Grand Dukes of the West: A History of Valois Burgundy

Charles VII and his son Louis had a strained relationship to say the very least, and the Dauphin was eager to escape his father's court and head to Dauphine. Distance would not mend things between father and son, and before long, the Prince was fleeing to Burgundian territory, complicating the already complicated relationship between Philip the Good and Charles VII. Time Period Covered:  1445-...

Throughout the reigns of all the Burgundian Dukes so far, they have been constantly trying to expand their influence over the Church in the Low Countries. In the mid-1450s, Philip the Good would take that project as far as it had ever gone by placing Burgundians on the Episcopal thrones of Utrecht and Liege. Time Period Covered:  1455-1460 Notable People:  Philip the Good, David of Burgundy Bishop...

All his life, Philip the Good dreamed of going on Crusade, and all his life other things kept getting in the way. But even though the Duke of Burgundy never made it on Crusade, the Crusading Ideal still played a large part in the Duke's reign, image, and stature as a Prince. Time Period Covered:  1421-1456 Notable People:  Philip the Good, Gilbert de Lannoy, Bertrandon de la Broquiere, Geoffro...

The Dukes of Burgundy presided over one of the great flowerings of Art and Culture in the Later Middle Ages. While the Northern Renaissance was not a purely Burgundian phenomenon, the Burgundian Court and the Cities of the Burgundian Low Countries were at the Center of advances in Painting, Music, Building and more. The Duke of Burgundy, the Burgundian Nobility, and the rising Bourgeoisie, all com...

Tournaments were more than an excuse for knights to whack each other with sticks, they were elaborate court events filled with splendor, ritual, and the careful exercise of violence. Perhaps nobody in Burgundy exemplified the Tournament as much as Jacques de Lalaing; through his skill in the lists, Jacques won fame on par with modern star athletes. Time Period Covered:  1430-1453 Notable People:  ...

Susan Abernethy, who you might also know as the Freelance History Writer , has recently put out her second book, The Formidable Women Who Shaped Medieval Europe, which dives into the biographies of over 40 women whose lives intersected with Burgundy in some way or another and adds rich context to the Burgundian Story. The Formidable Women Who Shaped Medieval Europe is out now, and I highly recomme...

The Cent Nouvelles Nouvelles is a collection of 100 Stories told at the Burgundian Court compiled around 1450. In this episode some of my fellow History Podcasters will relate 10 of these stories (see timestamps below). An English Translation of the Cent Nouvelles Nouvelles by Robert B. Douglas can be found on Project Guteburg if you would like to follow along or read the rest of the stories. 3:36...

Philip the Good was known to suffer from the 'weakness of the flesh.' The Duke of Burgundy had dozens of mistresses and bastards throughout his life, so while we're exploring the Burgundian Court, why not take a moment to explore Philip's illegitimate family. Check out intelligentspeechonline.com for more information on the upcoming Intelligent Speech Conference, and use my promo c...

Although the Dukes of Burgundy were not kings, they sure acted like they were. The Burgundian Court was one of the largest, most extravagant, and most magnificent in all of Europe. It was a center of artistic patronage, elaborate events, and grand displays. In fact, the Burgundian Court was so central to the identity of the Dukes and the administration of their lands, that some historians have cla...

By the Autumn of 1451, it looked like the political conflict between Ghent and Philip the Good had worked itself out, but this episode isn't called the Ghent Revolt for nothing. The recently pacified city would erupt into revolutionary violence before the end of the year. Check out intelligentspeechonline.com for more information on the upcoming Intelligent Speech Conference, and use my promo...

In 1447, Philip the Good pitched a new Tax to the Grand Council of Ghent and when the body refused his request, the Duke of Burgundy became determined to humble the proud city. But by provoking a conflict with Ghent, Philip may have gotten more than he bargained for. Check out intelligentspeechonline.com for more information on the upcoming Intelligent Speech Conference, and use my promo code BOLD...

If the 30's were Burgundy's Critical Decade, the 40's were...less critical. But that's not to say that nothing happened, over the course of the 40's Philip the Good and his government continued to work on centralizing the Burgundian State and bringing it's component pieces into alignment. Time Period Covered:  1438-1450 Notable People:  Philip the Good, Nicolas Rolin, Hugh...

And 116 years later, the Hundred Years War comes to an End. Time Period Covered:  1448-1453 Notable People:  Charles VII of France, Henry VI of England, John of Orleans Count of Dunois, Arthur de Richemont Constable of France, John Talbot Earl of Shrewsbury, Edmund Beaufort Duke of Somerset Notable Events/Developments:  Seizure of Fougeres, Breakdown of the Truce of Tours, Norman Campaign (1449-14...

