I thought that Maximilian of Austria was an odd name for the archbishop of Compostela during whose tenure the Obradoiro staircase of the cathedral was built and, presumably, the two statues were created and placed there.
Wikipedia says that this archbishop was born in Spain as illegitimate son of Leopold of Austria. Leopold was himself a bishop in Spain and had been born in Austria as an also illegitimate son of Maximilian I, Holy Roman Emperor. Being an illegitimate son of a leading member of aristocracy or clergy and receiving a good education and embarking on a promising career as ordained clergy was nothing unusual in those days.
Quite a family history. Maximilian I was one of the biggies among the Habsburg emperors who reigned over a huge swath of territory in Europe that included Spain, Belgium, Netherlands, Germany, Austria, Hungary and more, and he waged of course numerous wars in various parts of Europe throughout his lifetime. So he was the grandfather of our archbishop in Santiago de Compostela.
This was of course the time of the Turkish Wars, the long-lasting military conflict between the Ottoman Empire and European countries. Who hasn't heard of the attacks on Vienna in particular. One of many reasons why the imagery of a military Saint James in combat spirit became so popular during this time, 700 years or so after the century when the legend of Clavijo supposedly had taken place where Saint James appeared in a dream and/or in the sky to encourage the king and his army who had prayed for his assistance before a battle.
I am not a history buff and it was only on my way to Santiago that I started to develop in interest in what these supposedly silent old stones are telling us. They are fascinating stories sometimes that you won't find in your
Brierley.