History of the administrative apparatus of the Duchy of Burgundy. Grand Dukes of Burgundy

The country received its name from the German Burgundian tribe (Burgundii, Burgundiones), who originally lived in the area of ​​the Netsa and Warta rivers. In the 3rd century BC, the Burgundians moved along the upper reaches of the Vistula River, from where they were forced out by the Gepids. In the great migration of the peoples of Byelorussia, everyone gradually moved to the southwest, until in the region of the Maina River they became neighbors of the Alemanni, with whom they were in constant hostility. From here they, together with other Germanic tribes, made frequent raids on neighboring Gaul, but in 277 AD they were defeated by the emperor. In 413, with the consent of the Romans, the Burgundians, led by King Gunthar, founded a state on the left bank of the Rhine, between Lauther and Nage, with the main city of Worms (Burgundy of the Nibelung cycle). As a result of the indignation against the Romans, in 435, the hired army of the Huns devastated their state. King Gundikar was killed and the rest of the Burgundian people were resettled by Aetius in Sabaudia (Savoy). Here King Gundioch founded the new Burgundian state in the region of the Rhone River. Under his sons Gundobad, Godegisel and Chilperic, Belgium fell into three parts, with the main cities of Lyon, Vienne and Geneva. But Gundobad, having killed his brothers, united all the Burgundians under his rule. He issued the first code of Burgundian laws - "Lex Gundobada" - and significantly weakened the strife between Catholics and Arians (most of the Burgundians accepted Christianity from the Arian clergy); † in 516

His successor Sigismund the Saint (516-524), who converted to Catholicism, was defeated by the sons of the Frankish king Clovis and, together with his wife and children, drowned in a well in Kulmier. His brother Godomar first (524) defeated the Franks at Vézerons, but then he himself was defeated (532) by them and Belgium was annexed to the Frankish state. After the division of this state (561), Burgundy either gained independence or joined one of the parts of the Frankish state - Austrasia or Neustria. In the 9th century, with the collapse of the Frankish state after Charlemagne, Burgundy was again reborn as an independent state. Bozo, Count of Vienne, with the help of Pope Johann VIII, proclaimed himself king of Belgium and Provence at the Mantal Congress of Nobles (880). This is how the state of Cis-Juranic B. arose, which received the name Arelatsky, from the main city of Arles, and stretched from the Alps to the Rhone River and from the Mediterranean Sea to the Saone. Boson died in 887 and the northern part separated from his kingdom, forming a special Trans-Jurasian or Upper Burgundian state, with King Rudolph I. He was elected king by the Burgundian nobility in 888 and confirmed in this title as emperor; after a peaceful reign, he died in 912. His son Rudolf II united both states again (934). He waged continuous wars in order to expand his possessions; in 921 he was elevated to the throne of Italy by Adalbert of Ivrea; in 923 he defeated his rival Berengar near Fiorenzuola; in 925 he left Italy, and in 933 he renounced his rights to it in favor of Hugo of Provence; died 937

He was married to Bertha (Bertha, daughter of the Alaman Duke of Burckhard and wife of Rudolf II, king of Transjuric Burgundy, after whose death (937) she ruled the country on behalf of her infant son Conrad; Bertha subsequently married King Hugo of Italy and † at the end of the 10th century She was a wonderful housewife and on various seals, etc. that have survived from that time, she is depicted sitting on a throne with a spinning wheel in her hands.)

Rudolf III (993-1032), was the last independent king of Burgundy. Pressed by his vassals, he appointed Emperor Henry II, his nephew, as heir. After the death of Henry II, the new emperor declared Burgundy a fief of the German Empire and, after a long struggle with contenders for the Burgundian throne, Duke Ernst of Swabia and Count Odo of Champagne, achieved (1038) the coronation of his son, later Emperor Henry III, as the Burgundian king at the Diet in Solothurn. Since then, several German emperors have been crowned Burgundian kings at Arles; but with the fall of the Hohenstaufens, B.'s connection with Germany became weaker. The last time Emperor Charles IV was crowned king of Burgundy was in Arles (1364). Little by little, Belgium fell apart into many small independent states, which, with the exception of Savoy and Montbéliard, were annexed to France.

The Duchy of Burgundy (French Bourgogne in the narrow sense), founded in 884 by Bozo's brother, Richard, Count of Autun, had almost the same fate. The duchy extended from Chalons on the Saone to Chatillon on the Seine. After the death of Richard, the dukedom went to his son Rudolf (Raoul), who ascended to the French throne in 923 and † in 936, leaving no offspring. Henry, brother of the French king Hugh Capet, married to the granddaughter of Richard, inherited the duchy, which thus passed to a side branch of the Capetians, which died out in 1361. John II the Good, king of France, partly by right of overlord, partly by kinship with the last Duke of Burgundy annexed duchy to the French crown.

