Maximilian I, Holy Roman Emperor

Maximilian I (22 March 1459 – 12 January 1519), son of Frederick III, Holy Roman Emperor, and Eleanor of Portugal, autographed manuscript letter (LS) signed by Maximilian I in 1513.  “p(er) reg(em) p(er) s(e)“. Frankfurt Am Main, 28 Oktober 1513. Invitation to go to the Reichstag (diet) at Frankfurt (instead of Worms).

Maximilian I was King of the Romans (also known as King of the Germans) from 1486 and Holy Roman Emperor from 1508 until his death, though he was never in fact crowned by the Pope, the journey to Rome always being too risky.

He had ruled jointly with his father for the last ten years of his father's reign, from c. 1483. He expanded the influence of the House of Habsburg through war and his marriage in 1477 toMary of Burgundy, the heiress to the Duchy of Burgundy, but he also lost the Austrian territories in today's Switzerland to the Swiss Confederacy.

Through marriage of his son Philip the Handsome to eventual queen Joanna of Castile in 1498, Maximilian helped to establish the Habsburg dynasty in Spain which allowed his grandson Charles to hold the thrones of both Castile and Aragon. Since his father Philip died in 1506, Charles succeeded Maximilian as Holy Roman Emperor in 1519, and thus ruled both the Holy Roman Empire and the Spanish Empire simultaneously.

Letter measures approximately 9 x 11 inches. Fine condition with expected light aging for a document of this age.