Charles the Rash
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Charles I (Charles Martin; german: Karl Martin; nl, Karel Maarten; 10 November 1433 â€“ 5 January 1477), nicknamed the Bold (German: ''der Kühne''; Dutch: ''de Stoute''; french: le Téméraire), was Duke of Burgundy from 1467 to 1477. Charles's main objective was to be crowned king by turning the growing Burgundian State into a territorially continuous kingdom. He declared himself and his lands independent, bought
Upper Alsace Upper Alsace (southern Alsace) was a landgraviate of the Holy Roman Empire centred on Ensisheim and Landser, north of the County of Ferrette (Pfirt). The counts of Habsburg ruled the territory from the 1130s down to its cession to France in the ...
and conquered Zutphen,
Guelders The Duchy of Guelders ( nl, Gelre, french: Gueldre, german: Geldern) is a historical duchy, previously county, of the Holy Roman Empire, located in the Low Countries. Geography The duchy was named after the town of Geldern (''Gelder'') in pr ...
and Lorraine, uniting at last Burgundian northern and southern possessions. This caused the enmity of several European powers and triggered the Burgundian Wars. Charles's early death at the
Battle of Nancy The Battle of Nancy was the final and decisive battle of the Burgundian Wars, fought outside the walls of Nancy on 5 January 1477 by Charles the Bold, Duke of Burgundy, against René II, Duke of Lorraine, and the Swiss Confederacy. René's ...
at the hands of Swiss mercenaries fighting for
Ren̩ II, Duke of Lorraine Ren̩ II (2 May 1451 Р10 December 1508) was Count of Vaud̩mont from 1470, Duke of Lorraine from 1473, and Duke of Bar from 1483 to 1508. He claimed the crown of the Kingdom of Naples and the County of Provence as the Duke of Calabria 1480& ...
, was of great consequence in European history. The Burgundian domains, long wedged between the Kingdom of France and the Habsburg Empire, were divided, but the precise disposition of the vast and disparate territorial possessions involved was disputed among the European powers for centuries.


Biography


Early life

Charles the Bold was born in Dijon, the son of
Philip the Good Philip III (french: Philippe le Bon; nl, Filips de Goede; 31 July 1396 – 15 June 1467) was Duke of Burgundy from 1419 until his death. He was a member of a cadet line of the Valois dynasty, to which all 15th-century kings of France belonge ...
and
Isabella of Portugal Isabella of Portugal (24 October 1503 – 1 May 1539) was the empress consort and queen consort of her cousin Charles V, Holy Roman Emperor, King of Spain, Archduke of Austria, and Duke of Burgundy. She was Queen of Spain and Germany, and La ...
. Before the death of his father in 1467, he bore the title of Count of Charolais; afterwards, he assumed all of his father's titles, including that of "Grand Duke of the West". He was also made a Knight of the Golden Fleece just twenty days after his birth, invested by Charles I, Count of Nevers, and the seigneur de Croÿ. Charles was brought up under the direction of Jean d'Auxy and early showed great application alike to academic studies and warlike exercises. His father's court was the most extravagant in Europe at the time, and a centre for the arts and commerce. While he was growing up, Charles witnessed his father's efforts to unite his far-flung and ethnically diverse dominions into a single state, and his own later efforts centered on continuing and securing his father's successes in this endeavor. In 1440, at the age of seven, Charles was married to Catherine, daughter of King
Charles VII of France Charles VII (22 February 1403 – 22 July 1461), called the Victorious (french: le Victorieux) or the Well-Served (), was King of France from 1422 to his death in 1461. In the midst of the Hundred Years' War, Charles VII inherited the throne of F ...
and sister of the Dauphin (later King Louis XI). She was five years older than her husband, and she died in 1446 at the age of 18. They had no children. In 1454, at the age of 21, Charles married a second time. He wanted to marry a daughter of his distant cousin
Richard Plantagenet, 3rd Duke of York Richard of York, 3rd Duke of York (21 September 1411 – 30 December 1460), also named Richard Plantagenet, was a leading English magnate and claimant to the throne during the Wars of the Roses. He was a member of the ruling House of Plantage ...
(a sister of Kings
Edward IV Edward IV (28 April 1442 â€“ 9 April 1483) was King of England from 4 March 1461 to 3 October 1470, then again from 11 April 1471 until his death in 1483. He was a central figure in the Wars of the Roses, a series of civil wars in England ...
and
Richard III of England Richard III (2 October 145222 August 1485) was King of England and Lord of Ireland from 26 June 1483 until his death in 1485. He was the last king of the House of York and the last of the Plantagenet dynasty. His defeat and death at the Battl ...
), but under terms of the Treaty of Arras of 1435, he was required to marry a French princess. His father chose Isabella of Bourbon, who was several years younger than him and was the daughter of Philip the Good's sister Agnes and a very distant cousin of Charles VII of France. She died in 1465 and their daughter, Mary, was Charles's only surviving child. Charles was on friendly terms with his brother-in-law Louis, the Dauphin of France, who had been a refugee at the court of Burgundy from 1456 until he succeeded his father as king of France in 1461. But Louis began to pursue some of the same policies as his father, for example Louis's later repurchase of the towns on the Somme River that Louis's father had ceded in 1435 to Charles's father in the Treaty of Arras, which Charles viewed with chagrin. When his father's failing health enabled him to assume the reins of government (which Philip relinquished to him by an act of 12 April 1465), he initiated a policy of hostility toward Louis XI that led to the Burgundian Wars, and he became one of the principal leaders of the League of the Public Weal, an alliance of west European nobles opposed to policies of Louis XI that sought to centralize the royal authority within France. For his third wife, Charles was offered the hand of Louis XI's daughter Anne. The wife he ultimately chose, however, was his second cousin Margaret of York (who was also, like himself, a great-grandchild of
John of Gaunt John of Gaunt, Duke of Lancaster (6 March 1340 – 3 February 1399) was an English royal prince, military leader, and statesman. He was the fourth son (third to survive infancy as William of Hatfield died shortly after birth) of King Edward ...
). Upon the death of his father in 1467, Charles was no longer bound by the terms of the Treaty of Arras, and he decided to ally himself with Burgundy's old ally England. Louis did his best to prevent or delay the marriage with Margaret (he even sent French ships to waylay her as she sailed to Sluys), but in the summer of 1468, it was celebrated sumptuously at Bruges, and Charles was made a Knight of the Garter. The couple had no children, but Margaret devoted herself to her stepdaughter Mary. After Mary's death in 1482, she kept Mary's two infant children, Philip the Fair and Margaret of Austria, as long as she was allowed.