But in 1363 he gave it as fief to his youngest son, who became the founder of a new line of Burgundian dukes. From this time begins the most brilliant time in the history of the Duchy of Burgundy. Trade, crafts, arts, and with them the well-being of citizens and the wealth of the country rose and flourished. Philip II the Bold married Margaret, the only daughter and heir of Ludwig III, Count of Flanders, and in this way acquired the flourishing regions of Flanders and Franche-Comté. Philip's appointment as regent of France, due to the mental illness of his nephew Charles VI, led him into irreconcilable enmity with Louis, Duke of Orleans, the king's brother. Philip was succeeded by his son John the Fearless, who continued the fight against the Duke of Orleans until the latter was killed in Paris by assassins sent by John. The resulting war between France and Burgundy ended in peace in 1419; but during a meeting between the Dauphin (later Charles VII) and John on a bridge near Montero, the latter was killed by one of the Dauphin’s retinue. His son and successor Philip the Good, in order to avenge the murder of his father, united with Henry V of England and entered Paris with him. However, discontent arose between him and the English and he made peace with France at Arras (1435). He increased his possessions by acquiring Gennegau, Limburg, Namur, Brabant and Luxembourg; but he had to wage a continuous struggle with the rebellious Flemish cities.

His son Karl the Bold (1467-77) increased his possessions with the purchase of Geldern and Zupfen and became one of the powerful sovereigns of his time. He marked the beginning of his reign by pacifying the indignant citizens of the cities of Liege (Luttiha) and Ghent. He detained King Louis XI, who came to him in Peronne without sufficient cover, and forced him to renounce his claims to Burgundy. In order to elevate Burgundy into an independent kingdom, Charles decided to marry his daughter Maria with the emperor’s son. Distrust of the growing power of B. prevented the implementation of the ambitious plans of Charles the Bold, against whom a coalition of France, Austria and Switzerland was formed. The Burgundian troops, mostly heavily armed with knightly armor, were defeated by light Swiss infantry, already equipped with new firearms, at Granson (1476), Murten and Nancy (1777); in the last battle, Charles the Bold himself was killed. His only daughter and heir, Maria, brought Burgundy as a dowry to Maximilian, Archduke of Austria. But a significant part of the duchy (namely Burgundy in the narrow sense) was taken over by Louis XI, as overlord, and according to the Peace of Arras (1482), Burgundy was recognized as an integral part of the French monarchy. In 1529 this was confirmed by Emperor Charles V in the Treaty of Cambrai. The rest of the Burgundian possessions that remained under Austrian rule passed after Charles V to his son, Philip II of Spain.

Burgundian states (406 - 534).

Northern Kingdom on the Rhine.
South-West Germany. Table. Worms.
Gibika (Gyuki) (c. 380 - 406). 1. Gundakari (Gunter), son (c. 406 - 436) * 436 Hunnic conquest.

Southern kingdom on the Rhone.
East France, Switzerland. Table. Genava (n. Geneva), with 501 Lugdunum (Lyon).
1. Gundiok (Gunteric) (452 ​​- 73) * Chilperic I, brother (rep. 452 - 70). 2. Gundobad, son (in Lyons 473 - 516). Godegisel, brother (in Geneva 473 - 501)* Chilperic II, brother (in Ghent 473 - 86)* Godomar I, brother (in Vienne 473 - 86)* 3. Sigismund (Sehismund), son (516 - 24)* 4 Godomar II, brother (524 - 34). 534 Frankish conquest.

kings of Burgundy (561 - 612).
East France. Table. Arelat (n. Arles).
1. Guntram, son of Clothar I (in Arles and Orleans 561 - 593). 2. Gundebert (Childebert II, King of Austrasia) (593 -596). 3. Theodoric II, son (596 - 612, in Austrasia from 598). 612 annexation to Neustria. Fleochad, son of Aege (major 640 - 643) * Drogon (duke 695 - 708, major of Neustria 695 - 700).

Kingdom of Burgundy (Arelat) (879 - 1032).

452 - 534 Kingdom of the Burgundians 561 - 612 Kingdom of Burgundy 612 - 879 to the Kingdom of Neustria (France).

1) Lower (Trans-Jurasian) Burgundy (879 - 934).
Dauphine and Provence. Table. Arles.
1. Boson, Count of Vienne (king 879 - 87). 2. Louis the Blind, son (887 - 923, king of Italy 899 - 905). 3. Hugo, son (Count of Arles 923 - 34, King of Italy 926 - 47). 934 - 1032 unification with Upper Burgundy.

