The Washington herald., 1916-08-10
YOUR WEDDING DAY
And the Famous Men and Women
Who Have Shared It.
August l0-Maximilian | aand Mary
of Burgundy.
BY MARY MARsHALL..

-Four months after the German EN-
peror. MaNimilian /. was married to
Mary of Burgundy, he wrote. Il have
a lovely, good and virtuous wife. who
nils me with content for which | give
thanks to God. She is tall, but slen-
der of body. much smaller than RosIna
and snow white. She has brown hair
a small nose. a little head and face
her eyes brown. tinged with gray,
beautiful and clear. The mouth Is
somewhat high. but well defined and
red. She has a greyhound that
Is very swift. 1t sleeps generally all
night in our room"
1t seems hard to believe that this
letter. so modern in sentiment. was
written four hundred and thirty-nine
years ago, fifteen years before America
was discovered by Columbus BY way
of explanation it might be added that
Rosina, apparently large of bulk, was
a certain German dsmsel who had been
loved by Macmillan before his mar
riage. The romance of Mary of Bur
gundy and MaXimilian | Of Germany
has figured so much in historical ro-
mances that We have almost forgotten
of late years that they were historical
characters al all and not merely char
acters of fiction. However the actual
facts of their romance are far. far
more interesting than any we find be-
tween the covers of historical novels
Mary Of Burgundy was bv all means
the greatest catch of her day. Ey the
death of her father. Charles the Bold. n
Burgundy and the Netherlands. Small
wonder that "varv eligible prince In
Europe presented himself Rs suitOr
1t was really quite startling how IN
sistently Louis XI of France refused her
for his own son.
But Mary had seen and become enamor-
ed of Macmillan !. youth of nineteen
Of unusual physical strength. which it IS
said he inherited from his grandmother,
Cimburga Of Poland. He was as hand
some as he was strong, as clever as ne
was handsome, and as good as he was
clever.
1t was a great day in Burgundy when
Mary summoned the estates of all the
Netherlands and 2nnOunced that she was
making her own decision in the important
question Of a husband She had, she told
the assembled statesmen. interChanged
rings and letters with Maximllian and in
tended to marry him as soon as he pre-
sented himself.
Needless to say, Ma Maximllian thus singled
out, FASTENED to Client. and was soon
seen riding into that old city, mounted
on a brown steed in silver gilt armor. his
long brown locks crowned with a BRIDE
groom's wreath resplendent with pearls
and precious stones
1t is said that on this first meeting In
Ghent MaXimilian and Mary kneIt in the
public square and actually sank into each
others arms Welcome art thou" said
Mary. who seems 10 have been the more
ardent of the two, thou noble German.
whom l have so long desired and now he
hold with delight" That night a great
banquet was given by Mary and her
mother. during which. says the old
chronicler. there was much music. hne
singing and wonderful joy And then
the German chronicler adds How fun
Of enjoyment was this banquet. during
which such royal marriage between the
two noblest. mightiest and bandsomes,
persons was resolved upon"
Copyright 1851