Whipping the Emperor's Corpse - The Death, Burial and Monument of Maximilian I
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- Опубліковано 1 сер 2023
- Maximilian I was the Habsburg Holy Roman Emperor who cemented his family's fortunes and built the foundations of a pan-European empire. Constantly travelling during his reign, he died in 1519 an exhausted man. This video explores the curious provisions he made in his will for his burial and the extraordinary monument erected in his memory by his descendants.
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The symbolism Maximilian I chose as his life ended is compelling. Paintings of him in failing health, no embalming -- so much emphasis on the body itself being temporal, frail, and -- ultimately -- an empty vessel. It's very touching that his heart was removed and placed with his first wife.
On the other hand, he envisioned a grand memorial to commemorate his accomplishments as the emperor. The man certainly understood how to convey a message.
A rarity in modern times, as in times past - a genuinely good, faithful man, who lived, and died, in this manner. Rest well, Maximilian, I hope these have been 524 years of bliss. 🙂
...wow...a wonderful treatment of a, frankly, macabre but interesting subject, touching upon a monumentally important figure. Very thorough treatment of the empty tomb of the man. Kudos.
Splendid video. Maximillian stood with one leg in the middle ages and with his other leg in modernity. He was dedicated to live a honourable, christian knight's life. Tournaments, armoury, horses, jousting - the full monty. Hence his nickname in austria "der letzte Ritter" (the last knight).
As a ruler, he was partially responsible for the wars and conflicts of that era, but I agree that he was nice in comparison with other contemporary and near-contemporary rulers. The Renaissance was turbulent and violent. He could be considered generous although I don't think he truly understood the plight of the lower classes. He lived too hurriedly.
@@borealislinnaeathe human race is violent. There’s been wars in ever era since civilizations were formed around the tigris and Euphrates. And before that Neanderthals were killing each other. This is nothing unique to the Middle Ages or even now. Romans, Greeks, ottomans, renaissance Europeans, Ukraine and Russia, Israel and Hamas. Welcome to humanity
This tomb is indeed as you say, a tour de force. I have never seen anything like it. The gilded trelliswork alone is beyond beautiful. And each and every bronze statue seem so full of vitality. Thank you Allan for showing us this marvel.
What a wonderful monument. Some of those portraits are not very flattering. I love their names - the mad or the handsome. Intriguing. Perhaps handsome meant something else in those times. Always lots to enjoy in your videos Allan. ❤🎉👍🙏
I don't think they were the best looking family in the world, interbreeding didn't help and some of the pronounced features such as the nose and the jutting jaw just got worse as time went on. Thanks Christ, glad you do and thanks for continuing to support and comment.
As an American, I am impressed with the arc of European history. I am ignorant of so much of it. You and the magazine should help me learn a few bits of it. Thanks
His poor son inherited that infamous Habsburg jaw!
Insightful and deeply interesting expose of the life and death of Maximilian. He certainly achieved so much in his life whilst enduring quite a few trials and tribulations. Falls from horses often were the cause of death and enduring pain! His tomb is a Tour de Force. That his coffin survived the bombing of the church and the ravages of time are miracles in themselves!
That's a very impressive tomb, and an interesting run through the life of Maximilian - for all his position and power he doesn't seem to have been by any measure happy. To me, though, the moment in the video that hit was the shot of the chapel destroyed by Allied bombing. I lived in Coventry for some years and it's salutary to remember that our cathedral wasn't alone in being attacked. Thank you for an excellent video.
Thank you Dr. Barton for sharing your knowledge and travels with us.
My pleasure, glad you're enjoying my channel!
Wow what magnificent work was done to remember him. When I saw the title I was expecting something different thought he was whipped for being a horrible person not on his own request
The world could use a few leaders like Maximilian right now. Thank you so much Dr. Barton for this well researched and enjoyable video.
Not a particularly happy life but a devout one. I hope it gave him comfort to know his wishes would be obeyed. Great video; thank you. ❤
how extraordinary to complete a tomb for a man long buried elsewhere - and not going to me moved. You would have thought that one of Maximilian’s descendants might, in such circumstances, have taken the tomb for himself.
Emperor Ferdinand I. himself was interred in Prague in a pretty monument. his son emperor Maximilan II. is also there in the same tomb situated in St. Veit cathedral
Maximilian II.'s son Matthias was the first emperor to be interred in the now famous Capucin's Crypt, so if you want to look for the last place of any notable descendants the adress for the last ~400 years is the same: Church of Capucin Monastery, Tegetthoffstraße 2, Vienna
The third child on the group painting beside his 2 grandsons is Louis II. King of Hungary husband of the emperor’s granddaughter Mary of Austria.
interesting to know they had problems getting reliable workmen in those days too
What wonderful paintings we have of these people, magnificent Roman noses! A brilliant treatment of a very interesting time in history . Thank you very much, thoroughly enjoyed it!
