How did Maximilian I’s marriage to Mary of Burgundy expand Habsburg lands?

Maximilian I’s 1477 marriage to Mary of Burgundy, the daughter and heiress of Charles the Bold, was a pivotal event that significantly expanded the Habsburg territories.

Through this union, the house of Habsburg acquired control over the vast Burgundian possessions in the Netherlands and along the eastern frontier of France. Specifically, the inheritance included Artois, Luxembourg, and the Franche-Comté (the County of Burgundy), though the French crown seized the duchy of Burgundy itself.12

Maximilian successfully defended these new domains against French military pressure, notably at the Battle of Guinegate in 1479. The acquisition was later solidified by the Treaty of Senlis in 1493, which left the Low Countries securely in Habsburg possession. This marriage established a foundation for the future world power of the Habsburgs, as these lands eventually passed to their grandson, Charles V, who united them with the family's Spanish and Austrian territories.132