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Member Number: 9332
1459–1519, Holy Roman emperor and German king (1493–1519), son and successor of Holy Roman Emperor Frederick III. As emperor, he aspired to restore forceful imperial leadership and inaugurate much-needed administrative reforms in the increasingly decentralized empire. In both domestic and foreign policy, however, he sacrificed the interests of Germany as a whole to the aggrandizement of the Hapsburg possessions.
Expansion via War and Marriage
Maximilian’s marriage (1477) to Mary of Burgundy involved him in defense of her inheritance—including Burgundy, the Netherland provinces, and Luxembourg—against the designs of King Louis XI of France. By Mary’s death (1482), Maximilian had secured Franche-Comté, the county of Artois, and the Low Countries, but he yielded a sizable part of French-speaking Burgundy in the Treaty of Arras of 1483 (see Arras, Treaty of). In 1486 he was elected king of the Romans (i.e., emperor-elect) and assumed an increasing share of the imperial duties until his father’s death.
Louis XI’s successor, Charles VIII, repudiated the treaty; moreover, instead of marrying Maximilian’s daughter Margaret of Austria, he forced Anne of Brittany into marrying him (1491), disregarding her marriage by proxy to the widowed Maximilian the preceding year. Renewed warfare with France was settled temporarily by the Treaty of Senlis (1493), which basically retained the status quo; but the Burgundian question remained a key issue in Hapsburg relations with the French crown.
Maximilian became embroiled in the Italian Wars in order to regain the rest of the Burgundian inheritance and also to expand Hapsburg dominions and check any extension of French power. His Italian campaigns also afforded him an opportunity to aid Ludovico Sforza, whose niece he had married (1493) and whom, in exchange for a dowry, he had invested with the duchy of Milan (also claimed by Louis XII of France). His involvement in Italy led him to join the League of Cambrai (see Cambrai, League of) and later the Holy League. Both alliances cost him money, of which he was chronically short, and forced him to borrow heavily from the Fugger family. Moreover, his interference in Italy encouraged the French to exert pressure on the Swiss to turn a jurisdictional dispute with imperial authorities into an open war (1499), which resulted in an imperial defeat.
Despite these difficulties, Maximilian made the Hapsburgs into a powerful dynasty through his astute marriage diplomacy. The marriage of his son Philip (see Philip I of Castile) to Joanna, the heiress of Ferdinand and Isabella, eventually gave his grandson, the future Holy Roman Emperor Charles V, one of the largest territorial inheritances in history. The double marriage of Maximilian’s grandson and granddaughter to the daughter and son of King Uladislaus II of Hungary (1516) ultimately assured Hapsburg succession to the Hungarian and Bohemian thrones and ascendancy in central Europe.
Imperial Administration
The extent and diversity of the Hapsburg territories were a liability as well as an asset, making the imperial title the essential bond of unity. At the beginning of his reign Maximilian attempted to modernize the cumbersome imperial administration, but his reform program fell victim not only to his dynastic aspirations but also to the competition between the princes and the emperor for ultimate power. Maximilian was forced in 1500 to adhere temporarily to a council of regency (see Reichsregiment), although he eventually dispensed with this restriction. Nevertheless the Diet of Worms (1495) established a supreme court of justice to adjudicate disputes among princes and to apply Roman law throughout the empire; levied a general property tax to defray military costs; and issued a ban on private warfare. The limited constitutional reforms proved inadequate, however, to cope with future problems, least of all with the political, social, and religious upheaval of the Reformation.
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Four Taken to Hospital After Dog Attack WPEC, FL - Catalina Medina was walking her pet poodle, Maximilian, when she was approached by Julia Reichardt, who was walking her pit bull/mastiff mix along Pacific ... |
(Following Advance for Use Monday, Jan. 12) | KXNet.com North ... KXMC, ND - On this date: In 1519, Holy Roman Emperor Maximilian I died. In 1915, the US House of Representatives rejected a proposal to give women the right to vote. ... |
ADAC Volkswagen Polo Cup Is A Real Export Hit PaddockTalk - In the prestigious category for newcomers Maximilian Sandritter dominated as he wished and was the "best Rookie" in six races. ADAC Volkswagen Polo Cup ... |
Exhibition Celebrates Phenomenon of Super-Sized Prints in ... Art Daily - A magnificent example is The Triumphal Arch of Maximilian I, 1515, an elaborate architectural design inspired by the triumphal arches of ancient Rome, ... |
HARTFORD: St. Francis Hospital Gets Pledge, Sizable Donation Hartford Courant, United States - The hospital was awarded $1.5 million by the Maximilian E. & Marion O. Hoffman Foundation to support the emergency department in the hospital's new John T. ... |
Munich university cancels invitation to Iranians Jewish Telegraphic Agency, NY - The Central Council of Jews in Germany and others groups had protested plans to invite three Iranian clerics to the Ludwig-Maximilian University in Munich, ... |
PURPLE PATCH: Going out for a walk —Max Beerbohm Daily Times, Pakistan - Known as “the Incomparable Max,” the English writer and caricaturist Sir (Henry) Maximilian Beerbohm (1872-1956) is remembered for the elegance and gentle ... |
Yemen Attackers Kidnap Three Germans, Ministry Says Bloomberg - GTZ spokesman Maximilian Kurz declined to comment and directed calls to the Foreign Ministry. The three were taken in the city of Radaa, some 130 kilometers ... |
 Examiner.com | Not-To-Be-Missed year-round Italy sights Examiner.com - Archduke Maximilian of Austria and his wife Carlotta barely moved into this 19th century treasure-trove of crystal chandeliers, lush tapestries and delicate ... |
Wedding: Stritzinger Livingston Daily, MI - Katja Ejstrup and Maximilian D. Stritzinger were united in marriage July 27 at Solbjerg Church in Copenhagen, Denmark. A champagne reception was held for ... |
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