Maximilian I (1459-1519) was the son of Emperor Frederick III, and was married to Mary of Burgundy in 1477, daughter of Duke Charles the Bold, ruling the substantial Burgundian domains through his wife and their children when she died in 1482. He was elected King of Germany in 1486 at his father's initiative, ruling together until his father's death in 1493. Maximilian then became sole ruler and was crowned Holy Roman emperor.

Maximilian's first actions were to reconquer large swathes of Austria that had been occupied by Hungary. He fought during the Italian Wars, joining the Holy League against the French. He also had to deal with the Swiss rebelling in 1499, and was forced to sign a peace treaty that granted the Swiss Confederacy independence from the Holy Roman Empire, losing the Austrian territories in modern-day Switzerland. In 1508, Maximilian ended the centuries-old custom that the Holy Roman emperor had to be crowned by the pope, taking the title of 'Elected Roman emperor'.

Maximilian fell from his horse in 1501, which badly damaged his leg and would cause him pain for the rest of his life. He was also said to be morbidly depressed, and from 1514 onwards would travel everywhere with his coffin. He died in Wels, Upper Austria, in 1519, and was succeeded by his grandson Charles V. Maximilian's legacy was expanding the influence of the Habsburg dynasty, and helping to establish a branch of the dynasty in Spain, allowing Charles to hold the thrones of both Castile and Aragon.