2) Upper (Cis-Jurasian) Burgundy (889 - 1032).
Franche-Comté and Savoie. Table. Geneva.

Welfs. Senior house
	889 - 911
	911 - 937
	937 - 993
	993 - 1032
	1032 - 1378

County of Burgundy (Franche-Comté)
Capital Dol. (c. 915 - 1384)

Counts of Burgundy

	OK. 915 - 952
	952 - 956
	956 - 971
, son	971 - 975
, son	975 - 979
	979 - 995
	995 - 1027
, son	1027 - 1037

Counts Palatine of Burgundy

, son	1037 - 1057
, son	1057 - 1087, Count of Macon 1078 - 1085
	1087 - 1097, Count of Macon from 1085
	1097 - 1125
	1125 - 1127
	1127 - 1148, Count of Macon from 1102
, Brother	1148 - 1156
, daughter	1156, fact. up to 1179
	1156 - 1175, d. 1189
	1175 - 1200
, daughter	1200 - 1231
	1231 - 1234, fact. from 1208
, son	1234 - 1248
(Adelheide), sister	1248 - 1278
, Count of Chalons	1248 - 1264
, Count of Savoy	1268 - 1278, d. 1285
	1278 - 1303
, son	1303 - 1315, resp. from 1295
, sister	1315 - 30, count. Artois 1329 - 1330
	1316 - 1322
	1330 - 1347
, Duke of Burgundy	mind. 1349
	1347 - 1361
	1361 - 1382
	1382 - 1384
	1384 - 1404
to the Duchy of Burgundy	1384 - 1477
to the royal domain	1477

Dukes of Burgundy (884 - 1482)

House Othen
Capetians

The Duchy of Burgundy was formed at the end of the 9th century by Richard the Protector, who came from a noble family and brother-in-law of Charles the Bald. In the early 880s. Richard took possession of the County of Autun, then began to gradually expand his power to neighboring counties. In 886 he managed to take possession of the County of Auxerre. The dynastic crisis that followed in 887 in the West Frankish kingdom (the deposition and death of King Charles III the Thick) allowed Richard to take possession of most of the Burgundian counties. By the beginning of the 10th century, all the counties of Lower Burgundy were under Richard's rule, except Macon. Having turned into one of the most influential counts, Richard could have entered the fight for the royal throne and claimed the royal title, but wisely chose to support the representative of the Carolingian dynasty, Charles the Simple, after which he began to occupy first place in the royal council. Richard's active participation in repelling the Norman invasions of Burgundian territories earned him authority among the inhabitants of the Burgundian lands. In 918, Richard proclaimed himself Duke of Burgundy, which was recognized by the king. The capital of the duchy became Dijon, where Richard moved his residence.

After Richard's death in 921, the Duchy of Burgundy passed to his eldest son Raoul. He, unlike his father, did not become a loyal vassal of Charles the Simple and, when a quarrel arose between the king and the Count of Paris, Robert, Raoul supported Robert.

In 922, Robert and Raoul forced Charles to flee to Lorraine. In the same year, Robert took the royal throne, under the name Robert I. But already in 923, near Soissons, the troops of Charles and Robert met again. In this battle, Robert was killed and the movement against Charles was led by Raoul. Charles turned to the Normans for help against the rebellious dukes. However, Raoul repelled the Norman invasion and was elected as the new king.

Initially, Raoul's position was rather precarious. On the one hand, he constantly had to repel the Norman threat, on the other, to suppress the actions of the Burgundian counts, among whom the Count of Chalons and the Count of Sansa were especially active. But with the death of Charles the Simple in 929, Raoul's position strengthened. In 935, Raoul, as king of the West Frankish kingdom, met with Henry Pritselov, king of the East Frankish kingdom. An agreement was signed between them, according to which the territory of Lorraine (with part of the lands of the former Kingdom of Burgundy) remained part of the Eastern Kingdom.

In 936, Raoul died suddenly, leaving no heirs. The Duchy of Burgundy went to his brother, Hugh the Black, who, unlike Raoul, had no royal ambitions. The crown passed to the son of Charles the Simple, Louis IV.

In June 936, Louis went to Burgundy to obtain an oath of allegiance from Hugo, but Hugo refused to swear allegiance to the new king. Then Louis captured Langres and announced the alienation of it, as well as Troyes, Sens and Auxerre from Hugh the Black in favor of the Count of Paris, Hugh the Great (son of Robert I). Ultimately, Hugo the Black was forced to come to terms with this and take the oath to the king. In subsequent years, he accompanied the king on his campaigns in Lorraine, but after the invasion of Otto I (King of the East Frankish Kingdom and founder of the Holy Roman Empire), he promised not to encroach on East Frankish lands again.

