Maximilian I
I don’t have much to say these days, about nature, or ecology, or the natural world. I have been thinking about animals a lot. I’m going to share a story I wrote recently, I will probably continue to share stories here. I haven’t proof read it too much so sorry for any mistakes.
***Graphic content warning for graphic sexual content and some violence***
When I was 11 I got in a terrible accident.
When I was 5 my parents got a dog. His name was Maximilian, never Max. I had seen the name written somewhere once and thought it was beautiful. Probably saw it on a bookend somewhere, or on TV.
I later learned he was named after a Hapsburg, Maximilian I, who ruled as both the King of Romans (with his father) and then eventually Holy Roman Emperor from 1486 until he died in 1519. Maximilian I’s father Frederick III named him after Saint Maximilian of Tebessa who, in the year 295, when brought out in front of a senator refused to be a soldier for the emperor and go to war at the age of 21. He was then beheaded. Frederick III named his son Maximilian because he is said to have seen Saint Maximilian of Tebessa come to him in a dream once and warn him of danger.
Maximilian I’s mother died when he was young. She was Eleanor of Portugal. When Maximilian I was 17 he commanded his first military campaign, although it is reported he received help from more experienced generals too. This was against Hungary. In August of the next year he was married. He did many things after that but I am not too interested in them. They are not important to this story.
In 1501 Maximilian I fell from his horse and permanently injured his leg, causing him chronic pain for the rest of his life. From 1514 everywhere he traveled he took his coffin just in case he died. In 1518 he saw an eclipse and thought he was going to die surely now. He went back to Innsbruck, which was the capital of Austria during his rule, and innkeepers refused him because he had financial problems his entire life and was refused any more lines of credit. He then had a stroke and died a few months later just after the new year.
This is all according to his Wikipedia page.
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