My pleasure, glad you liked it!
Maximilian was a close parent of Mary of Burgundy, from their common ancestor John I of Portugal.
For me, his amazing monumental tomb in Innsbruck is the most incredible in Europe. There is nothing else to compare with it in the world outside of the lost tomb of Constantine the Great and the still buried tomb of Qin Shi Huang in China.
Excellent video, knew nothing about this man so extra interesting. Have recently subscribed to the Antiquary magazine and it's a delight- I get the paper copy because it's so nicely produced it's a pleasure to open.
That's wonderful, thanks very much! So glad you're enjoying my work.
Loving this series ❤❤
What a fascinating video, Allan Barton! Thank you 🖤
You're very welcome, glad you appreciated it!
What a beautiful monument. Thank you for your wonderful videos!
My pleasure, glad you're enjoying them!
Thank you again for the nice history lesson! Martha
Glad you enjoyed it 😊
Poor Joanna, such a sad story.
I learned so much. Thank you!
My pleasure, glad you enjoyed it!
Hi Allan! A singular bit of history indeed. Thanks!
Glad you enjoyed it!
Trends and fashions apply to every aspect of human life, and that includes the rituals of death. What seemed reasonable and "normal" then strikes us as macabre and even a bit offensive today. But what will our descendants think of our trends and fashions half a millennia from now? Only time will tell...
Amazing video, Allan thank you
Glad you enjoyed it, thanks very much!
Charles is rocking that Hapsburg's Jaw it looks like.
I'm sure King George IV would have liked a tomb on that scale!
I'm sure he would. Henry VIII very nearly got one, but unlike Maximilian, nobody was that keen to finish Henry's unfinished tomb.
@@allanbarton Henry had so many monuments and shrines destroyed and plundered the abbeys during the Reformation. It's fitting that his memorial is a simple black slab with plain lettering that anyone in St. George's Chapel at Windsor can walk over.
@@tangolima639exactly!! He destroyed soooo much, that we and historians could learn from and cherish today if not for his tyrannical insanity. A perfectly fitting tomb for him
Thanks
I think I need to put Innsbruck on my bucket list.....
This monument is amazing. Beautiful and over the top. Unless I missed it, he is not even in the sarcophagus in the church? It is very befitting of a emperor of the HRE.
So happy to have more your videos to watch.
Fascinating as always.
Love your videos
Thanks Lori!
I hope some day, there will be a facial reconstruction of Emperor Frederick II and his uncle Philipp of Swabia form the Hohenstaufen dynasty, probably the most legendary German House.
There are two connections with England in Maximilian's story. One you touched on: the bronze figure of the mythical King Arthur. The other is that Maximilian was a member of the Order of the Garter nominated by King Henry VII of England in 1489. His Garter stall plate survives in St George's Chapel, Windsor Castle.
Damn there's some serious Hapsburg jaws going on in this video.
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It is not uncommon for visitors to touch certain parts of historic statues believing that to do so is ‘good luck’. Judging from the shiny brayette visible on one of the bronze statues seen @ 13:55 we can guess who the lucky recipient of this treatment is at this church.
It's interesting... Maximilian doesn't seem to have exhibited much of the infamous Habsburg jaw, but Philip the Fair of Burgundy does, as does Charles V, before he hid it under a beard.
I heard on a podcast recently, that the jaw itself wasn’t initially a result of inbreeding. It just happened to be that the jaw issue that Charles had, which his father Philip appears to have as well, continued to be passed down and reinforced due to the prolific inbreeding in the future generations in an attempt to keep the empire secure. But initially the jaw was just an independent issue that was enhanced and solidified by inbreeding of fellow large jaw family members. Honestly, later portraits of Charles especially with a beard are quite handsome all things considered
He certainly had the famous Hapsburg nose.
Joanna the Mad. Like to know more about her.
She was Catherine of Aragon's older sister. She had four children and she was kind of intense about her husband, Philip the Handsome. After her husband died, when her oldest son came of age, he took over from her and began ruling in her place. Henry VII of England considered marrying her after Elizabeth of York died. So she was Henry VIII's sister-in-law and was in the running to be his step-mother.
@@tessat338 Awesome, thanks for the information.
What is that ornament/coin/jewel on hats called ?