After the death of Hugh the Black, his lands passed first to the Count of Chalons, and then, as a result of the marriage of the count's daughter and the son of Hugh the Great, they were annexed to the Robertin possessions.

Duchy of Burgundy under the Robertines

The transfer of all the territories of the duchy into the hands of the descendants of Robert I was complicated by the fact that both the Burgundian nobility and the rulers of the West Frankish kingdom had plans for these lands.

In 957, Count Robert de Vermandois declared his claims to part of the Burgundian territories, but was stopped by King Lothair, who invaded the territory of Burgundy and pacified the rebellious count.

However, the very next year, a rebellion broke out by the Count of Dijon, which was also suppressed by the king, who stripped the Count of his title and appointed his own man to govern Dijon. The unauthorized royal appointment, which occurred without the consent of the Burgundian noble families, outraged the Burgundian nobility and the Duke of Burgundy, who were not slow to express their displeasure to the king. A conflict arose between Lothair and the Robertins, which was settled only in 960, when they took the oath to the king.

In 959, Robert de Vermandois reasserted his claim to Burgundian territories and captured Troyes and Dijon. Royal troops besieged both cities, but they put up fierce resistance. An agreement between the king and Robert was reached only a year later. According to it, Robert renounced his claims to Dijon, which again came under the control of the king.

In 986, Lothair died and the royal throne passed to his son Louis V the Lazy. However, less than two years later, Louis died without leaving direct heirs, after which the Robertins managed to obtain a royal title: Hugo Capet, the eldest son of Hugo the Great, was elected king, marking the beginning of the Capetian dynasty.

Hugh Capet's son, Robert II, inherited the royal throne in 996 and, after the death of his uncle Ed-Henry, who ruled the Duchy of Burgundy from 965 to 1002, laid claim to the Burgundian territories.

In 1005, royal troops laid siege to Avalon, which was captured after three months of resistance.

In 1015, taking advantage of the conflict that flared up between the count and the archbishop of the county of Sens, Robert II invaded the territory of the county and announced its annexation to the royal domain. Following Sans, Dijon suffered the same fate. After which Robert II declared his son Henry Duke of Burgundy.

In 1031, Henry inherited the royal crown and gave the dukedom to his brother, Robert, who became the founder of the House of Burgundy of the Capetian dynasty.

Duchy of Burgundy under the Capetian dynasty

Initially, only Autun, Beaune, Avalon and Dijon belonged to the Dukes of Burgundy from the Capetian dynasty. The first Capetians were not very influential in the duchy. No less, and perhaps even more powerful were their nominal vassals: the counts of Chalons-sur-Saône, Macon, Nevers and Auxerre. It took more than a hundred years for the dukes to achieve their submission.

Robert the Old (the first Duke of the Capetian dynasty) waged wars with the Counts of Auxerre over disputed border territories. However, he did not have much power in the territories of the duchy, and during his reign the Burgundian counts pursued policies independent of the duke's authority. As a result, the Duchy of Burgundy was shaken by constant internecine conflicts between the counts.

Robert's grandson, Hugo I, who inherited the duchy, had to take urgent measures to stop the endless skirmishes of his vassals. To calm the counts, the Duke took advantage of the Institute of God's Peace. In 1078, Hugo went on a crusade to Spain, returning from which he chose to retire to a monastery, handing over the reins to his brother, Edou I. Ed, however, followed his brother’s example and went to fight in the Holy Land, where he died. Hugh II the Quiet, who inherited the ducal title, achieved the expansion of the ducal possessions by purchasing a fourth of the county of Chalon-sur-Saône. His successor, Ed II, slightly expanded the ducal possessions by annexing the clerical domains of Flavigny and Chatillon-sur-Seine. Subsequently, the dukes continued to increase their possessions through purchases of new territories and marriages.

In 1237, Duke Hugh IV managed to exchange Chalon-sur-Saône from his uncle and completely annex it to his domains. Then, through a series of successful marriages, the counties of Nevers and Auxerre were also annexed to the duchy.

The heir of Hugo IV, Robert II, acquired a number of new territories and in his will forbade the division of the ducal possessions.

Finally, in 1316, through a marriage concluded between Duke Ed IV and Joan, daughter of the French king Philip V and heiress of the earldom of Burgundy, the two Burgundies (duchy and earldom) were united again. Jeanne was also the heiress of the County of Artois, which after the marriage was annexed to the duchy.

United Duchy of Burgundy

Ed IV was a powerful and ambitious ruler who wanted to subjugate the Burgundian nobility to his will, which could not but cause her discontent. During Ed's reign, his Burgundian vassals repeatedly rebelled. The Count of Chalons, the leader of three uprisings against the Duke, was especially active.

