Grand Dukes of the West: A History of Valois Burgundy

In the years after the capture of Joan of Arc, the French continued their resurgence while the English struggled to hold on to what they had. As the tables began to turn, the Duke of Burgundy began to worry that he had chosen the wrong side in the Hundred Years War. Time Period Covered:  1430-1434 Notable People:  Philip the Good, Charles VII of France, Henry VI of England, John Duke of Bedford, A...

As Philip the Good expanded his reach into the Holy Roman Empire, some Imperial Princes greeted him as a new ally, but others saw Burgundian expansion as a threat. Sigismund of Luxembourg, the Holy Roman Emperor, fell into the latter category, and throughout his long career he was a determined, if mostly ineffective opponent of Burgundy. Time Period Covered:  1421-1437 Notable People:  Philip the...

Philip the Good was a prince of a European stature, and as such he interacted with the Church in a number of ways and on a number of levels. The Duke of Burgundy did his best to control the Church in his lands, influence the Bishoprics which neighbored his territories, and make his voice heard in Rome and in the emerging Council of Basel. Time Period Covered:  1428-1440 Notable People:  Philip the...

1430 was a banner year for Burgundian magnificence. Philip the Good's marriage to Isabella of Portugal and his founding of the Order of the Golden Fleece demonstrated the wealth, influence, and power of Burgundy. Time Period Covered:  1430 Notable People:  Philip the Good, Isabella of Portugal, John of Luxembourg, Hugh de Lannoy, Antoine de Croy, Jan van Eyck Notable Events/Developments:  Marr...

The late 1420s and early 1430s saw the rapid expansion of the Burgundian State. In this episode we'll trace the course of that expansion and explore just how the Duke of Burgundy was able to unite these disparate territories. Time Period Covered:  1430-1433 Notable People:  Philip the Good, Jacqueline of Bavaria, Frank van Borselen, Philip of Saint-Pol Notable Events/Developments:  The Treaty...

Joan of Arc is gone, but she certainly is not forgotten. In this episode we'll explore the legend of Joan of Arc as well as the legacy of the Maid.

Joan of Arc's run of uninterrupted successes stalled before the walls of Paris in September 1429. Now there were those in the Court of Charles VII who wanted to sideline the Maid, but Joan was determined to continue the fight. Time Period Covered:  1429-1431 Notable People:  Joan of Arc, Charles VII, Georges de la Tremoille, Pierre Cauchon Bishop of Beauvais, John of Luxembourg, Philip the Goo...

Joan of Arc had arrived at the Dauphin's court claiming that she would relieve the Siege of Orleans and lead the prince to Reims to be crowned. After successfully chasing the English away from Orleans, it was time to get Charles VII his crown. Time Period Covered:  1429 Notable People:  Joan of Arc, Charles VII, John II of Alencon, La Hire, Poton de Xaintrailles, Georges de la Tremoille, John...

The fortunes of the Dauphin were at a low point, Brittany had capitulated to the English, Maine had been conquered, and now Orleans was under threat. The collapse of Charles' cause seemed imminent, but he would receive a second wind when a peasant girl named Joan arrived at his court claiming to be sent by God. Time Period Covered:  1429 Notable People:  Joan of Arc, Charles VII, Yolande of Ar...

While Philip was occupied in Hainault, Holland, and Zeeland the Hundred Years War still raged in France. The steady advance of the English continues while the Dauphinists, consumed by internal conflict, attempt to stem the tide. Time Period Covered:  1424-1429 Notable People:  Arthur de Richemont, Yolande of Aragon, Charles VII, Jean Louvet, Tanneguy du Chatel, Georges de la Tremoille, John Duke o...

Philip the Good and his cousin Jacqueline of Bavaria are locked in a struggle for the Counties of Holland and Zeeland. But this conflict between cousins is only one part of the partisan clash between the Hook and Cod Factions which has been going on for decades. Now the dynastic and factional strife has combined and a brutal civil war is being fought for the Counties. Time Period Covered:  1425-14...

Jacqueline of Bavaria is back in the Low Countries with a new husband. While Philip the Good, John IV of Brabant, and John the Pitiless are all arrayed against her, the Countess of Hainaut-Holland-Zeeland is going to fight for her Counties and now she has the English backing her up...right? Time Period Covered:  1421-1425 Notable People:  Philip the Good, Jaqueline of Bavaria, Humphrey Duke of Glo...

