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The fateful ride

In 1482, a falcon hunt in the woods near Wijnendale Castle was organised by Adolph of Cleves, Lord of Ravenstein , who lived in the castle. Mary loved riding and was hunting with Maximilian and knights of the Court when her husband’s horse tripped, threw him in a ditch, and then landed on top of her, breaking his back. He died several weeks later, on 27 March, from internal injuries. He was buried in the Church of Our Lady in Bruges on April 3, 1482. She would marry the Dauphin, in an attempt to please Louis XI and persuade him not to invade her territories.
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