In 1337, the Hundred Years' War broke out between France and England, in which Ed sided with the French king Philip VI. But in September 1346, the longtime opponent of the Duke of Burgundy, the Count of Chalons, entered into an alliance with the British and started a rebellion. After which Ed was forced to fight simultaneously with his rebellious vassal and with the British. During the same period, a terrible plague epidemic broke out in Burgundy, which led to the fact that many cities and villages were practically depopulated. In 1349, the Duke himself fell victim to an epidemic.

After the death of Ed IV, Burgundy was inherited by his three-year-old grandson, Philip, under whom his mother, Jeanne of Boulogne, became regent. In 1350, Joan married the son of the French king Philip VI, John, who took over the regency of the duchy. That same year, John received the royal crown, retaining control of Burgundy.

Meanwhile, the war with England continued. In 1346, at the Battle of Poitiers, John's troops were defeated, and the king himself was captured and taken to England. In 1360, English troops invaded the territory of the Duchy of Burgundy. Auxerre and Chatillon-sur-Seine were captured. Pontigny, Chablis, Flavigny and Saulieu were burned. Vesoul was besieged and after its capture it was destroyed, and its population was killed. Avalon and its surrounding areas were also devastated.

In 1361, Duke Ed IV's heir, Philip, contracted the plague and died suddenly. With his death, the line of the Capetian House of Burgundy was interrupted.

DUCHY OF BURGUNDY, a fief in Western Europe in the 9th-15th centuries. It was formed in the northwestern part of the former kingdom of the German Burgundian tribe, which in 843 became part of the West Frankish kingdom. Duke Raoul of Burgundy was King of France from 923-936. After the suppression of his dynasty in 956, the Duchy of Burgundy came under the rule of the house of Robertins, brothers of King Hugh Capet; after the death of the youngest of them in 1002, it became part of the royal domain, but in 1032 it was given to the younger brother of King Henry I, Robert, who founded the first Capetian dynasty of the Duchy of Burgundy (discontinued in 1361). In the 10th-12th centuries, the Duchy of Burgundy was the center of the monastic movement for the reform of the Church; the Cluniac and Cistercian orders arose on its soil. Since 1363, the Duchy of Burgundy was ruled by the second Capetian dynasty (a side branch of the House of Valois). From the end of the 14th century, the Dukes of Burgundy rapidly expanded their domains. Philip the Bold inherited Flanders, Artois and the County of Burgundy in 1384. Philip the Good annexed Namur (1421), Brabant and Limburg (1430), Holland, Zeeland, Gennegau (Hainaut) (1433), Picardy and some other French lands (1435), Luxembourg (1431) to the Burgundian possessions. Charles the Bold included Geldern and Zutphen into the Burgundian possessions (1473). The influence of the Dukes of Burgundy also extended to the church possessions - Tournai, Cambrai, Liege and Utrecht. By the middle of the 15th century, the Duchy of Burgundy had become a strong, virtually independent state of the “Grand Duke of the West,” which had its own class-representative institution - the states and parliament (at that time the ducal court). It began to play an important role in European politics, entered into political rivalry with France and tried to subjugate Lorraine, Alsace and Switzerland. Charles the Bold began negotiations with Emperor Frederick III about granting him a royal title. However, in the war against Switzerland and Lorraine, supported by France, the Duchy of Burgundy was defeated. At the Battle of Nancy in 1477, the army of Charles the Bold was defeated, and he himself died. The possessions of the Dukes of Burgundy were divided between France and the Habsburg Empire. The Duchy of Burgundy was annexed to the French royal domain as a privileged province, with its own states, parliament and chamber of accounts. After the death of Charles the Bold's daughter, Mary of Burgundy (1482), the Dutch possessions of the Dukes of Burgundy passed to the Habsburgs. During the French Revolution of the 18th century, the province of Burgundy was abolished and divided into several departments.

Lit.: Calmette J. Les Grands ducs de Bourgogne. R., 1979; Bazin J.F. Histoire de la Bourgogne. Rennes, 1998.

V. N. Malov, G. A. Shatokhina-Mordvintseva.

Among the states that existed in Europe in the late Middle Ages, Burgundy is of particular interest. The Burgundian state, which suddenly emerged among the traditional European states, was able to achieve recognition of its importance over the course of a century, and began to play an important role in international politics.

The Burgundians lived in northern Germany and southern Scandinavia, although their original place of origin is said to be the island of Bornholm in the Baltic Sea. After the beginning of the era of migration, they invaded Eastern Europe and settled together with the Goths throughout the territory of present-day Poland, Ukraine, Romania, and Hungary. Later they founded their own state of Burgundy. This geographical name lasted until the 15th century, although by that time there was no Germanic element left in it.

