How did Mary of Burgundy’s marriage to Maximilian of Austria bring the Low Countries under Habsburg influence?

The marriage of Mary of Burgundy to Archduke Maximilian of Austria in 1477 was a pivotal event that brought the Low Countries under Habsburg influence through a calculated matrimonial policy.12

Upon the death of her father, Charles the Bold, Mary faced significant pressure from the French crown. By marrying Maximilian, she secured military support to defend her Burgundian territories against French expansionism, notably defeating French forces at the Battle of Guinegate in 1479.13

This union ensured that the Burgundian inheritance—which included the Netherlands, Luxembourg, Artois, and the County of Burgundy—passed to their son, Philip the Handsome. Although the French seized the duchy of Burgundy itself, the Low Countries remained securely in the possession of the House of Habsburg. This foundation eventually led to the vast global empire of their grandson, Charles V, and established a long-standing geopolitical rivalry between the Habsburgs and France that persisted for centuries.21