Early battles

On 12 April 1465, Philip relinquished control of the government of his domains to Charles, who spent the next summer prosecuting the
War of the Public Weal The War of the Public Weal (French: ''La guerre du Bien public'') was a conflict between the king of France and an alliance of feudal nobles, organized in 1465 in defiance of the centralized authority of King Louis XI of France. It was masterminde ...
against Louis XI. Charles was left master of the field at the
Battle of Montlhéry The Battle of Montlhéry was fought between Louis XI and the League of the Public Weal on 16 July 1465 in the vicinity of Longpont-sur-Orge. It had no clear winner and therefore did not decide the war. Insurgency of the Vassal countries Philip the ...
on 13 July 1465, but this neither prevented the king from re-entering Paris nor did it assure Charles of a decisive victory. He succeeded, however, in forcing upon Louis the Treaty of Conflans of 4 October 1465, by which the king restored to him certain towns on the Somme River, the counties of
Boulogne Boulogne-sur-Mer (; pcd, Boulonne-su-Mér; nl, Bonen; la, Gesoriacum or ''Bononia''), often called just Boulogne (, ), is a coastal city in Northern France. It is a sub-prefecture of the department of Pas-de-Calais. Boulogne lies on the ...
and Guînes, and various other small territories. During the negotiations for the treaty, his wife Isabella died suddenly at Les Quesnoy on 25 September, making a political marriage suddenly possible. As part of the treaty, Louis promised him the hand of his infant daughter Anne, with the territories of Champagne and Ponthieu as a dowry, but no marriage ever took place. In the meanwhile, Charles obtained the surrender of Ponthieu. Charles's concentration on the affairs of France was diverted by the Revolt of Liège against his father and the bishop of Liège ( Louis of Bourbon) and a desire to punish the town of
Dinant Dinant () is a City status in Belgium, city and Municipalities in Belgium, municipality of Wallonia located in the Namur Province, province of Namur, Belgium. On the shores of river Meuse, in the Ardennes, it lies south-east of Brussels, south ...
in the province of
Namur Namur (; ; nl, Namen ; wa, Nameur) is a city and municipality in Wallonia, Belgium. It is both the capital of the province of Namur and of Wallonia, hosting the Parliament of Wallonia, the Government of Wallonia and its administration. Namu ...
. During the wars of the summer of 1465, Dinant celebrated a false rumour that Charles had been defeated at Montlhéry by burning him in
effigy An effigy is an often life-size sculptural representation of a specific person, or a prototypical figure. The term is mostly used for the makeshift dummies used for symbolic punishment in political protests and for the figures burned in certai ...
and chanting that he was the bastard child of his mother Isabella of Portugal and John of Heinsburg, the previous Bishop of Liège (d. 1455). On 25 August 1466, Charles marched into Dinant, determined to avenge this slur on the honour of his mother, and sacked the city, killing every man, woman and child within. After the death of Charles's father Philip the Good in 1467, the Bishopric of Liège renewed hostilities, but was defeated by Charles at the
Battle of Brustem The Battle of Brustem was fought on 28 October 1467 in Brustem, near Sint-Truiden (present-day Belgium) between the Burgundian State and the Prince-Bishopric of Liège, as part of the Second Liège War. Prelude In 1465, Philip the Good had wo ...
. Charles made a victorious entry into Liège, dismantled its walls and stripped the city of some of its privileges.