Having literally burst into the already more or less established system of Western European relations in the 14th-15th centuries, Burgundy caused concern among many powers, and the ambitions and victories of its dukes confused the rulers of neighboring countries. Feeling a threat to their possessions, neighboring states forgot about their differences and created the so-called in 1475. “anti-Burgundian coalition” (France, Austria, union of Alsatian cities, Switzerland). During a fierce struggle, Burgundy was soon destroyed, but its legacy had a significant impact on European history for a long time.

The Burgundian phenomenon has not been a special subject of historical research for a long time. Burgundy was mentioned only in the context of French history. It was assigned a small and not very honorable role as a state entity that stood in the way of the unification of France. The history of the Burgundian state has long served as an example of the inevitable collapse of feudal separatism and the backwardness of feudal methods of government in comparison with the progressive absolutist tendencies of the policies of Louis XI.

Once upon a time, in ancient times, Celtic tribes lived on the territory of Burgundy. Then the Romans subjugated them. And at the beginning of the 6th century, the Burgundian Germans came from the north, imposed their name on the country, and disappeared without a trace into the conquered spaces.

The Kingdom of Burgundy was founded a long time ago, back in the 5th century, on the territory of the Western Roman Empire by the Burgundian tribes. Almost immediately it was devastated by the Hunnic tribes (the Song of the Nibelungs tells more about the relationship between the Huns and the Burgundians). After the fall of the Western Roman Empire in 476, Burgundy remained an independent kingdom for some time, but was soon captured by the Frankish Kingdom, and in 800 it became part of the Frankish Empire. After its collapse in 843, Burgundy again briefly gained independence, but then became one of the four kingdoms of the Holy Roman Empire. At the end of the 13th century, Burgundy left the empire and immediately fell under the rule of France, losing the status of a kingdom and instead acquiring the status of a duchy.

The history of the Duchy of Burgundy, which belonged to the Valois dynasty, begins in 1363, when the youngest son of the French king John II the Good, Philip the Brave (1342-1404), received Burgundy as a fief. According to the state tradition of that time, flax was granted in the form of apanage, that is, it was supposed to return to the crown in the event of the end of the ducal dynasty. This was a common form of gift of blood to princes, which legally kept the territory within the French royal house.

The reason for the creation of the new Duchy of Burgundy is connected with the traditions of medieval chivalry: King John II the Good gave these possessions to his son for not leaving him in a critical situation at the Battle of Poitiers. It should be noted that this episode had a very definite meaning in the eyes of contemporaries and was captured in the form of a characteristic example of knightly valor that received a truly royal reward. This is partly why all subsequent policies of the dukes will be clothed in various forms of knightly tradition.

Burgundy in the last third of the 14th century. was a fairly large, but far from the largest possession in France. There were other holdings of the princes of the blood: the duchies of Anjou, Bourbon, Vendôme, Orleans, the Viscounty of Béarn and many others. Nothing seemed to foreshadow the future meteoric rise of the House of Burgundy. Europe was already divided between existing states, and the creation of a new one in the conditions of the Late Middle Ages seemed unlikely. But the phenomenon of Burgundy lies in its dissimilarity from other European countries, including the means and methods that were used to create the state.

By the end of the 14th century. the situation is changing dramatically. This is due to the marriage policy pursued by the dukes.

The Burgundian dukes managed to raise their matrimonial policy to such a high level that no one could achieve later. Perhaps this is due to the fact that in modern times marriage alliances no longer played such a role, and the dukes found the last opportunity to use this technique to the fullest. In the era of nation states, this, naturally, was no longer possible.

Priority was placed on politically and territorially promising marriages, for the conclusion of which the dukes showed remarkable energy and ingenuity. The first opportunity to use this technique presented itself to Philip the Brave. When the time came for him to marry, there were no particular problems with the choice: in the French royal house there were many princesses of the blood, although they had nothing but a good name and nobility. The Duke was not satisfied with such an easy but unpromising option, since even if the dynasty was suppressed, he could not inherit the property, due to the fact that their holdings, like his, were in the form of apanage. Philip turned to another option.

The most attractive party was Margaret of Flanders (1350-1405), heir to the counties of Flanders, Artois and Franche-Comté, Nevers and Rethel. She was the only daughter of Count Louis II of La Malle, due to whose venerable age no new heirs were expected. Having shown interest in Margaret, the plans of the then very insignificant Duke collided with the interests of big politics. Since Margarita’s husband received control over all of the Southern Netherlands, as well as the opportunity to block France from the north and east, which naturally, in the context of the ongoing Hundred Years’ War, was very dangerous for her. For some time, Margarita's future marriage became a point of conflict between the interests of France and England, whose sovereigns themselves offered their hand to the countess.

