Mary of Burgundy

Timeline

1. 1471–1476Bruges · FlandersAs the only surviving child of Charles the Bold, she took part in the affairs of the Low Countries court during her father's campaigns; with French pressure mounting in the mid-1470s, her status as heiress determined whether the Burgundian lands could remain independent.
2. 1477–1480Ghent · FlandersShe inherited the duchy after her father was killed at Nancy in 1477; that August she married Archduke Maximilian of Austria, using Habsburg military power to resist King Louis XI of France's annexation of Burgundian territory; she conducted government in Ghent and elsewhere, maintaining the loyalty of the Flemish cities.