Treaty of Péronne

Alarmed by the early successes of the new Duke of Burgundy and anxious to settle various questions relating to the execution of the Treaty of Conflans, Louis XI requested a meeting with Charles and daringly placed himself in his hands in the town of Péronne in
Picardy Picardy (; Picard and french: Picardie, , ) is a historical territory and a former administrative region of France. Since 1 January 2016, it has been part of the new region of Hauts-de-France. It is located in the northern part of France. Hi ...
in October 1468. In the course of the negotiations, the duke was informed of a fresh revolt of the
Bishopric of Liège In church governance, a diocese or bishopric is the ecclesiastical district under the jurisdiction of a bishop. History In the later organization of the Roman Empire, the increasingly subdivided provinces were administratively associate ...
secretly fomented by Louis as part of the Liège Wars. After deliberating for four days on the best way to deal with his adversary, who had foolishly placed himself at his mercy, Charles decided to respect the promise he had given to guarantee Louis's safety and to negotiate with him. At the same time, he forced Louis to assist him in quelling the revolt in Liège. The town was captured and many inhabitants were massacred. Louis chose not to intervene on behalf of his former allies. At the expiry of the one year's truce that followed the Treaty of Péronne, the French king accused Charles of treason, cited him to appear before the
parlement A ''parlement'' (), under the French Ancien Régime, was a provincial appellate court of the Kingdom of France. In 1789, France had 13 parlements, the oldest and most important of which was the Parlement of Paris. While both the modern Fre ...
, and seized some of the towns on the Somme in 1471. The duke retaliated by invading France with a large army; he took possession of Nesle and massacred its inhabitants. He failed, however, in an attack on
Beauvais Beauvais ( , ; pcd, Bieuvais) is a city and commune in northern France, and prefecture of the Oise département, in the Hauts-de-France region, north of Paris. The commune of Beauvais had a population of 56,020 , making it the most populous ...
and had to content himself with laying waste to the countryside as far as
Rouen Rouen (, ; or ) is a city on the River Seine in northern France. It is the prefecture of the Regions of France, region of Normandy (administrative region), Normandy and the Departments of France, department of Seine-Maritime. Formerly one of ...
. He eventually withdrew without attaining any useful result.


Domestic policies

Charles pursued domestic policies that assisted the growth of his military establishment. To this end, he relinquished at least some of the extravagance that had characterized the court of Burgundy under his father, if not the magnificence of ceremonial events. From the beginning of his reign, he employed himself in reorganizing his army and the administration of his territories. While retaining the principles of feudal recruiting, he endeavored to establish a system of rigid discipline among his troops that was strengthened by the employment of foreign mercenaries, particularly
Englishmen The English people are an ethnic group and nation native to England, who speak the English language, a West Germanic language, and share a common history and culture. The English identity is of Anglo-Saxon origin, when they were known in O ...
and Italians, and the augmentation of his artillery. The economic power that Charles inherited from Philip led to an independent judicial system, a sophisticated administration, and the establishment of local estates.


Building a kingdom

Charles constantly sought to expand the territories under his control. In 1469, Archduke Sigismund of Austria sold him the
county of Ferrette The County of Ferrette (or Pfirt) was a feudal jurisdiction in Alsace in the Middle Ages and the early modern period. It roughly corresponds with the Sundgau and comprised the lordships of Ferrette (Pfirt), Altkirch, Thann, Belfort, Rougemo ...
, the Landgraviate of Alsace, and some other towns, reserving to himself the right to repurchase. In 1472–1473, Charles bought the reversion of the Duchy of
Guelders The Duchy of Guelders ( nl, Gelre, french: Gueldre, german: Geldern) is a historical duchy, previously county, of the Holy Roman Empire, located in the Low Countries. Geography The duchy was named after the town of Geldern (''Gelder'') in pr ...
(i.e. the right to succeed to it) from its duke
Arnold Arnold may refer to: People * Arnold (given name), a masculine given name * Arnold (surname), a German and English surname Places Australia * Arnold, Victoria, a small town in the Australian state of Victoria Canada * Arnold, Nova Scotia Uni ...
, whom he had supported against the rebellion of his son. Not content with being "the Grand Duke of the West," he conceived the project of forming a kingdom of Burgundy or Arles with himself as independent
sovereign ''Sovereign'' is a title which can be applied to the highest leader in various categories. The word is borrowed from Old French , which is ultimately derived from the Latin , meaning 'above'. The roles of a sovereign vary from monarch, ruler or ...
and even persuaded the
Holy Roman Emperor The Holy Roman Emperor, originally and officially the Emperor of the Romans ( la, Imperator Romanorum, german: Kaiser der Römer) during the Middle Ages, and also known as the Roman-German Emperor since the early modern period ( la, Imperat ...
Frederick III to assent to crown him a king at Trier. The ceremony, however, did not take place owing to the emperor's precipitate flight by night in September 1473, which was occasioned by his displeasure at the duke's ambitions and demeanor. At the close of 1473, the Burgundian State went from Charolais in France to the edges of the Netherlands. This made Charles the Bold one of the wealthiest and most powerful nobles in Europe. Indeed, his landholdings and revenue base rivalled those of many of the royal families.


