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How did Maximilian I’s marriage strategy help make Charles V ruler of a vast Habsburg realm?
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Maximilian I
Maximilian I, charcoal drawing by Albrecht Dürer, 1518; in the Albertina, Vienna.
Maximilian I’s strategic use of marriage was the cornerstone of the vast Habsburg realm inherited by his grandson, Charles V.12
- Burgundian Inheritance: In 1477, Maximilian married Mary of Burgundy, the heiress to the duchy of Burgundy. This union brought the wealthy Netherlands and other Burgundian territories under Habsburg control, which eventually passed to their son, Philip I.345
- Spanish Succession: Maximilian further secured the family's future by arranging the marriage of Philip I to Joan the Mad, the daughter of Ferdinand II and Isabella I of Spain. This alliance ensured that the Spanish throne and its colonial empire would fall to Charles V, who was the son of Philip and Joan.2564
By combining these strategic matrimonial alliances with his own position as Holy Roman emperor, Maximilian successfully consolidated a trans-European empire that Charles V would later govern.12