On the occasion of the Imperial Diet of Trier, Emperor Frederick III negotiated with Charles the Bold, the Duke of Burgundy, the marriage of Maximilian and Charles' daughter Mary of Burgundy.
As the sovereign of Burgundy, Charles the Bold was one of the economically mightiest men in Europe, however, he was under the duty of both the French crown and the Holy Roman Empire. He was a very ambitious sovereign who wanted to turn his dukedom into a kingdom. However, he had no son and the House of Burgundy was critically endangered.
In 1476, the engagement was celebrated and after the death of Charles the Bold during war the marriage of Mary and Maximilian took place in 1477.