Downfall

In 1474, Charles began to involve himself in the series of political struggles that ultimately brought about his downfall. He first came into conflict with the Archduke Sigismund of Austria, to whom he refused to restore his possessions in Alsace for the stipulated sum. Then, he quarreled with the
Swiss Swiss may refer to: * the adjectival form of Switzerland * Swiss people Places * Swiss, Missouri * Swiss, North Carolina *Swiss, West Virginia * Swiss, Wisconsin Other uses *Swiss-system tournament, in various games and sports *Swiss Internation ...
, who supported the free towns in the Upper Rhine in their
revolt Rebellion, uprising, or insurrection is a refusal of obedience or order. It refers to the open resistance against the orders of an established authority. A rebellion originates from a sentiment of indignation and disapproval of a situation and ...
against the tyranny of the ducal governor Peter von Hagenbach (who was condemned by a special international tribunal and executed on 9 May 1474). Finally, he antagonized
Ren̩ II, Duke of Lorraine Ren̩ II (2 May 1451 Р10 December 1508) was Count of Vaud̩mont from 1470, Duke of Lorraine from 1473, and Duke of Bar from 1483 to 1508. He claimed the crown of the Kingdom of Naples and the County of Provence as the Duke of Calabria 1480& ...
, with whom he disputed the succession in the Duchy of Lorraine, which bordered many of his territories. All of these enemies readily joined forces against their common adversary Charles. Charles suffered a first rebuff in endeavouring to protect his kinsman Ruprecht of the Palatinate,
Archbishop of Cologne The Archbishop of Cologne is an archbishop governing the Archdiocese of Cologne of the Catholic Church in western North Rhine-Westphalia and is also a historical state in the Rhine holding the birthplace of Beethoven and northern Rhineland-Palati ...
, against his rebel subjects. He spent ten months (July 1474 – June 1475) besieging the little town of Neuss on the Rhine (the Siege of Neuss), but was compelled by the approach of a powerful imperial army to raise the siege. Moreover, the expedition he had persuaded his brother-in-law Edward IV of England to undertake against Louis XI was stopped by the Treaty of Picquigny of 29 August 1475. He was more successful in Lorraine, where he seized Nancy on 30 November 1475. From Nancy he marched against the Swiss. He saw fit to hang or drown the garrison of
Grandson Family (from la, familia) is a Social group, group of people related either by consanguinity (by recognized birth) or Affinity (law), affinity (by marriage or other relationship). The purpose of the family is to maintain the well-being of its ...
after its capitulation. Grandson was a possession of
Jacques of Savoy, Count of Romont Jacques of Savoy (12 November 1450 – 30 January 1486) was Count of Romont and Lord of Vaud. Count of Romont and Lord of Vaud He was the 7th son of Louis, Duke of Savoy and Anne de Lusignan. The House of Savoy possessed the Lordship of Vau ...
, a close ally of Charles, that had been captured recently by the forces of the Swiss Confederacy. Some days later, on 2 March 1476, Charles was attacked outside the village of
Concise Concise is a municipality in the district of Jura-Nord Vaudois in the canton of Vaud in Switzerland. History Concise is first mentioned in 1179 as ''Concisa''. Geography Concise has an area, , of . Of this area, or 24.4% is used for agr ...
by the confederate army in the
Battle of Grandson The Battle of Grandson, which took place on 2 March 1476, was part of the Burgundian Wars, and resulted in a major defeat for Charles the Bold, Duke of Burgundian State, Burgundy, at the hands of the Old Swiss Confederacy, Swiss. Prelude In ...
and suffered a defeat; he was compelled to flee with a handful of attendants and abandon his artillery along with an immense booty, including his silver bath and the crown jewel called The Three Brothers commissioned by his grandfather Duke John the Fearless. Charles succeeded in raising a fresh army of 30,000 men that he used to fight the Battle of Morat on 22 June 1476. He was again defeated by the Swiss army, which was assisted by the cavalry of the Duke of Lorraine. On this occasion, unlike the debacle at Grandson, little booty was lost, but Charles did lose about one third of his entire army. The defeated soldiers were pushed into the nearby lake, where they were drowned or shot at while trying to swim to safety on the opposite shore. On 6 October, Charles lost Nancy, which the Duke of Lorraine was able to recover.