It would seem that the insignificant duke had no business trying to interfere in this fight. But here the diplomatic talent of Philip the Brave showed itself. The fact is that Count Louis understood perfectly well that by marrying his daughter to the English or French king, he was drawing his lands into an inevitable war with the second contender. The Dutch cities, which thrive on trade and industry, would be ruined. Louis II, as a caring sovereign of his subjects, was obliged to do everything possible to maintain peace and economic prosperity. Philip the Brave was ideally suited for the role of the new sovereign of Flanders and Artois. Not having large funds, he inevitably had to take into account the opinion of the cities, which a strong ruler would hardly do.

The kings of England and France, not wanting to give in to each other, also began to lean toward the third candidate. But how could the English king agree to the candidacy of a French prince of the blood? In this situation, Philip the Brave decided to take a risky step - having assured the king of France of future loyalty, the duke entered into a secret agreement with the English king, the essence of which was that Philip would not participate in the war on the side of France.

When all parties were satisfied, the marriage took place in 1369. After the death of Louis II in 1384, Philip the Brave became ruler of Flanders, Artois and Franche-Comté, Nevers and Rethel. To the relatively underdeveloped and predominantly agricultural Burgundy, he received a kind of economic leader of the time - the southern Netherlands. The County of Franche-Comté was located in the territory of the Holy Roman Empire. Thus, Philip the Brave also became an imperial count, which will also have an influence in the future. The possessions of the Duke of Burgundy increased several times, and from a second-rate vassal of the French crown he turned into a major ruler.

The foreign policy history of Burgundy is a constant struggle with France for sovereignty and continuous expansion into neighboring possessions.

The first Duke Philip the Brave (1364 - 1404) actively intervened in the struggle for the regency in France over the mentally ill King Charles VI the Mad. The rivalry for power between two parties: the Bourguignons (the Duke's party) and the Armagnacs, resulted in a civil war in France, complicated by the ongoing Hundred Years' War. The Duke at this stage still has very little influence to actively participate in political life. Therefore, he prefers the expansion of his possessions to the unpromising regency in France. Just without leaving an heir, the Count of Flanders dies, and Philip the Brave, as the husband of his eldest daughter, becomes the formal sovereign of Flanders. True, the rich Flemish cities were not inclined to recognize him as a count. The fight for the Flemish inheritance would take a lot of the duke's time and effort before he defeated the Flemings at Roosebeek in 1382.

Regarding the Hundred Years' War, Burgundy is in an alliance with the British, who guarantee the protection of Flanders from the claims of France. In general, summing up the first period of the history of Burgundy, we can say that the policy at this stage did not differ from the behavior of at least a large, but typical vassal of the French crown. The Duke is almost entirely under the influence of French politics and does not think about an independent state political line. Even the acquisition of Flanders and Franche-Comté changes the situation little. Philip the Brave remains, first and foremost, a French duke: vassal traditions and family relations still dominate this period of Burgundian history.

John II Valois, the Good

From his youth, John was forced to confront the forces of decentralization that were affecting the cities and nobility. He grew up surrounded by intrigue and betrayal, and subsequently governed the country only with the help of a close circle of advisers whom he trusted. His marriage to Bonne of Luxembourg brought him 10 children in 9 years, which was very rare even at that time. 1st wife: (from 1332) Bonna of Luxembourg (May 21, 1315 - September 11, 1349), daughter of John the Blind, King of Bohemia, sister of Emperor Charles IV. Had 11 children: Blanca (1336-1336); Charles V the Wise (January 21, 1338 - September 16, 1380), King of France from 1364; Catherine (1338-1338); Louis I of Anjou (23 July 1339 – 20 September 1384), Duke of Anjou and Touraine. Adopted by Giovanna I, Queen of Naples, he was to become her successor. After the overthrow and murder of Giovanna I by her cousin Charles III, he tried to obtain the Neapolitan crown by force, but managed to win only Provence for himself (1382). Louis and his descendants in the male line (Louis II of Anjou, Louis III of Anjou, René the Good, Charles of Maine) bore the empty title of kings of Sicily and Jerusalem and repeatedly tried to conquer Naples, but were never successful. The family died out in 1482, its possessions (Anjou, Maine and Provence) went to King Louis XI; Jean of Berry (November 30, 1340 - March 15, 1416), Duke of Berry and Auvergne, viceroy of Kings Charles V and Charles VI in Languedoc, renowned philanthropist. Outlived all his sons, Auvergne passed to one of the Bourbons as his daughter's dowry; Philip II the Bold (7 January 1342 – 27 April 1404), Duke of Burgundy from 1363, founder of the Burgundian branch of the Valois . Thanks to an advantageous marriage with Margaret (April 13, 1350 - March 16, 1405), heiress of Flanders, Artois, Nevers, Rethel and Franche-Comté, he significantly increased his possessions, laying the foundation for the powerful empire of the Dukes of Burgundy. Philip II and his descendants John the Fearless, Philip III the Good and Charles the Bold played a significant role in the history of France. The male line was cut short in 1477 along with Charles the Bold, the latter’s daughter Maria of Burgundy married Emperor Maximilian I, bringing him the historical Netherlands (modern Netherlands, Belgium and Luxembourg) as a dowry; Joan of France (24 June 1343 - 3 November 1373), wife of Charles II the Evil (10 October 1332 - 1 January 1387), king of Navarre from 1349; Mary (18 September 1344 – 15 October 1404), wife of Robert I, Duke of Bar; Agnes (1345-1349); Margaret (1347-1352); Isabella Valois (1 October 1348 – 11 September 1372), wife of Gian Galeazzo I Visconti (1351-1402), Duke of Milan. 2nd wife: (from 1349) Jeanne of Auvergne (1326 - November 21, 1361). They had two children: Blanca (1350-1350); Catherine (1352-1352).

