie incrédule and disabled. The young duchess (it is only 20 years old) is not ready to assume her vast heritage and spends several months to accept the death of her father. The economic state of the Duché of Burgundy is particularly alarming, so much so that, at the time of the funeral of the duke, the January 25th, in the Midsummer's Day church of Ghent, the people grogne, finding scandalous the records of the ceremony.

Revolt of the Burgundian Netherlands

the vast duchy where Marie of Burgundy will reign during 5 years is in full economic crisis. The demographic crisis, added to the continual wars, created a deep crisis. The economic blockade imposed by Louis XI increases the cost of the foodstuffs. Lastly, of the epidemic S of Peste strike the population regularly.

the situation is quite as serious in the Burgundian Netherlands (current the Benelux), where the cities revolt against the economic and administrative centralism wanted by the duke Philippe Bold the (founder of the Duché of Burgundy) and its line. Having rejected the Alliance Fran1caise while refusing to marry the dolphin Charles, Marie knows herself in danger. She then decides to turn to her subjects of the Netherlands so that they protect it from king de France. She thus convenes the State-Generals and a charter of rights grants to them, named " the Great Privilege " , the February 11th 1477. The terms of this charter grant many concessions on its subjects of the Netherlands. They allow in particular the return to an autonomy of the cities and provinces by restoring the rights, preferences, freedoms and habits which existed before the Paix of Gavere, in particular the use of French, who is not obligatory any more in the administrative acts. Marie is obliged to move in several big cities to sit her authority and her heritage.

Invasion by Louis XI, king de France

Louis XI benefits from this volatile situation to attack the duchy of Burgundy with its army. Georges of Trémoille invades the Burgundy and the Franche-Comté and besieges Dijon with Charles II of Amboise, Gouverneur of Champagne, and the troops of Jean IV of Trawl-net-Arlay, Prince d' Orange which betrayed Charles Bold the.
the January 15th, the admiral Louis de Bourbon (wire bastard of the duke Charles Ier de Bourbon) crosses the Somme and invades the Comté of Artois and the Picardy.

Marriage and descent of Marie of Burgundy and Maximilien of Austria

the August 18th 1477, with Ghent, Marguerite of York makes marry his/her Marie daughter-in-law of Burgundy by the future emperor of the Holy roman Empire Romain Germanique Maximilien Ier de Habsbourg. It brings to him in dowry the Duché of Burgundy, the Burgundian Netherlands (current the Benelux), the Franche-Comté (Comté of Burgundy). Louis XI despoils all the French part of the Duchy of Burgundy except the Comté of Burgundy and definitively loses the foreign part of the duchy defended by the Germanic Empire. The duchy of Burgundy is then definitively broken up.

1478 : Birth with Bruges of his/her son Philippe IV of Burgundy (later Philippe Ier de Castille (Philippe Beautiful) (1478 - 1506), future father of the emperor Charles Quint.
1480 : Birth with Brussels of his/her daughter Marguerite of Austria (1480 - 1530).
? Birth of François who lived only a few weeks.

1482 : Marie dies accidentally and precociously at the 25 years age the March 27th, following a fall of horse. Marie, who liked hunting, accompanied her husband at the time of a hunting for the Faucon. Its horse being pulled up at the time to cross an obstacle, Marie, assembled to the Amazon, had fallen on the ground, and its horse had fallen in its turn, crushing it of all its weight. She had died a few days after, having dictated her last wills with many details. She was buried with the Notre-Dame church of Bruges.

His/her husband, Maximilien 1 {{er}} of Habsbourg, then their son, Philippe I {{er}} of Hasbourg and Castille, and their line inherit the Duché of Burgundy and the title of duke. That will cause many wars of heritage between the House of France and the Maison of Habsbourg of Austria and Spain on several generations, as well as a final loss, for France, of the nonFrench part of the duchy of Burgundy.

Biographical references

Georges-Henri Dumont, Marie of Burgundy , Editions Beech
Encyclopædia Britannica (11th edition), 1911 (publication fallen into the public domain).

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