The King is dead, long live the King...whoever that might be. After the deaths of Henry V of England and Charles VI of France, the Duke of Bedford took the lead in continuing the Lancastrian conquest of France. Bedford's opponent, Charles VII, led a rump state in the south, known derisively as the Kingdom of Bourges. Philip the Good remained with the English after the death of Henry V, but his...

With the Treaty of Troyes, the English and Burgundians have come together to defeat the Dauphinists. But that's easier said than done, once the actual work of war and conquest began, difficulties popped up almost immediately. Time Period Covered:  1421-1422 Notable People:  Philip the Good, Henry V of England, Charles VI of France, Charles VII of France, Jacques d'Harcourt, Tanneguy du Cha...

In the wake of the assassination of John the Fearless, the Burgundians came to the conclusion that no peace could be made with the Dauphin. Instead the Duke of Burgundy and his followers decided to throw their lot in with the English and sign the controversial Treaty of Troyes. Time Period Covered:  1419-1420 Notable People:  Philip the Good, Henry V of England, Queen Isabeau, Charles VI of France

Between 1415 and 1419, the third generation of Burgundians came to power in the Low Countries. In this episode we'll explore the early careers of the grandchildren of Philip the Bold: Philip the Good, Jacqueline of Bavaria, John IV of Brabant, and Philip of Saint-Pol. Time Period Covered:  1415-1421 Notable People:  Philip the Good, Jacqueline of Bavaria, John IV of Brabant, John the Pitiless,...

Throughout the later Middle Ages, the County of Holland was consumed by partisan fighting. These factions, the Hooks and Cods, arose from a power struggle between Margaret of Avesnes and her son William I of Bavaria. The fight between mother and son would only last a few years, but the factional strife would continue for over a century. Time Period Covered:  1299 - 1417 Notable People: John II of...

In the later middle ages, the House of Wittelsbach, rulers of Bavaria and the Palatinate, competed with the Houses of Luxembourg and Habsburg for land, power, and the Imperial Throne. Time Period Covered:  1273 - 1410 Notable People: Ludwig IV the Bavarian, Rupert of the Palatinate, Rudolph I of Bavaria, Frederick the Fair, Pope John XXII, Pope Clement VI, Wenceslaus IV of Bohemia, Emperor Charles...

The Rapondi were Philip the Bold and John the Fearless' favorite bankers. They funded everything from the day-to-day operations of the Burgundian Court to the Nicopolis Crusade to John's armies in the Civil War. For more on the Rapondi Company check out Bart Lambert's Book The City, The Duke, and Their Banker .

Christine de Pizan was the favorite court writer of many of the most important Lords and Ladies of France in the early 1400s. She started her career writing Love Poetry before expanding to writing treatises on Politics, History, Gender, and Theology. In this episode I'll trace her political thought as the Armagnac-Burgundian civil war rages by focusing on three of her writings: The Book of the...

I've been saying for a while that the Burgundians used propaganda and public relations much more effectively than their opponents. In this episode I'll explore how they did that and what it meant. For more on Burgundian Propaganda check out the work of Dr. Emily J. Hutchison . Time Period Covered:  1401-1419

After years of Civil War John the Fearless and Dauphin Charles met on a bridge over the Yonne River to make peace... Time Period Covered:  1418-1419 Notable People:  John the Fearless, Charles VII of France, Henry V of England, Tanneguy du Chastel, Lady of Giac, Queen Isabeau, Jean Louvet, Nicolas Rolin Notable Events/Developments:  English Conquest of Rouen, Treaty of Pouilly-le-Fort, Assassinati...

The Armagnac-Burgundian Civil War is at a fever pitch yet again. John the Fearless has launched a major expedition into the Ile de France while the Count of Armagnac struggles to maintain Armagnac control of Paris. Meanwhile, King Henry V of England has taken advantage of the chaos in France and launched another invasion of Normandy. Time Period Covered:  1417-1418 Notable People:  John the Fearle...

The Battle of Agincourt and death of Dauphin Louis upended many of the political arrangements of the past few years. The conflict between the Armagnacs and Burgundians continues, now without Louis of Guyenne to keep them in check. All the while the kings of England and Germany conspire to make their own advances at France's expense. Time Period Covered:  1416-1417 Notable People:  John the Fea...

After years of rising tension between England and France, the ambitious new English King Henry V decided that an expedition to Normandy was the panacea for his domestic troubles. Meanwhile in France, the squabbles between Dauphin, the Armagnacs, and the Burgundians hamstrung efforts for a united defense of the kingdom. Time Period Covered:  1415 Notable People:  John the Fearless, Louis of Guyenne...