Free shipping on all orders over $50
7-15 days international
13 people viewing this product right now!
30-day free returns
Secure checkout
72418497
A beautifully mounted miniseries of royal love and deception set during the Hapsburg Empire, Maximilian and Marie de Bourgogne is a feast for the senses. The year is 1477, and while the barbarism of the Middle Ages is slowly giving way to humanism and order, there are still mercenaries and foot-soliders and kings who soak the battlefields with their blood. When the Duke of Burgundy dies in battle, Mary (Christa Théret), his only child, intends to rule over the duchy despite the rule of masculine succession. The richest heiress in Europe, the sharp-minded young woman is coveted by various suitors. Maximilian of Hapsburg (Jannis Niewöhner), the young Austrian archduke, stubbornly opposes his father, the Roman Emperor Frederick III, who wants his son to marry the young Duchess of Burgundy. It is only after a perilous journey through a realm ravaged by war and the Black Death that Mary and Maximilian begin their flirtation. It is a love beset by jealousies and enemies, but also one under which the Burgundian Middle Ages transforms itself into the splendor of the Hapsburg empire at the beginning of modernity. Two lovers pave the way for the Renaissance, an era that is to change the world..aA beautifully mounted miniseries of royal love and deception set during the Hapsburg Empire, Maximilian and Marie de Bourgogne is a feast for the senses. The year is 1477, and while the barbarism of the Middle Ages is slowly giving way to humanism and order, there are still mercenaries and foot-soliders and kings who soak the battlefields with their blood. When the Duke of Burgundy dies in battle, Mary (Christa Théret), his only child, intends to rule over the duchy despite the rule of masculine succession. The richest heiress in Europe, the sharp-minded young woman is coveted by various suitors. Maximilian of Hapsburg (Jannis Niewöhner), the young Austrian archduke, stubbornly opposes his father, the Roman Emperor Frederick III, who wants his son to marry the young Duchess of Burgundy. It is only after a perilous journey through a realm ravaged by war and the Black Death that Mary and Maximilian begin their flirtation. It is a love beset by jealousies and enemies, but also one under which the Burgundian Middle Ages transforms itself into the splendor of the Hapsburg empire at the beginning of modernity. Two lovers pave the way for the Renaissance, an era that is to change the world...aA beautifully mounted miniseries of royal love and deception set during the Hapsburg Empire, Maximilian and Marie de Bourgogne is a feast for the senses. The year is 1477, and while the barbarism of the Middle Ages is slowly giving way to humanism and order, there are still mercenaries and foot-soliders and kings who soak the battlefields with their blood. When the Duke of Burgundy dies in battle, Mary (Christa Théret), his only child, intends to rule over the duchy despite the rule of masculine succession. The richest heiress in Europe, the sharp-minded young woman is coveted by various suitors. Maximilian of Hapsburg (Jannis Niewöhner), the young Austrian archduke, stubbornly opposes his father, the Roman Emperor Frederick III, who wants his son to marry the young Duchess of Burgundy. It is only after a perilous journey through a realm ravaged by war and the Black Death that Mary and Maximilian begin their flirtation. It is a love beset by jealousies and enemies, but also one under which the Burgundian Middle Ages transforms itself into the splendor of the Hapsburg empire at the beginning of modernity. Two lovers pave the way for the Renaissance, an era that is to change the world...
This is one of the finest historical miniseries that I have ever seen. From the lighting, architectural settings, fashions, social mores, and armory equipment, we are thrown back in time to the world of Central Europe in the year 1477 and beyond. Though a dramatization, the overall historical accuracy is excellent. We stand on the edge of the High Renaissance which is about to begin in Italy while northern Europe is mired in a world of barbarism, outdated attitudes towards women, rulership, methods of dining, hygiene, and the law. Young ladies are betrothed at the age of 10; a boy simply because he is of the male gender can inherit a throne at the age of 12. The average lifespan was somewhere between 25 and 28, perhaps even lower. Any illness or even the act of giving birth could prove deadly. The threat of the Black Plague hangs overhead. And overriding everything is the constant political haggling and plotting. For anyone who enjoys GAME OF THRONES, this is the REAL thing.The amount of warfare and its cost in lives and funding that takes place for the sake of acquiring a sliver of land is enough to make one cry. Yet, beneath the surface of all this one senses a new humanism on the horizon. While there are a goodly number of key characters, this is the story of Maximilian of Austria and Marie De Bourgogne (Burgundy). The acting credits for these two may be located on IMDb. They are superb as are the rest of a flawless European cast. France wants Burgundy following the death of its king - Charles the Bold. His daughter and sole heir (MDB) bucks tradition and assumes the throne even though she is female and her legitimacy is therefore challenged by assorted members of the court and society in general. Maximilian's father, the Emperor of the Holy Roman Empire, wants his son to marry MDB in order to save his crumbling domain from the onslaught of France, Hungary, and others. The two have never seen each other and are resistant. However, once an exchange of portable images is received, things begin to change. But the problem is how to get them safely together in order for the marriage to take place. How it happens is part of the fun and fascination of this miniseries (NO Spoilers here). Even when one gives birth to a male heir, the baby must be shown to the general public to prove its gender. The male and female leads are respectively quite handsome and beautiful and their love is genuine. Except for no dragons and constant references to God and the "other world", like GOT there is betrayal, lying, duplicity, plotting, murder, assassination, executions, battle scenes, and walled citadels.Six episodes on two discs, more than an hour in length for each one, comprise this magnificent historical recreation. Production values are A+; and the dialogue is in German and French (with English sub-titles) which adds an additional note of authenticity. I suggest binge watching this miniseries over a two day period for maxim(illi)um effect.