Maximilian I was King of the Romans (also known as King of the Germans) from 1486 and Holy Roman Emperor from 1493 until his death, though he was never crowned by the Pope, as the journey to Rome was always too risky. He was the son of Frederick III, Holy Roman Emperor, and Eleanor of Portugal. He ruled jointly with his father for the last ten years of his father's reign, from c. 1483 to 1493. Maximilian expanded the influence of the House of Habsburg through war and his marriage in 1477 to Mary of Burgundy, the heiress to the Duchy of Burgundy, though he also lost the Austrian territories in today's Switzerland to the Swiss Confederacy. Through marriage of his son Philip the Handsome to eventual queen Joanna of Castile in 1498, Maximilian helped to establish the Habsburg dynasty in Spain, which allowed his grandson Charles to hold the thrones of both Castile and Aragon. Maximilian had appointed his daughter Margaret as both Regent of the Netherlands and the guardian and educator of his grandsons Charles and Ferdinand (their father, Philip, having predeceased Maximilian), and she fulfilled this task well. Through wars and marriages he extended the Habsburg influence in every direction: to the Netherlands, Spain, Bohemia, Hungary, Poland, and Italy. This influence would last for centuries and shape much of European history. The Habsburg Empire would survive as the Austria-Hungary Empire until it was dissolved November 3, 1918 - 399 years 11 months and 9 days after the demise of Maximilian. Among his descendants are King Felipe VI of Spain and Queen Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom. His official royal style was: |
Reigned as | In Country | From | To | Coins Issued | |
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Mary of Burgundy and Maximilian I, Holy Roman Emperor |
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Luxemburg, Duchy of | 5 January 1477 | 27 March 1482 | |
Erzherzog Maximilian I. (Archduke Maximilian I), Holy Roman Emperor |
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Austria, Duchy and Archduchy | 16 March 1490 | 12 January 1519 | |
Emperor Maximilian I, Archduke of Austria |
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Holy Roman Empire | 19 August 1493 | 12 January 1519 |
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