Believe it or not, the Hundred Years War is still going on, but now it's become a bit on-again-off-again. The Truce of Tours, agreed to in 1444, gave both sides the chance to take a breath and prepare for the future, whatever that might hold. Time Period Covered:  1440-1448 Notable People:  Charles VII of France, Henry VI of England, Philip the Good, Isabella of Portugal, Louis XI of France, Antoi...

In the mid-1440s, Frederick III the King of Germany and Duke Philip the Good entered into negotiations over the prospect of giving the Duke a crown. While Frederick pictured simply elevating one of Philip's territories from Duchy to Kingdom, the Duke of Burgundy was more ambitious and attempted to resurrect the old Frankish Kingdom of Lotharingia. Time Period Covered:  1440-1457 Notable People...

After adding the Duchies of Brabant and Limburg and the Counties of Hainault, Holland, Zeeland, and Namur to his domains, Philip the Good set his sights on the Duchy of Luxembourg. But the Duke of Burgundy wasn't the only with designs on the Duchy. Time Period Covered:  1436-1443 Notable People:  Philip the Good, Elizabeth of Gorlitz, Ladislaus the Posthumous, William III of Saxony, Rupert of...

After the Kingships of Rudolf and Albert, the Habsburg's fortunes on the Imperial Stage diminished, but the family was still one of the leading Houses in the Holy Roman Empire, and their story is far from over. Time Period Covered:  1290-1440 Notable People: Albert II of Habsburg, Rudolf IV of Habsburg, Leopold III of Habsburg, Frederick of the Empty Pockets, Ernst the Iron, Albert V of Habsburg,...

When the Electors of the Holy Roman Empire chose Rudolf of Habsburg to be the new King of Germany, they were hoping that he'd be someone they could control. But Rudolf, despite being a minor Count from Swabia, would prove to be nobody's puppet, and over the course of his reign he transformed the fortunes of his family, and the Empire as a whole. Time Period Covered:  1250-1330 Notable Peop...

The Hanseatic League was a major player in Northern Europe for centuries, it dominated trade in the North and Baltic Seas, fought wars with rival powers, and dictated terms to princes. But the League was not a state, proto-state, or quasi-state, it was a collection of Merchants, Guilds, and Towns. Time Period Covered:  1143-1441 Notable Events/Developments:  Founding of Lubeck, Formation of the Ha...

Throughout the later 1430s, Charles I Duke of Bourbon found his influence at the court of Charles VII falling day after day. Bourbon was not content to take his sidelining laying down, and so he began to plot, and when that failed he plotted again, and when that failed... Time Period Covered:  1435-1442 Notable People:  Charles VII of France, Charles of Anjou Count of Maine, Charles I Duke of Bour...

When Philip the Good signed the Treaty of Arras, he hoped that he would be able to put all the years of war and strife behind him. However, the ill will built up over the years of Anglo-Burgundian alliance would be hard to surmount and the Duke of Burgundy is now on the lookout for allies at the French Court. Thank you to Emmanuel Dubois from the La Fayette, We Are Here! Podcast for reading one of...

As Philip the Good retreated from Calais, he found himself going out of the frying pan and into the fire. The militias of Flanders had mutineed and the county was on the brink of rebellion. Time Period Covered:  1432-1438 Notable People:  Philip the Good, Isabella of Portugal Duchess of Burgundy, Roland d'Uutkercke, Jan Van Hoorn, Simon de Lalaing, Colard de Commines, Raase Rouven Notable Events/D...

As soon as the ink was dry on the Treaty of Arras, the military situation in France was turned on it's head. The English position is now in free fall, and as they struggle to regain control, their former allies the Burgundians are only adding to their troubles. Time Period Covered:  1435-1437 Notable People:  Philip the Good, Jean de Villiers Lord of l'Isle-Adam, John of Luxembourg, Charles VII of...

In mid-1435 delegates from England, France, and Burgundy converged on Arras to discuss ending the Hundred Years War. Time Period Covered:  1435 Notable People:  Philip the Good, Cardinal Niccolo Albergati, Charles I Duke of Bourbon, Cardinal Hugh de Lusignan, Cardinal Henry Beaufort Notable Events/Developments:  The Congress of Arras, The Treaty of Arras, Death of John Duke of Bedford

Philip the Good is tired of the Hundred Years War. He's tired of the destruction, he's tired of the death, and he's tired of his ally's inability to defend his lands. But the Duke of Burgundy finds himself trapped by an oath not to make a separate peace with the increasingly powerful French Court of Charles VII. Time Period Covered:  1431-1435 Notable People:  Philip the Good, Charles VII of Franc...