Death at Nancy

Making a last effort, Charles formed a new army and arrived in the dead of winter before the walls of Nancy. Having lost many of his troops through the severe cold, it was with only a few thousand men that he met the joint forces of the Lorrainers and the Swiss, who had come to the relief of the town. After the battle, the Duke of Lorraine sent messengers to discover what happened to Charles. A day later, a page reported that he had seen Charles die. About a dozen bodies were found by the edge of a pool, many of them followers and close friends of Charles. Although all the bodies had been stripped naked, some were recognizable, among them Charles, whose body was in a worse condition a short distance away.Putnam at p. 449 One cheek had been chewed away by wolves and the other embedded in frozen slime. Removing the body from the frozen water required fetching instruments from Nancy. Charles's body bore evidence of a blow above the ear from a halberd and spear wounds through the thighs and abdomen. Canvassing Charles's physician, chaplain, pages, and others, it was established that the corpse was Charles based on missing teeth, a scar matching a wound Charles had received in a battle at Montl'héry, a shoulder wound, his long finger nails, and a fistula on the groin. Charles's battered body was initially buried in the ducal church in Nancy, by
Ren̩ II, Duke of Lorraine Ren̩ II (2 May 1451 Р10 December 1508) was Count of Vaud̩mont from 1470, Duke of Lorraine from 1473, and Duke of Bar from 1483 to 1508. He claimed the crown of the Kingdom of Naples and the County of Provence as the Duke of Calabria 1480& ...
. Later in 1550, his great-grandson, Holy Roman Emperor Charles V, ordered it to be moved to the
Church of Our Lady Church of Our Lady may refer to: Belgium * Cathedral of Our Lady (Antwerp) * Church of Our Lady, Bruges *Church of Our Lady (Kortrijk) * Church of Our Lady of Laeken, site of the royal crypt, Brussels *Church of Our Lady, Melsele Canada * Church ...
in Bruges, next to that of his daughter Mary. In 1562, Emperor Charles V's son and heir, King
Philip II of Spain Philip II) in Spain, while in Portugal and his Italian kingdoms he ruled as Philip I ( pt, Filipe I). (21 May 152713 September 1598), also known as Philip the Prudent ( es, Felipe el Prudente), was King of Spain from 1556, King of Portugal from ...
, erected a mausoleum in early renaissance style over his tomb, which is still extant. Excavations in 1979 positively identified the remains of Mary, in a lead coffin, but those of Charles were never found.


Marriages and family

Charles married three times: * On 19 May 1440, he married Catherine of France (1428–1446), daughter of
Charles VII of France Charles VII (22 February 1403 – 22 July 1461), called the Victorious (french: le Victorieux) or the Well-Served (), was King of France from 1422 to his death in 1461. In the midst of the Hundred Years' War, Charles VII inherited the throne of F ...
and
Marie of Anjou Marie of Anjou (14 October 1404 – 29 November 1463) was Queen of France as the spouse of King Charles VII from 1422 to 1461. She served as regent and presided over the council of state several times during the absence of the king. Life Marie w ...
.Chrétien de Troyes, ''Les Manuscrits de Chrétien de Troyes'', Vol. 2, edited by Keith Busby, Terry Nixon, Alison Stones, and Lori Walters, (Rodopi, 1993), 106. She died in 1446. * On 30 October 1454, he married Isabella of Bourbon (1437–1465), daughter of Charles I of Bourbon. He had wanted to marry Anne of York (the daughter of Richard, Duke of York), but his father insisted that he fulfill the conditions of the Treaty of Arras (1435), which committed him to marry a French princess. The marriage was, however, a happy one, and produced his only child, Mary of Burgundy, on 13 February 1457. * On 3 July 1468, Charles married Anne's sister, Margaret of York (1446–1503); her siblings also included
Edward IV of England Edward IV (28 April 1442 â€“ 9 April 1483) was King of England from 4 March 1461 to 3 October 1470, then again from 11 April 1471 until his death in 1483. He was a central figure in the Wars of the Roses, a series of civil wars in England ...
,
George, Duke of Clarence George Plantagenet, Duke of Clarence (21 October 144918 February 1478), was the 6th son of Richard Plantagenet, 3rd Duke of York, and Cecily Neville, and the brother of English kings Edward IV and Richard III. He played an important role in th ...
, and
Richard III of England Richard III (2 October 145222 August 1485) was King of England and Lord of Ireland from 26 June 1483 until his death in 1485. He was the last king of the House of York and the last of the Plantagenet dynasty. His defeat and death at the Battl ...
. The marriage was solemnized at
Damme Damme () is a city and municipality located in the Belgian province of West Flanders, six kilometres northeast of Brugge (Bruges). The municipality comprises the city of Damme proper and the villages of Hoeke, Lapscheure, Moerkerke, Oostkerke, S ...
, near Bruges, by the bishop of Salisbury. The Burgundian possessions became part of the Habsburg empire on the marriage of daughter Mary to Maximilian I, Holy Roman Emperor.


