[MR] Wives of Charles the Bold

[Garth Groff and Sally Sanford]

Noble Friends,

Today I was pondering the various marriages of Charles the Bold, the last
Valois Duke of Burgundy. Charles had three wives, but the first two are
often glossed over in capsule histories of Burgundy.

In 1440 at the age of seven, Charles was married to Catherine of France
(1448-1426), daughter of King Charles VII and sister to later King Louis XI
(who was to become Charles the Bold's arch enemy). Catherine died from
tuberculosis at age 17 (Charles would have been 12). There were no
children, and it is possible their marriage was never consummated:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Catherine_of_France,_Countess_of_Charolais .

Side issue here: Charles was not bold yet. He was simply Count of Charolais.

Charles' second bride was Isabella of Bourbon (c. 1434-1465). She was a
daughter of Charles I, Duke of Bourbon. Her father was an enemy to
Charles's father, Duke of Burgundy Philip the Good, but Bourbon agreed to
the marriage in a truce between the two duchies in 1454. The couple were
nearly matched in age, and were very much in love. Charles was apparently
faithful to Isabella. They had one child, Mary of Burgundy (aka "Mary the
Rich") in 1457. Isabella also died from tuberculosis in 1465:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Isabella_of_Bourbon .

Margaret of York was Charles' third and final wife. Burgundy and England
had enjoyed a close relationship during Philip the Good's reign. Their
mutual enmity against France and the important English-Flemish wool trade
made the two countries natural bed-fellows. In 1467, Charles was in
negotiations with Edward IV to marry Margaret. She was Charles' second
cousin, both being descended from John of Gaunt (it took a substantial
bribe to get the Pope's approval), and she was Edward's sister. Their
marriage took place in 1468, shortly after Charles succeeded his father as
Duke of Burgundy. From 1471 until his death in 1477, Charles was almost
constantly on campaign against his neighbors (all of them!) as he gambled
everything on making Burgundy an independent kingdom. He paid little
attention to Margaret, and they had no children:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Margaret_of_York .

History does not record Charles as ever having a mistress, which is unusual
among men of power at that time. Perhaps he was sickened by his father's
many mistresses and 26 known illegitimate children. Charles once had his
own beloved half-brother Anthony, Bastard of Burgundy, censured at a
chapter of the Order of the Golden fleece for keeping mistresses and having
children out of wedlock. Some detractors have suggested that Charles was a
homosexual, but there is no evidence for that, and his loving relationship
with Isabella speaks against that charge.

Charles had no male heirs, his sole survivor being his daughter Mary. Even
before his death, Charles had been in marriage negotiations with Maximilian
I, son of Holy Roman Emperor Frederick III (with whom Charles was at war).
The marriage contract was finalized after Charles' death. Mary, who had
become reigning Duchess of Burgundy, jointly ruled what was left of
Burgundian lands in the Low Countries with Maximilian until her untimely
death in 1482. Then the territories passed solely to Maximilian and were
eventually incorporated into the Habsburg empire.

Yours Aye,


Mungo Napier, Laird of Mallard Lodge 🦆
Keeping Merry Rose relevant and in business for 16 years.