Page "Margaret of York" Paragraph 17

It was in the wake of her husband's death that Margaret proved truly invaluable to Burgundy.

She had always been regarded as a skilful and intelligent politician ; now, she went beyond even that.

To her stepdaughter, Mary, now Duchess of Burgundy, she gave immeasurable guidance and help: using her own experiences in the court of Edward IV, where she had largely avoided being used as a pawn and contributed to the arrangement of her own marriage, she wisely guided the Duchess in deciding her marriage ; against the wave of marriage offers that flooded to the two Duchesses in Ghent ( from the recently widowed Duke of Clarence, from the 7-year old Dauphin of France, Charles, from a brother of Edward IV's wife, Elizabeth Woodville ), she stood firm, and advised Mary to marry Maximilian of Habsburg, the 18-year old son of the Holy Roman Emperor Frederick III, to whom Charles the Bold had betrothed Mary, and who was ambitious and active enough, in Margaret's opinion, to defend Mary's legacy.

She strongly advised Mary to accept Maximilian's suit, and marry him immediately ; he arrived in Burgundy on 5 August 1477, and by 17 August had arrived at Ten Waele Castle, in Ghent.

He met Mary there-they were both " pale as death ", but found each other to their mutual liking-and Margaret took part in the traditional courtly games of love, telling Maximilian before the assembled nobility that his bride " had about her a carnation it behoved him to discover.

" The carnation duly proved to be in the Duchess's bodice, from which Maximilian carefully removed it.

The pair were married the next day, on 18 August.