Nickname

Burgundian chroniclers described the personality of the duke as austere, virtuous but without pity, pious and chaste, and with a great sense of honour. His contemporaries named him ''le Hardi'' or ''der Kühne'' ("the Bold") or ''le Guerrier'' ("the Warrior") or ''le Terrible'' ("the Terrible"), among others, and the epithet that became his byname in history, ''le Téméraire'' ("the Reckless"), is already found in Thomas Basin, bishop of Lisieux, who wrote around 1484. In the 15th century these bynames were used simply as qualifications of his character, and the duke being simply known as ''Charles de Bourgogne''. The process of the epithet ''le Téméraire'' acquiring the nature of a byname was gradual. In the 17th century, the ''Grand Dictionnaire Historique'' of Louis Moreri mentions ''Charles de Bourgogne, surnommé le Guerrier, le Hardi ou le Téméraire''. In the 18th century, Dom Plancher still mentions him as ''Charles le Hardi''. In the 19th century, the byname of ''le Téméraire'' became standard in France and Belgium.


Legacy

In a recent influential work, ''Le Royaume inachevé des ducs de Bourgogne (XIVe–XVe siècles)'' (translated into English as ''The Illusion of the Burgundian State''), Élodie Lecuppre-Desjardin argues that the Burgundian state (or states) lacked a common sense of Burgundian identity. The early dukes considered themselves "children of France" and consolidated their Burgundian lands to strengthen their position within the Kingdom of France. Charles the Bold detached himself from France, but cultivated a government modeled on that of the latter. Moreover, he contributed to the lack of a common identity by failing in his role as a prince who should have inspired both love and fear Notable Belgian historians like Cauchies and Dumont recognize that the work has merits, but criticize the overemphasis on events (perceived as failure) under Charles the Bold regarding the state building project of the
Burgundian Burgundian can refer to any of the following: *Someone or something from Burgundy. *Burgundians, an East Germanic tribe, who first appear in history in South East Europe. Later Burgundians colonised the area of Gaul that is now known as Burgundy (F ...
rulers. Jean-Marie Cauchies writes:
The red thread, reflected in the title by the word 'unfinished', is that of a failure, due essentially to a lack of political foresight. What can one think about it? Yes, Burgundy (ie. the Duchy), the "cradle" of the dynasty, was lost forever in 1477. No, the territorial connection between northern and southern possessions could not be formed under Duke Charles, a prince to whom we must recognize — and the author does — the concern and the ability to create plans... But, were it through fifteen years of tribulations, under the leadership of Mary and
Maximilian Maximilian, Maximillian or Maximiliaan (Maximilien in French) is a male given name. The name " Max" is considered a shortening of "Maximilian" as well as of several other names. List of people Monarchs *Maximilian I, Holy Roman Emperor (1459†...
and then of Maximilian alone, a consortium of territories nevertheless emerged which found its place in the West under the heirs, Philippe le Beau and Charles Quint. Failed "kingdom"? Certainly the dukes of Burgundy would have enjoyed wearing the crown — and it is not simply that of a space between the North Sea and the Rhine that Charles the Bold aspired to, but another much more prestigious and not as quixotic as one might have thought, in the Empire... But in Lorraine or Savoy either, there was no crown for dukes. Could this be a procession of losers? Why always this diatribe, focusing in this case on the fourth duke, when results were reaped, although they were not up to declared political ambitions?
Dumont also notes that the state building project did not stop with the death of Charles the Bold but continued until the early years of Charles of Habsburg. The role of Philip the Handsome in particular should not be forgotten. Charles left his unmarried 19-year-old daughter Mary as his heir; clearly her marriage would have enormous implications for the political balance of Europe. Both King Louis of France and Frederick III, the Holy Roman Emperor, had unmarried eldest sons; Charles had already made some movements towards arranging a marriage between Mary and the Emperor's son, Maximilian, before his death. Louis unwisely concentrated on seizing border territories militarily, in particular the Duchy of Burgundy (a French fiefdom). This naturally made negotiations for a marriage difficult. He later admitted to his councillor
Philippe de Commynes Philippe de Commines (or de Commynes or "Philippe de Comines"; Latin: ''Philippus Cominaeus''; 1447 – 18 October 1511) was a writer and diplomat in the courts of Burgundy and France. He has been called "the first truly modern writer" ( Charle ...
that this had been his greatest mistake. In the meantime, the Habsburg Emperor moved faster and more purposefully, and secured the match for his son Maximilian with the aid of Mary's stepmother, Margaret. Maximilian idolized his father-in-law, even adopting Charles's motto ''J'ay emprins''. His centralization policies later are usually considered continuation of Charles's work. Due to this marriage, much of the Burgundian territories passed to the Holy Roman Empire. Throughout the early modern Wars of Religion and down to 1945, the border between the Holy Roman Empire and the kingdom of France, and later between France and Germany (specifically, concerning Alsace, Lorraine and Flanders), was disputed.


