Why did Habsburg marriages lead to a long rivalry with France?

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The long-standing rivalry between the House of Habsburg and France was primarily ignited by the matrimonial policies of the Austrian archduke and future emperor Maximilian I.

The conflict began in 1477 when Maximilian married Mary of Burgundy, the heiress to the Burgundian dominions. This marriage secured the Netherlands, Luxembourg, and Franche-Comté for the Habsburgs, effectively bypassing French territorial ambitions. Tensions escalated further when Charles VIII of France married Anne of Brittany, a woman previously betrothed to Maximilian, while simultaneously breaking his own engagement to Maximilian’s daughter, Margaret of Austria.123

These strategic marriages culminated in the reign of Charles V, whose inheritance of Habsburg lands, the Burgundian Netherlands, and Spain left France feeling geographically encircled. This encirclement, combined with the Habsburgs' immense power, fueled a persistent antagonism that dominated European diplomacy and sparked numerous conflicts, including the Italian Wars, until the mid-18th century.234