Mary, Duchess of Burgundy (13 February 1457 – 27 March 1482) was Duchess of Burgundy in her own right. She is also known as "Mary the Rich", and had a long list of other territories of which she was Duchess or Countess.
When Mary was born, her grandfather Philip the Good was still Duke of Burgundy. Coming from a junior branch of the French royal house, the dukes of Burgundy had also acquired several territories in the rich Low Countries. Their court was known for its fabulous wealth and ostentation.
Mary's mother Isabella of Bourbon had married her father Charles to help establish a truce during the chaotic period of the Hundred Years War. Known to be very devoted to each other, this would echo in Mary's own marriage. Her mother died before her grandfather Philip, so she never became duchess of Burgundy.
When Charles became duke in 1467, the big enemy was King Louis XI of France. To strengthen his alliance with England, he married the sister of Edward IV: Margaret of York. She would not have any children of her own, but became one of Mary's biggest supporters in the days to come. Through careful politics and stirring up trouble on Burgundy's borders, Louis manoeuvred Duke Charles into recklessness. Charles died at the Battle of Nancy in 1477.
Mary was the sole heir and became Duchess of Burgundy. Louis invaded the territories of Burgundy proper, but Mary retained her rule in the Low Countries. To be allowed to rule there, she had to sign the Great Privilige in the city of Ghent, which gave a lot of power back to local government.
Many suitors asked for her hand in marriage, but Mary chose Maximilian I in an alliance against France. This was the start of centuries of enmity between France and the Habsburg family.
Mary and Maximilian had two children: Philip the Handsome, who would inherit Mary's titles, and Margaret of Austria, who would later take the regency in these territories during the reign of Mary's grandson Charles V.
Only 25, Mary died after she fell from a horse and the horse landed on her, breaking her back. Maximilian took up the regency, but was heartbroken and would remain very attached to her memory.
Portrayals of Mary, Duchess of Burgundy in fiction:
- Van Nul tot Nu (1982 comic books) by Thom Roep and Co Loerakker.
- Maximilian (2017 mini-series), portrayed by Christa Théret.
Tropes associated with Mary, Duchess of Burgundy in fiction:
- Altar Diplomacy: Her own marriage to Maximilian of Habsburg is one of the more famous and influential examples in history. The Habsburgs came to be known for this, but this had also happened in her own family before. Particularly, her great-great-grandfather's marriage to heiress Margaret of Male brought a lot of rich territories in the Low Countries to the Burgundians.
- Balance of Power: The main goal was to protect her territories against France and therefore an alliance to the Habsburgs was necessary.
- Burgundy's strength and wealth, in turn, had made it too dangerous an enemy for the French to leave untouched.
- Big Bad: France and Louis XI in particular.
- Blue Blood: She descended from the French House of Valois through her great-great-grandfather Philip the Bold, who had been a younger son of John II of France. Through her mother she also descended from John II. Her paternal grandmother was a Portuguese princess and through her Mary also descended from the English Plantagenets and the Castilian royal house.
- Kissing Cousins: Her parents were first cousins.
- The Lost Lenore: Mary would be this to Maximilian after her death.
- Parental Substitute: Her Good Stepmother, Margaret of York, was this to a degree, both to Mary herself and to Mary's children after their mother died.
- Proud Merchant Race: The Low Countries. Her family, which descended from the more autocratic French royal house, had stripped them of a lot of their powers. They forced Mary to give these back, as her father's wars and death had strengthened their position.
- Standard Royal Court: Subverted. It wasn't strictly a royal court, but the Low Countries were more significant and prosperous than some kingdoms. Mary's court still moved away from the decadence her grandfather's court had been known for, because there were too many issues to deal with. The rich cities in the Low Countries were in a stronger position and less likely to agree to being taxed indefinitely too.
- Stay in the Kitchen: Louis used this trope to justify his invasion of Burgundy. Charles had left no male heirs and therefore he took the duchy for France.
- Wicked Stepmother: Averted. Margaret of York got on very well with Mary, and was one of her closest confidants. It's notable that Mary's only daughter was named Margaret.