In literature

He is a main character in Sir Walter Scott's 1823 novel ''
Quentin Durward ''Quentin Durward'' is a historical novel by Sir Walter Scott, first published in 1823. The story concerns a Scottish archer in the service of the French King Louis XI (1423–1483) who plays a prominent part in the narrative. Composit ...
''. He is portrayed as intelligent, though brash. The timeline was manipulated by the author for dramatic purposes. He is a principal character in Scott's later novel ''
Anne of Geierstein ''Anne of Geierstein, or The Maiden of the Mist'' (1829) is one of the Waverley novels by Sir Walter Scott. It is set in Central Europe, mainly in Switzerland, shortly after the Yorkist victory at the Battle of Tewkesbury (1471). It covers the p ...
''.Curthoys, Ann, and John Docker. 'Leopold von Ranke and Sir Walter Scott', in Is History Fiction? (Ann Arbor: University of Michigan Press, 2005), pp. 50–68.
in ''Articles and Chapters on Sir Walter Scott Published in 2005 – An Annotated Bibliography'', website of ''The Walter Scott Digital Archive'', Centre for Research Collections, Edinburgh University Library
He is an important background character in '' The House of Niccolò'' series of historical novels by Dorothy Dunnett.


In film

* '' Yolanda'' (1924) * '' Le Miracle des loups'' (1924) * The entirely fictional hypothesis that he survived the Battle and was granted asylum in Pimlico is at the heart of the film '' Passport to Pimlico'' (1949). * ''
The Adventures of Quentin Durward ''The Adventures of Quentin Durward'', known also as ''Quentin Durward'', is a 1955 British historical film released by MGM. It was directed by Richard Thorpe and produced by Pandro S. Berman. The screenplay was by Robert Ardrey, adapted by Geo ...
'' (1955) * '' Le Miracle des loups'' (1961)


Ancestors


Titles

* 1433 – 5 January 1477: Count of Charolais as Charles I * 15 June 1467 – 5 January 1477: Duke of Burgundy as Charles I * 15 June 1467 – 5 January 1477:
Duke of Lothier Lothier refers to the territory within the Duchy of Lower Lotharingia, governed by the dukes of Brabant and their successors after 1190 until the end of the Ancien Régime in 1796. In 1190, at the Diet of Hall in the abbey of Comburg, the German ...
as Charles I * 15 June 1467 – 5 January 1477: Duke of Brabant as Charles I * 15 June 1467 – 5 January 1477: Duke of Limburg as Charles I * 15 June 1467 – 5 January 1477: Duke of Luxemburg as Charles II * 15 June 1467 – 5 January 1477:
Count of Flanders The count of Flanders was the ruler or sub-ruler of the county of Flanders, beginning in the 9th century. Later, the title would be held for a time, by the rulers of the Holy Roman Empire and Spain. During the French Revolution, in 1790, the co ...
as Charles II * 15 June 1467 – 5 January 1477: Count of Artois as Charles I * 15 June 1467 – 5 January 1477: Count Palatine of Burgundy as Charles I * 15 June 1467 – 5 January 1477:
Count of Hainault The Count of Hainaut (; ; ) was the ruler of the county of Hainaut, a historical region in the Low Countries (including the modern countries of Belgium, the Netherlands, Luxembourg and parts of northern France and western Germany). In English-la ...
as Charles I * 15 June 1467 – 5 January 1477:
Count of Holland The counts of Holland ruled over the County of Holland in the Low Countries between the 10th and the 16th century. House of Holland The first count of Holland, Dirk I, was the son or foster-son of Gerolf, Count in Frisia (Dijkstra suggests th ...
as Charles I * 15 June 1467 – 5 January 1477:
Count of Zeeland The County of Zeeland ( nl, Graafschap Zeeland) was a county of the Holy Roman Empire in the Low Countries. It covered an area in the Scheldt and Meuse delta roughly corresponding to the modern Dutch province of Zeeland. The County of Zeeland d ...
as Charles I * 15 June 1467 – 5 January 1477: Count of Namur as Charles I * 15 June 1467 – 5 January 1477:
Margrave of Antwerp The Margraviate of Antwerp (or Mark of Antwerp) consisted since the eleventh century of the area around the cities of Antwerp and Breda. Origin Under Otto II, emperor of the Holy Roman Empire, several marches were created along the border wi ...
as Charles I * 23 February 1473 – 5 January 1477: Duke of Guelders as Charles I * 23 February 1473 – 5 January 1477: Count of Zutphen as Charles I


