Maximilian I Holy Roman Emperor Date of Birth: 22.03.1459 Country: Italy

1. Biography of Maximilian I
2. Early Life
3. Unification of Austrian Lands

Biography of Maximilian I

Maximilian I was the Holy Roman Emperor, King of Germany (Roman King) from February 16, 1486, Holy Roman Emperor from February 4, 1508, Archduke of Austria from August 19, 1493. He was a reformer of the state systems of Germany and Austria and one of the architects of the multinational Habsburg Empire, which extended not only to half of Europe but also to overseas colonies.

Early Life

Maximilian I was the second son of the Austrian Archduke and Holy Roman Emperor Frederick III and Eleanor of Portugal, daughter of Duarte, King of Portugal. He was baptized on March 25 in the Church of St. George in Noerdlingen, with his godfather being Nicholas Ujlaki, a trusted advisor of Emperor Frederick. In his childhood, he was greatly influenced by his mother, whom he resembled in character. The early death of his mother in 1476 was a strong blow to Maximilian. As his older brother, Christoph, died in infancy, Maximilian was prepared to succeed his father from an early age. Initially, his mother took care of his education, but later Frederick, considering his son too pampered, took him away from his mother and appointed the priest Peter Engelbrecht as his tutor. The new tutor tried to instill knowledge in Maximilian, but did not achieve much success. Later, Maximilian's mother managed to appoint Thomas von Cilly as his grammar teacher, but historians of the time could not hide the fact that Maximilian failed to acquire a large amount of knowledge. Despite having language abilities, as he later learned Flemish, French, and English, his knowledge of Latin was not very good. Teachers also tried to fix Maximilian's speech impediment, but did not have much success. A lot of attention was given to physical exercises and hunting. As a result, Maximilian had exceptional physical strength, which became legendary, and he was a very good tournament fighter. He also paid great attention to the study of Church writings, but under the influence of his mother, he believed in his own understanding, sometimes strongly differing in opinions from the Catholic Church. At the age of 15, a bride was found for Maximilian. The choice fell on Mary of Burgundy, the daughter of Charles the Bold, Duke of Burgundy. Mary was one of the wealthiest brides of her time, the heir to huge paternal possessions, including the duchies of Burgundy, Luxembourg, Brabant, Limburg, and Gelderland, the County of Burgundy (Franche-Comte), as well as several counties - Flanders, Hainaut (Hainau), Holland, Zeeland, Frisia, Namur, Hainaut, Macon, Boulogne, and Picardy. Her hand for her son was persistently sought by King Louis XI of France, and there were other claimants, including the brother of the King of England and the son of the Duke of Cleves. However, Duke Charles chose Maximilian, the son of the emperor, who could give the Duke of Burgundy the coveted royal title. Negotiations for the marriage began in 1473, but Emperor Frederick, to the disappointment of Charles, did not rush to promise him the royal title and refused to allocate money for military expenses. The negotiations reached an impasse. However, after Charles' death in the Battle of Nancy in January 1477, Mary, who became the Duchess, fearing the King of France, who demanded that she marry the Dauphin, renewed the negotiations with Maximilian, abandoning many of her father's demands. Frederick agreed, and on April 21, a ceremony was held in Princedorf in Bruges, where Maximilian was represented by Duke Ludwig of Bavaria. Later, the ceremony had to be repeated in Ghent. At the same time, King Louis XI of France did everything possible to prevent the marriage, declaring that as the suzerain of Mary, he refused to give consent to the marriage. Maximilian himself was able to arrive in Ghent only on August 18. The next day, the wedding ceremony took place. As a result of Maximilian and Mary of Burgundy's marriage, the Habsburgs gained the opportunity to claim the lands of the Duchy of Burgundy. According to the treaty concluded on September 17, 1477, Maximilian was declared Mary's heir. Even earlier, in a treaty concluded with the Burgundian cities, it was stated that the Burgundian possessions should be indivisible. After that, Maximilian lived at the Burgundian court with his wife. He learned French and Flemish languages. However, problems soon arose. King Louis XI of France did not accept the loss of Burgundy. As a result, in the spring of 1478, a war for the Burgundian inheritance broke out between Louis and Maximilian. At the same time, Maximilian's father, Emperor Frederick III, did not help his son in any way.

