Duches Mary of Burgundy
Mary of Burgundy was born on the 13thsup> February 1457 in Brussels. As only child of Charles the Bold and his first wife, Isabella de Bourbon. She was about 6 years old when she was send of to Gent for her education. Due to lack of a male heir, Charles had planned to leave her, for pilitical reasons the most wanted bride of western europe, rule of the Bourgondian empire
When Charles died unexpectandly on the 5th of January 1477, all powers came to reside with her. She was totaly unprepared and France used this opportunity to attack parts of the empire. The Staaten General demanded that she would reinstate some privileges abbandonned by her father, and in return they would ensemble an army to fight off the French. Mary could do little but agree to their demands. The Parliament of Mechels was, replaced with the "Big Councel" with fewer rights, The centralised tax and administration offices were abandoned and replaced with regional ones, The States could meet whenever they chose and had to permit the Monarg to declare war.
That same year she married Maximiliaan of Austria. He was emperor of Germany from 1493 tot1519 and archduke of Austria. Maximiliaan was heir of the house of Habsburg as son of the German emperor Frederik III. As prince-consortof Maria he bacame ruling monarch. In 1478 prive Philips the Clean was born and in 1480 Maria had a daughter: Margaretha of Austria. After 5 years of marriage Maria died on the 27th of March 1482 in Brugge, only 25 years of age, as result of a hunting accident. She is burried in the OL Vrouwkerk. In her testament, she makes Maximiliaan regent untill her son will come of age. The Staten-Generaal hestitantly accepted him a regent but forced him to make peace with France at the cost of several area's
In 1493 Maximilian succeeds his father Frederik III op and is forced to hand over the regency over the Netherlands ro his sonPhillip the Clean.