[MR] Dukes of Burgundy, House Valois

[Garth Groff and Sally Sanford]

Noble Friends,

Recently I posted about the death of John the Good, Duke of Burgundy. In
the past I have commented on the other Dukes of Burgundy from the House
Valois line. I sort of have a thing for Burgundy's Valois rulers, and for
Burgundy's 14th and 15th century history. These Dukes were not only
important in the history to France, they were also major players in the
politics of western Europe. They were just behind the Popes as the richest
men in Europe, and did everything with class and style, making their courts
the place to see and be seen by the glitterati of Europe. Yes, they were
ruthless, and sometimes brutal, but that does not diminish their interest
or historical importance.

So to keep track of the Dukes and their major accomplishments, and
failures, I present you with a sort of scorecard to put their lives and
reigns into context.

John [I] (aka "John the Good", as King John II of France, circa 1362).
Wikipedia's ducal list does not consider John as a Duke of Burgundy, but he
did hold the crown for somewhat less than two years. Philip I of Rouvres,
the last Duke in the Capet House of Burgundy, died without male heirs in
1361 at the age of 11. The title was disputed between John II and Charles
II, King of Navarre (aka "Charles the Bad"). Eventually the title was
settled upon John as King of France. Needing something for his 4th son
Philip the Bold to do, Charles passed Burgundy to him in 1363.

Philip II (aka "Philip the Bold", reigned 1363-1404). Philip was probably
John II's favorite son. Philip gained his by-name "the Bold" at just 14 on
the battlefield at Poitiers by a spirited defense of his father until John
agreed to surrender. In 1369 Philip married Margaret of Flanders, and thus
came to rule Flanders (outside of France) and control its rich wool trade.
He also inherited the Empire territories of Brabant and the Free County of
Burgundy (adjacent to French Burgundy; yeah, I know this is confusing), and
the French County of Artois. This made him one of the richest men in
France, though much of his territory was beyond the French borders. As a
Prince of the Blood, Philip was heavily involved in French administration.
When King Charles VI (aka "Charles the Mad") went bonkers, Philip served on
the Regency Council, and was at times Regent himself. He was accused by his
enemies of raiding the French treasury for the benefit of Burgundy (and
himself). This was probably true to some extent, but everybody else was
getting what they could during this period. Philip died of natural causes
on 27 April 1404 at the age of 62.

John I (aka "John the Fearless, reigned 1404-1419). John earned his by-name
by valor against the Turks at the Battle of Nicopolis in service to King
Sigismund of Hungary in 1396, however his personal antics and his poor
leadership eventually lost the battle, and John was captured for ransom.
Not a good start. John had already received title to the County of Nevers
(in Burgundy itself). He married Margaret, daughter of Count Albert I of
Holland, in 1385 thus increasing his influence in the Low Countries. Upon
the death of Philip the Bold, John took his place on the Regency Council.
Here he came into conflict with his cousin Louis I, Duke of Orleans, and
brother to Charles the Mad. As related yesterday, John was complicit in the
assassination of Louis in 1407. This led to the Armagnac-Burgundian civil
war. As Henry V of England pressed his war against France, John kept
Burgundy on the sidelines as much as possible, including keeping his forces
away from the Battle Agincourt (which cost the Armagnacs severely). John
was assassinated by the Armagnacs in 1419.

Philip III (aka "Philip the Good", reigned 1419-1467). It isn't clear how
or why Philip got his by-name. Perhaps he saw his patronage of the arts as
justification, but he was as ruthless and cunning as any other 15th century
ruler, and used his wealth and armies to gain nearly complete control over
the Low Countries, taking Burgundy to the height of its power. With some
cynicism, I think he got the by-name for his prowess in the bedroom, since
he fathered 26 known illegitimate children (and that was just among the
nobility). How someone without a chin could be so attractive to women is
puzzling, but as the second richest man in Europe all things were possible.
John was married successively to Michelle of Valois, a daughter of Charles
the Mad, then to Bonne of Artois, and finally to Isabella of Portugal who
gave him three sons, the only survivor being Charles, the next Duke. Philip
threw his lot in the English in the 1420 Treaty of Troyes. During this
alliance, Philip's forces captured Joan of Arc, and turned her over to the
English. Burgundy continued to fight alongside the English until 1435 when
Philip made nice to King Charles VII and signed the Treaty of Arras. Philip
was greatly impressed by England's Order of the Garter, and founded a
similar chivalric order, the Order of the Golden Fleece (which like the
Garter, continues to this day). During Philip's reign Burgundian territory
reached its greatest extent, adding Namur and Luxembourg by purchase, and
took Hainault, Holland, Friesland and Zeeland through conquest, plus adding
other territories by inheritance. Thanks to his vast lands and power, much
of it based outside of France, Philip dreamed of an independent kingdom.
This was not to be, as he died in 1467.

Charles I (aka "Charles the Bold" to himself and his followers, but
"Charles the Rash" to his many detractors, reigned 1467 to 1477). Charles
was a soldier above all, and through his bad military judgement, and a
personal pleasure at killing men in battle, he proved to be a poor leader
who ended Burgundy's ascendance. Charles continued to push the boundaries
of his territory, and was a particular enemy of the truly evil French King
Louis XI (aka "The Universal Spider"). Louis frequently fomented and
financed rebellions in the Low Countries, which kept Charles and his army
busy and his administration off balance. The real problem for Charles was
conquering the Duchy of Lorraine and territories in Alsace, which stood
between Burgundy and his possessions in the Low Countries. This put Charles
in direct conflict with the Swiss Confederation (allied with Louis XI), who
pushed Charles back in a series of battles beginning in 1474. His attempt
to capture Lorraine from its Duke, René II, resulted in Charles laying
siege to the town of Nancy. In January 1477, thanks to poor intelligence,
René and his Swiss Allies made a surprise attack on the Burgundian army
from both the front and the rear at the same time. The Burgundian forces
were killed almost to the last man by Swiss mercenaries who took no
prisoners. Only the mounted command staff, led by Charles' illegitimate
brother Anthony (aka "The Bastard of Burgundy"), managed to cut through the
Swiss and reach the Lorraine forces where they surrendered. Charles himself
was killed in the chaotic retreat. Thus ended Burgundy's dreams of an
independent kingdom.

Mary of Valois (aka Mary "The Rich", reigned 1477-1482). Mary was the only
living child of Charles the Bold. Upon his death, she became Duchess of
Burgundy, or rather what was left of it. As soon as Louis XI learned of the
debacle at Nancy, he moved rapidly to occupy Burgundy proper and all
Burgundian territory within France. In less than two months his mostly
bloodless coup was complete. Mary was left with the territories outside
France's borders, which still made her a fantastic prize on the marriage
market. Charles had already decided to wed Mary to Maximilian I, heir to
the Habsburg dynasty. This was accomplished after his death when the couple
were wed in August 1477. Securing her territories took some fighting, and
in the end certain lands were swapped with France, leaving Mary and
Maximilian ruling nearly all of the Burgundian lands in the Low Countries.
Mary died from a riding accident in 1482, and all her lands (and tremendous
wealth) passed to Maximilian. He eventually became Holy Roman Emperor in
1508. And this is how the Spanish Habsburgs came to rule Holland at the
time of the Spanish Armada.

Whew!

Yours Aye,


Lord Mungo Napier, Laird of Mallard Lodge  🦆