In January 1477, Louis' army occupied most of Burgundy, Franche-Comte, Picardy, and Artois. Later, Louis appointed three commissioners to govern the captured territories, located in Dijon. However, a rebellion broke out in Franche-Comte, which spread to Burgundy. And then one of Louis' commissioners, Jean de Chalon, the Prince of Orange, sided with Mary and by June was able to liberate most of Burgundy from the French. However, the French commander, Georges de La Tremoille, managed to recapture Dijon but could not achieve further success, as Maximilian was able to quickly recruit an army. On July 11, 1478, Maximilian and Louis signed a one-year truce. After the expiration of the truce in 1479, military actions resumed. The French army under the command of Charles, Count of Anguleme, invaded Burgundy and Franche-Comte, where they were able to capture several cities, including Bons, Semur, Dole, Auxonne, and Besancon. However, Maximilian left the fighting in Burgundy to Mary's supporters and concentrated on military actions in Flanders and Artois. On August 7, the Battle of Guinegate took place. Initially, the French had the upper hand, commanded by Philippe de Crevceur, but thanks to Maximilian's personal courage, who threw himself into the thick of the battle, he managed to win. But the French continued their raids, and Maximilian lacked money. And on March 6, 1482, Maximilian's wife, Mary, who was expecting a child, died after falling from a horse during a falconry hunt. She died on March 27.
In addition to personal grief, the death of his wife brought Maximilian additional problems. By Mary's will, their minor son, Philip, was declared the new Duke, and Maximilian was appointed as his regent. However, the estates of the Netherlands refused to recognize the regency, which the French King Louis XI immediately took advantage of and invaded Franche-Comte, declaring his claims to the entire inheritance of Charles the Bold. Moreover, the States-General, without the participation of Maximilian, concluded the Arras agreement with the King of France on December 23, 1482, according to which Burgundy, Franche-Comte, Artois, and Picardy were secured for France, and the Netherlands and Luxembourg were secured for the Habsburgs. At the same time, the French Dauphin Charles was engaged to Maximilian's daughter Margaret, who was promised to be raised in France as part of the dowry, which included Artois and Franche-Comte. Maximilian could not oppose this decision, as he put it himself, he "felt like Saint Eustace, from whom the wolf took his son, and the lion - his daughter." To resist the States-General, Maximilian began a real war against them. He was able to find adventurers and mercenaries in the Netherlands, fighting against both the French and the cities. The war continued until 1485 when in June the city government of Ghent made peace with Maximilian, recognizing his right to the guardianship of his son. As a result, Maximilian managed to consolidate the highly developed Netherlands and a number of regions between France and Germany. This immediately propelled Maximilian into the center of European politics and greatly increased the prestige of the dynasty.

In the 1490s, the rule of the Burgundian state was transferred to Maximilian's son, Philip the Handsome, who came of age. In 1493, Maximilian managed to regain Franche-Comte according to the Treaty of Senlis. However, in 1506, Philip died, leaving behind a minor son, Charles, who would become the King of Spain (as Charles I) and Emperor (as Charles V). Maximilian initially acted as regent for Charles. After being elected King of Germany in 1486, Maximilian returned to the Netherlands. In the same year, the war for the Breton inheritance began, caused by the claims of the French King on the Duchy of Brittany. Maximilian did not miss the opportunity to intervene in this conflict on the side of Anne, Duchess of Brittany, whom he was promised to marry. England and Castile also sided with Maximilian and Anne.

In February 1488, the inhabitants of Bruges revolted, and Maximilian was captured by them. Soon, Ghent also joined the rebellion. Maximilian, to gain his freedom, was forced to sign a treaty in May, which significantly reduced his rights, renounced regency, and made peace with France. France took advantage of this and occupied Burgundy. Maximilian's son, Emperor Frederick III, who came with an army, did not help his son due to looting among the population. As a result, Maximilian's marriage to Anne of Brittany was cancelled. Anne later married the King of France, and Brittany became part of the French kingdom.

Unification of Austrian Lands

After the death of Frederick III in 1493, Maximilian became the Archduke of Austria, Styria, Carinthia, and Carniola. In 1490, Duke Sigismund of Tyrol transferred his possessions (Tyrol and Further Austria) to Maximilian. Thus, all the Habsburg lands came under Maximilian's rule, and the centuries-old division of the Austrian monarchy came to an end. In 1500, after the extinction of the Gorizia dynasty, Maximilian I added the County of Gorizia to his possessions, including lands in East Tyrol. Then the Archduke intervened in the dynastic struggle in Bavaria and managed to obtain the transfer of Kufstein and Rattenberg. This marked the completion of the formation of the core of the modern Austrian state.

