Tuesday, March 27, 2012

Mary of Burgundy


"Messires," said Crevecoeur, "the Duke ought in justice to have the
first of my wares, as the Seigneur takes his toll before open market
begins. But tell me, are your news of a sad or a pleasant complexion?"
 
The person whom he particularly addressed was a lively looking man,
with an eye of great vivacity, which was corrected by an expression
of reflection and gravity about the mouth and upper lip--the whole
physiognomy marking a man who saw and judged rapidly, but was sage and
slow in forming resolutions or in expressing opinions. This was the
famous Knight of Hainault, son of Collara, or Nicolas de l'Elite, known
in history, and amongst historians, by the venerable name of Philip de
Comines, at this time close to the person of Duke Charles the Bold, and
one of his most esteemed counsellors. He answered Crevecoeur's question
concerning the complexion of the news of which he and his companion, the
Baron D'Hymbercourt, were the depositaries.

[D'Hymbercourt, or Imbercourt, was put to death by the inhabitants
of Ghent, with the Chancellor of Burgundy, in the year 1477. Mary of
Burgundy, daughter of Charles the Bold, appeared in mourning in the
marketplace, and with tears besought the life of her servants from her
insurgent subjects, but in vain. S.]

Tearful Mary of Burgundy was the daughter of Charles the Bold, a major character in Walter Scott’s “Quentin Durward”, from which the text/note above come.  Mary married a Habsburg, Archduke Maximilian of Austria, but died five years later after a fall from a horse.  Mary was 25 when she died, on March 27th, 1482.

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