As a citizen of Bruges, you grow up with stories about this historical beauty. Everyone who goes to school in Bruges has stood staring at her grave on an obligatory school trip to the Church of Our Lady. That is why, for me, she could not be missing in the series of water bodies. When talking about Mary's life, most people don't get beyond "that's the one who fell off her horse, isn't it? Fortunately, there is more to her life than her tragic death. Her grandfather, Philip the Good, refused to attend her baptism because she was "just a girl". Mary was often accompanied by her stepmother, Magaratha of York, and made diplomatic trips, which were necessary; her father, Charles the Bold, was becoming less and less popular, his wariness weighing heavily on the people and the treasury. At the age of 19, the Princess of Flanders succeeded her father, a task for which she was not prepared. She not only inherited all his titles and estates, but also the discontent and resistance of her subjects. To keep the peace and to obtain popular support, she granted privileges and labels to several cities and regions. These brought an end to the centralisation policy of her ancestors, an important turning point in the history of the Low Countries that will not be forgotten after her death. In the meantime, marriage proposals from various European princes pour in, and Louis XI of France sees in her the ideal partner for his son and hopes to add Flanders to his crown estate. She refused, and France took advantage of this to attack the Burgundian territories. Thanks to the issued privileges, the States-General of the regions come to her defence. That same year, she made the smart political decision to marry Maximilian I of Austria and thus gained the protection of the gigantic Habsburg Empire. At the age of 25, Maria did indeed fall during a hunt and landed under her horse. A few weeks later, she also dies of her injuries. Centuries later, Mary still lives on in the hearts of many Flemings, and her brief reign over the Low Countries has left a memorable mark on the history of our regions. Personally, I think that this young lady certainly stood her ground in a medieval world of men.