A new stage in the expansion of the Austrian state is also associated with Maximilian I. In 1515, he organized a meeting in Vienna with Vladislav II, the King of Hungary and Bohemia, and Sigismund I, the King of Poland, representatives of the Jagiellonian dynasty. An agreement was reached on the marriage of Maximilian I's granddaughter, Maria, and Vladislav II's son, Louis II, as well as the marriage of Maximilian I's grandson, Ferdinand, to Sigismund I's daughter, Anna. This dynastic alliance allowed in 1526, after the death of Louis II in the war with the Turks, to annex Hungary and Bohemia to the possessions of the Habsburgs. Maximilian's rule was of great importance for the development of the Austrian state. The Archduke launched a broad program of transforming the state system of government. Already in 1493, the Austrian lands were divided into two districts: Upper Austria (Tyrol and Further Austria) and Lower Austria (Austria, Styria, Carinthia, Carniola). Each part had its own government, including a governor appointed by the Archduke and his advisors. In Vienna, a unified treasury (later moved to Innsbruck) and an accounting office were established for all lands. In 1498, Maximilian created a whole system of supreme government bodies: the Aulic Council (the highest administrative and judicial body), the Aulic Chamber (the highest fiscal and financial body), and the Aulic Chancellery (external relations and legislative activity). The military institutions of all Austrian lands were also consolidated. As a result, a new, centralized system of government was organized, and the foundation for the unification of the Habsburg family holdings into a single Austrian state was laid.

Maximilian I's reforms, however, met with resistance from the estates. In 1502, the nobility sharply opposed the centralizing aspirations of the Archduke at a joint landtag of the Lower Austrian lands. Maximilian, who was in desperate need of financial resources for his wars with the Turks and in Italy, was forced to make concessions and restore the judicial rights of the estates. In 1518, representatives of the estates were included in the Privy Council. Thus, the administrative reforms were not completed, but they contributed to the strengthening of state power in Austria and laid the foundation for the establishment of an efficient bureaucratic system. Unlike his indecisive and unsuccessful father, Frederick III, Maximilian showed himself to be an energetic statesman from a young age, capable of strengthening royal power and implementing the necessary reforms of the archaic state systems of Germany and Austria. From the moment of his election as King of Germany, Maximilian I actively participated in the governance of the empire. He had to fight against the King of France, who formed an alliance against the empire with the new King of England, Henry VII, and the King of Hungary, Matthias Corvinus, who was an enemy of the Habsburgs.

After the death of his father in 1493, all the power in Germany passed to Maximilian. By this time, the system of government of the empire was in deep crisis: in Germany, several hundred state entities of varying levels of independence had formed, with different financial and military potential, and the levers of influence of the emperor on the princes of the empire had become outdated and ineffective. Major principalities conducted virtually independent foreign policies while simultaneously seeking to subjugate the neighboring knightly estates and imperial cities that formed the basis of the armed forces and budget of the empire.

In 1495, Maximilian I convened a Reichstag of the Holy Roman Empire in Worms, where he presented a project for reforming the government of the empire. As a result of the discussions, the so-called "Imperial Reform" (Reichsreform) was adopted. Germany was divided into six imperial districts (four more were added in 1512). The district assembly became the governing body of the district, in which all state entities on the territory of the district had the right to participate: secular and spiritual principalities, imperial knights, and free cities. Each state entity had one vote in the assembly. The district assembly was responsible for the administration of justice, ensuring public order, and defense. The imperial cities were allowed to form armed militias, and the districts were allowed to form confederations for self-defense. The district assembly was to be convened annually, and the assembly of the empire as a whole every three years in order to make decisions on common affairs. The imperial cities were granted the privilege of self-government independent of the princes. The reforms were aimed at strengthening imperial authority, ensuring justice, and maintaining peace in Germany. However, the reforms were only partially implemented, and the Imperial Reform did not lead to the creation of a centralized state.

Despite the partial implementation of the reforms, Maximilian's reign marked a turning point in the history of the Empire. His active participation in the governance of the empire and his attempts to reform the state system laid the foundation for future developments and set the stage for the Habsburgs' continued influence in Germany and Europe. Maximilian was succeeded by his grandson Charles V, who would go on to become one of the most powerful rulers in European history.