The burial plan seems to be complicated, just as everything else about the man. The Cenotaph is far from humble or pious. The kneeling emperor covers the altar when you look from his side. And yet it is empty. And at the location the body is actually buried, priests are supposed to step on the position of Maximilian's heart when they celebrate Mass. Only that the heart (and entrails etc, according to the custom) had been removed before the body was buried (the heart, probably buried in Bruges together with that of Mary of Burgundy, is now lost though). One wonders what he meant with that.
Beneath all the glory, the Renaissance was a violent time of upheaval, in the areas of spirituality also. I read that during their drunken bouts., he and scholars in *his* circle like Konrad Celtis and Willibald Pirckheimer often talked very frankly, asking themselves whether God existed or not, what was the purpose of life etc. Celtis leaned more towards ancient polytheism. The emperor seemed to find his own spirituality. He was not above comparing himself with God at times, but he seemed to focus more on other figures, like St.George, St.Sebastian and the Virgin. St.George was a soldier, a knight who served, instead of sitting on a throne. The Virgin was a human who was never an earthly queen, but had a strong spirit and rose to the rulership of Heaven (and according to his version, she seemed to rule both Heaven and Earth quite militantly, unlike God who seemed to be a gentle, benign figure who was there to crown her) , just like himself, who ruled Burgundy not in his own right and then the Holy Roman Empire without a papal coronation (and just like Mary of Burgundy, whom he wanted to make empress but could never do so). And his mythical counterpart was Apollo or Hercules, rather than Zeus/Jupiter. He always chose figures who-are-becoming, rather than "the king". This is also the case with the picture displayed at 10:30 : it praises the Emperor by showing God himself as his Mirror, but actually it is designed by Johannes Stabius and Hans Springinklee, in contrary to the last wish of Maximilian, who told them to create a project that associated himself with the Order of St.George)
And the female/anima (either the Virgin Mary stepping on a snake, Mary of Burgundy smiling with small signs referring to her as a huntress, the "pacific" Germania with sword and crown...) is always the higher ideal - like the ancient Venus to Caesar, they represent conflicts and struggles contained within balance, purpose and beauty, not just blissful and sweet peace (like the Christian Jesus). His male figures are struggling even when they are victorious.
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One question was not answered... who is inside the elaborate monument of Maximilian I?
Nobody, it is an empty cenotaph.
I found the rapid fire mention of name after name after name to be confusing and mind boggling. “Who was that again?” I wonder as you go on to mention three more related people. And then I try to consider these three new names while you continue to list another four and then five and then….. Exactly who are we on about here? Maybe I’m just slow (PhD in archaeology), but to my ears - your words all become lost when you do this. Otherwise, an excellent video. Thank you for what you do.
Thank you for the feedback on that; it is useful to hear. I try to use the images to make that clearer, but I agree these things can be a tad confusing at times. I might start using family trees in my presentation.
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Forgive my ignorance, but which Romans were these men meant to be emperors of? Is it meant to be the body of the Roman Church in Europe? Or the Latins?
Voltaire famously said that "The Holy Roman Empire was neither Holy nor Roman, nor an Empire" - it was a title in the pope's gift. Through a forged document called the Donation of Constantine, the pope of Rome claimed they had been given by Constantine the authority to rule the western Roman empire and that they could make and unmake rulers. The title was first bestowed by the pope upon the Frankish king Charlemagne, whose personal empire encompassed most of the former western half of the Roman empire. It was intended to be a revival of the western Roman empire.
For nearly an unbelievable amount of money, most likely. Well, you couldn't buy Ferrari's. But you could make sure there were no money left when you died. Fittingly, somehow. God fearing people? For their sins. And power. Fascinating nonetheless.
Thank you!
Maximilian was in debt all the time. i wonder why the Fugger were so keen to bolster the finances for so long
"Philip the Handsome"... Hm, not sure people were being serious about that one :)
Compared to the rest of his family, he was the looker.
@@allanbarton haha!....well. that was i figure that was a medieval dna test...>
I agree, I’ve seen better looking orange boxes!
You can see the Habsburg chin particularly prominently with one of the sons in that family painting in the video. A manifestation of the inbreeding which led to the War of the Spanish Succession.
quite a dude ole Max l...
I hate to say it, but Philip wasn't all that handsome.
Wrong the emperor of the holy roman empire was wencslavs the 4th
Ah Wenceslaus the Idle - he was King of the Romans between 1376 and 1400, when he was then deposed by the electors for "futility, idleness, negligence and ignobility". He was sensible enough not to seek coronation as Holy Roman Emperor as he was such a disaster zone. Of course, he died many years before the subject of this video was even born!