See also

* Burgundian State * Burgundian Netherlands * Burgundian Wars * Duchy of Burgundy * Dukes of Burgundy family tree *
Jacques of Savoy, Count of Romont Jacques of Savoy (12 November 1450 – 30 January 1486) was Count of Romont and Lord of Vaud. Count of Romont and Lord of Vaud He was the 7th son of Louis, Duke of Savoy and Anne de Lusignan. The House of Savoy possessed the Lordship of Vau ...


Notes


References


Sources

* * * *


Further reading

* Putnam, Ruth, ''Charles the Bold, Last Duke of Burgundy 1433-1477'' (G. P. Putnam's Sons, 1908) * * .


External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Bold, Charles the
Charles Charles is a masculine given name predominantly found in English language, English and French language, French speaking countries. It is from the French form ''Charles'' of the Proto-Germanic, Proto-Germanic name (in runic alphabet) or ''*k ...
Nobility of the Burgundian Netherlands
Charles Charles is a masculine given name predominantly found in English language, English and French language, French speaking countries. It is from the French form ''Charles'' of the Proto-Germanic, Proto-Germanic name (in runic alphabet) or ''*k ...
1433 births 1477 deaths
Charles Charles is a masculine given name predominantly found in English language, English and French language, French speaking countries. It is from the French form ''Charles'' of the Proto-Germanic, Proto-Germanic name (in runic alphabet) or ''*k ...
People from Dijon
Charles Charles is a masculine given name predominantly found in English language, English and French language, French speaking countries. It is from the French form ''Charles'' of the Proto-Germanic, Proto-Germanic name (in runic alphabet) or ''*k ...
Charles Charles is a masculine given name predominantly found in English language, English and French language, French speaking countries. It is from the French form ''Charles'' of the Proto-Germanic, Proto-Germanic name (in runic alphabet) or ''*k ...
Charles Charles is a masculine given name predominantly found in English language, English and French language, French speaking countries. It is from the French form ''Charles'' of the Proto-Germanic, Proto-Germanic name (in runic alphabet) or ''*k ...
Charles Charles is a masculine given name predominantly found in English language, English and French language, French speaking countries. It is from the French form ''Charles'' of the Proto-Germanic, Proto-Germanic name (in runic alphabet) or ''*k ...
Charles Charles is a masculine given name predominantly found in English language, English and French language, French speaking countries. It is from the French form ''Charles'' of the Proto-Germanic, Proto-Germanic name (in runic alphabet) or ''*k ...
Charles Charles is a masculine given name predominantly found in English language, English and French language, French speaking countries. It is from the French form ''Charles'' of the Proto-Germanic, Proto-Germanic name (in runic alphabet) or ''*k ...
Charles Charles is a masculine given name predominantly found in English language, English and French language, French speaking countries. It is from the French form ''Charles'' of the Proto-Germanic, Proto-Germanic name (in runic alphabet) or ''*k ...
Charles Charles is a masculine given name predominantly found in English language, English and French language, French speaking countries. It is from the French form ''Charles'' of the Proto-Germanic, Proto-Germanic name (in runic alphabet) or ''*k ...
Charles Charles is a masculine given name predominantly found in English language, English and French language, French speaking countries. It is from the French form ''Charles'' of the Proto-Germanic, Proto-Germanic name (in runic alphabet) or ''*k ...
Charles Charles is a masculine given name predominantly found in English language, English and French language, French speaking countries. It is from the French form ''Charles'' of the Proto-Germanic, Proto-Germanic name (in runic alphabet) or ''*k ...
Charles Charles is a masculine given name predominantly found in English language, English and French language, French speaking countries. It is from the French form ''Charles'' of the Proto-Germanic, Proto-Germanic name (in runic alphabet) or ''*k ...
Charles Charles is a masculine given name predominantly found in English language, English and French language, French speaking countries. It is from the French form ''Charles'' of the Proto-Germanic, Proto-Germanic name (in runic alphabet) or ''*k ...
Charles Charles is a masculine given name predominantly found in English language, English and French language, French speaking countries. It is from the French form ''Charles'' of the Proto-Germanic, Proto-Germanic name (in runic alphabet) or ''*k ...
Charles Charles is a masculine given name predominantly found in English language, English and French language, French speaking countries. It is from the French form ''Charles'' of the Proto-Germanic, Proto-Germanic name (in runic alphabet) or ''*k ...
Military personnel killed in action 15th-century peers of France 15th-century monarchs in Europe Royal reburials