Tu felix Austria nube

Maximilian I’s matrimonial policy, which was partly based on chance and luck, laid the foundations for the later ascent of the House of Habsburg to global power. His children’s Spanish double wedding in 1496/97 is of special significance in this regard, as is the double wedding of his grand-children in 1515. Nuptial unions with royal houses provided the House of Habsburg with important places in the line of succession. The portraits, digital animations, and maps on display in the exhibition illustrate these events and reveal the Habsburgs’ growing sphere of influence.

Imagedescription

This family portrait was made in commemoration of the double wedding in Vienna. It depicts Emperor Maximilian I (l.), Philip the Handsome, Mary of Burgundy, Archduke Ferdinand, Archduke Charles and Louis II of Hungary.