History
The festival is held in memory of the wedding between George of Bavaria, the son of the Bavarian duke, and Hedwig Jagiellon, daughter of King Casimir IV Jagiellon of Poland, in 1475.
The wedding was negotiated in 1474 in Kraków through legations. The marriage was important because it was seen as a strong alliance against the Ottoman Turks. At the time, most royal marriages were not entered into because of love, but because of political motivations. It took the bride two months to travel to Landshut, where she was received by princes and bishops.
The bridal pair were married in St. Martin's Church, and the service was officiated by Salzburg's Archbishop Bernhard von Rohr. Afterwards the bridal procession proceeded through the Old Town to the Town Hall. Ten thousand people are said to have attended the affair and they were provided food and drink by the young duke's father.
Livestock eaten at the original festival:
- 320 bullocks
- 1,500 sheep
- 1,300 lambs
- 500 calves
- 40,000 chickens
The historic event is notable for its detailed records that yield a complete chronicle of the wedding days and which allows the re-enactment to have a touch of realism. The exact recordings can be explained from the historical context with the Fall of Constantinople in 1453 which led into to a longer period of growth of the Ottoman Empire. The marriage of the Polish princess with George "the Rich" was very profitable for the Polish king - the 32,000 Guilder bride wealth he received is worth about 6.5 million Euro in modern currency.
Read more about this topic: Landshut Wedding
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