Maximilianus, the Art of the Emperor

On Maximilian's 500th death anniversary in 2019, Freiburg's Alemannisches Institute organized a three-day excursion to the exhibition with the above title at Tirol Castle in South Tyrol, followed by a visit to Innsbruck, where the emperor's (empty) tomb is located.

Approaching Tirol Castle from below

Traffic lights, even for pedestrians ...

... and the reason why.

In olden times, access was by a bridge over a ditch.

Tirol Castle in 1845

His profile shows the way to the exhibition.

A tournament with Maximilian winning.

The exhibition at Tirol Castle featured original graphics, paintings, and prints glorifying the last knight, known for his love of knight tournaments.

The well-known woodcut by Dürer

Maximilian on horseback

Throughout his life, Maximilian strove to build up his memory for posterity: Wer ime (= sich) im leben kain gedechtnus macht, der hat nach seinem tod kain gedechtnus, und demselben menschen wird mit dem glockendon vergessen. (Who does not look after his memory in life has no memory after his death, and the same person is forgotten with the bell tone)." These are the final words of his autobiographic work Weißkunig (White King).

The White King dictates to four scribes from his life
and has a war campaign painted.

Here follows Maximilian's logical insight, "Darum wird das Geld, das ich auf Gedächtnis ausgebe, nicht verloren (Therefore, the money that I spend on memory is not lost)." This is a bold statement considering that Maximilian was bankrupt his whole life. Only loans by the Fugger clan kept him aloft, who, in turn, got hold of Maximilian's assets.

Maximilian's triumphal procession

Maximilian's great triumph cart

The Burgundy wedding with Maria

Cart with statues of ancestors:
Rudolf I, Stephan of Hungary, Clovis I, and Charlemagne

Exotic people and animals

The bootmaker comes in handy at the end of the triumphal procession.

Maximilian's triumphal arch

Maximilian's triumphal arch

A scene from the triumphal arch:
He then moved to the Netherlands to help the English king.
Soon, they gathered a large army to strangle the French.
Its army was laid down, Terrauan was destroyed, and Tornay surrendered.

Getting kids interested in history:
Max was really cool! What a life he had!
He tried to capture it with his awesome corporate publishing
by woodcuts and copper engravings.
Take a selfie with Max and post it to your friends.
His epic profile is a brand that lets you be a self-promoter too.

When Maximilian died at Wels Castle in 1519, there was not enough money to finance his funeral. The abundant Tyrolean silver and copper mines were pledged to the Fuggers: Everything that carried money was transferred. Only borrowed money enabled a modest burial in Wiener Neustadt.

Our group slept at Goldrain Castle.

Innsbruck

The most famous Golden Dachl,
the initial residence of the Habsburgs in Innsbruck

Visiting the Hofburg with the dome of Innsbruck's cathedral in the background

A cross above Innsbruck's cathedral

To the left: Cafe Sacher. In the background is the cupola of the Hofkirche.

Well deserved: Sachertorte and Einspänner. This is a coffee covered with whipped cream.
The cream insulates the surface of the coffee, keeping it hot.
It was practiced by the Fiakers (the drivers of the one-horse-drawn cabs in Vienna)
 to keep their coffee hot when it was delivered to their cabs.

At Sacher, being observed ©PBöhm.

The Hofkirche

Maximilian had planned to decorate his tomb with 40 bronze statues, but only 28 were completed. The figure captions below are copies of the inscriptions at the bases of those statues.

Maximilian's ancestors

The Habsburgs started off when Rudolf I was elected German king in 1273. In 1291, his son Albrecht (Albert) followed. He was assassinated in 1298 when the House of Luxembourg took over, providing the German kings. But when Emperor Sigismund, the last male member of the House of Luxembourg, died, he left only one daughter. She was married to a Habsburg, Albert, who became King Albrecht II of Germany from 1438 to 1439. In 1440, the electors chose Albert's cousin, Frederick, and Maximilian's father, as successor, who ruled until 1493. Contrary to Maximilian, Frederick III was called the Reichserzschlafmütze (arch-sleepyhead of the empire)

Kaiser Rudolf Graf v Habsburg

Kunig Albrecht der Erst Herczog zu Osterreich (son of Rudolf)

Albrecht (II) von Osterreich Romischer Hugerischer und Bechaimischer Kuning Laslau Vater

Fridericus Tercius Imperator Divi Imperator Maximiliani Pater (father of Maximilian)

Maximilian's wives

They write that Maximilian had truly loved his first wife, Maria of Burgundy, and that he married his second wife, Bianca Sforza, because of her dowry of 400,000 ducats.

Still, Maximilian kept incurring debts also during the imperial diet held in Freiburg in 1498. When Maximilian took leave from the city, he left Bianca behind as a pledge. She had to stay in Freiburg for some time until at least part of Maximilian's debts incurred during the Reichstag had been paid. Twenty years later, the financial claims of over 20,000 guilders were still outstanding. Read more about Maximilian and his love for Freiburg in German.

Maria vun Burgund Kunigin

Frau Maria Blanka Ko Kunigin MDXX

The Burgundy Heritage

Ruling Burgundy, acquired by marriage, was important to the Habsburgs, as it gave them claims on territories ruled by France.

Duke Philip the Good had led Burgundy to bloom, but his son Charles the Bold wanted even more. So he went to war against the rest of the world. On 2 March 1476, Charles lost his hat in the Battle of Grausen (Grandson) against the Swiss Confederates and lost his estate in the same year on 22 June at Murten (Morat) against an alliance of Swiss, Lorraine, and Austrian troops.

That's not all, because, in one last show of strength in the following year, when the Duke put all his eggs in one basket, he eventually lost his blood in the Battle of Nancy. Charles's fate rhymes in German: He successively lost his Hut, Gut, and Blut. He blew it all. Is this why his statue is a head smaller than the others? Read about the history of Burgundy in German.

Philipp Herzog v. Burgund d. Gütige

Karl Herzag zu Burgund zu Brabant  zu Geldern Gave zu Flandern

There are two more historical spolia inside Innsbruck's Hofkirche.

Tomb of Andreas Hofer,
a Tyrolean freedom fighter against Napoleon and his allied Bavarians

Commemorating the conversion of Queen Christina of Sweden to Catholicism.
Although the Hofkirche is run by the Franciscans,
 this, indeed, must have been a Jesuit ploy or even plot.

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