MAXIMILIAN I., one of the most distinguished of the German emperors, the son and successor of Frederick III., was b. at Neustadt, near Vienna, March 22, 1459. In his 19th year he married Maria, the only child and heiress of Charles the bold, duke of Bur gundy, and was soon involved in war with Louis XI. of France, who attempted to seize some of her possessions. Maximilian. although successful in the field, was compelled, by the intrigues of Louis in the Netherlands, and disaffection stirred up there, to betroth his daughter Margaret, a child of four years old, to the dauphin, afterwards Charle.s VIII., and to five Artois, Flanders, and the duchy of Burgundy as her dowry. In 1486 he was electecrking of the Roinans. Insurrectious in the Netherlands, encouraged and supported by France, occupied much of his time, and again involved him in war with Louis XI. He afterwards repelled the Hungarians, who had seized great part of the Austrian territories on the Danube; and the Turks, who in 1492 invaded Carinthia, Car miola, and Steiermark. He again took up arms against France, because Charles VIII. sent back his daughter, and !married Anne of Bretagne, in order to acquire that great province. A peace was, however, soon concluded at Senlis in 1493, Maximilian receiv ing back the provinces which he had given with his daughter. On the death of his father in 1493, he became emperor, anehe subsequently naarried Bianca Sforza, daugh ter of the duke of Milan. lie applied himself with wisdom and vigor to the internal
-administration of the empire, took measures for the preservation of peace in Germany, -and encouraged the cultivation of the arts and sciences. But he was soon ag,ain involved in wars against the Swiss, the Venetians, and France. He sought to put a stop to French conquests in Italy, and was at first successful; but after various changes of for tune, and years of war, mingled with many political complications, he was compelled to give up Milan to France, and Verona to the Venetians. Nor was 3Iaximilian more suc cessful ag,ainst the Swiss, who in 1499 completely separated themselves from the German ?mpire. The hereditary dominions of his house, however, were increased during his reign by several peaceful additions; and the marriage of his son Philip with the Infanta Juana, and of his daughter Margaret with the Infant Juan of Spain, led to the subse quent union of Spain with Austria; whilst the marriage of two of his grandchildren with the son and daughter of Ladislaus, king of Hungary and Bohemia, brought both these kingdoms to the Austrian monarchy. 31aximilian died at WeIs, in Upper Austria, Jan. 12, 1519. He wa.s of a chivalrous character. He wrote various works on war, garden ing, hunting, and architecture, some poems, and an autobiography full of marvels.