It is time to commemorate another Habsburg ‘wedding of the century’ — this time the one that belonged to the 15th century: Duchess Mary of Burgundy and Archduke Maximilian, the son of Emperor Friedrich III, were married on 19 August 1477.
Mary was young, beautiful and immensely wealthy, and she had grown up at the cultivated and refined Burgundian court, making her a true prize on the royal marriage market. Threatened by the King of France, she chose among her numerous suitors the most powerful ally — a role for which Maximilian was destined. In the history books, the couple have earned the expressive epithets ‘the Rich’ and ‘the Last Knight,’ respectively — and with good reason. For the Habsburgs, this union marked the first in a long line of brilliant dynastic marriages that paved their way to world dominance.
However, there is a small yet heart-warming detail rarely mentioned. When Maximilian sent his official proposal letter to Mary, he included an expensive gold ring as a gift. It was crafted in the form of a Gothic capital M — the initial of them both — with five diamonds set on its points. From that time onwards, gold and diamonds became classic materials for wedding and engagement rings—a tradition very likely introduced by Mary and Maximilian’s marriage.
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