John I the Fearless (28.05.1371-10.09.1419),

Duke of Burgundy from 1404, head of the Burgundian (Bourguignon) party. He organized the murder of Duke Louis of Orleans in 1407, after which he became the de facto ruler of France. In the Hundred Years' War, which resumed in 1415, he became an ally of the British; occupied Paris in 1419. During negotiations with the Dauphin (since 1422, King Charles VII of France), he was killed.
Having in mind the murder of John the Fearless, Johan Huizinga gives the following advice to the student of Burgundy: “Whoever wants to write the history of the Burgundian dynasty will have to try to make the main tone of his narrative the invariably sounding motive of revenge, so that in every act, whether in council or on the field, battle, one could feel the bitterness that lived in these hearts, torn apart by a dark thirst for revenge and devilish arrogance."

PHILIP THE BRAVE, DUKE OF BURGUNDY great-grandfather of Charles the Bold
artist unknown

Isabella of Portugal, wife of Philip the Good and mother of Charles the Bold
(Jan van Eyck)

Isabella of Portugal

Phillip III Valois the Good (1396-1467).
After 1450, Kunsthistorisches Museum, Vienna
Rogier van der Weyden

Philip III the Good (1396-1467) - Duke of Burgundy from 1419. In the Hundred Years' War 1337-1453. At first he was an ally of the British (in 1430 he participated in the siege of Compiegne, when Joan of Arc was captured). In 1435 he went over to the side of the French: for the concession of Picardy to him, he recognized Charles VII as the legitimate sovereign of France. With the help of marriages, money , skillful diplomacy, Philip Ill significantly expanded his possessions, annexing the County of Namur in 1421, the counties of Hainaut, Zeeland, and Holland in 1428-33, the duchies of Brabant and Limburg in 1430, and the duchies of Brabant and Limburg in 1431-43. - Duchy of Luxembourg, etc.

Anthony of Burgundy (Great Bastard of Burgundy), c.1460
Rogier van der Weyden

Portrait of Karl the Bold. Around 1460, Picture Gallery, Berlin-Dahlem
Rogier van der Weyden

Charles the Bold (1433-77) - Count of Charolais, Duke of Burgundy (from 1467). Son of Philip the Good. Charles the Bold sought to unite his fragmented possessions, to expand the territory of the Burgundian state and turn it into a powerful power. Repeatedly with merciless cruelty he suppressed the uprisings of the Dutch cities that were part of the Burgundian state. Charles the Bold was the most dangerous and powerful opponent of Louis XI, who energetically pursued the centralization and territorial unification of France; the struggle between both sovereigns died down only for short periods. During his father’s lifetime, Charles the Bold actually led a coalition against Louis XI (the League of the Public Weal), forcing the French king to cede cities to him on the Somme. To secure the support of the English king Edward IV, Charles the Bold married his sister Margaret. Tried to take possession of Alsace and Lorraine. However, thanks to the dexterity of Louis XI, who resorted to diplomatic negotiations and bribery, Charles the Bold lost his allies (including the English king), remaining isolated. In the Burgundian Wars of 1474-77 (waged against Charles the Bold by Switzerland and Lorraine, secretly supported and subsidized by France), Charles the Bold was betrayed by mercenaries bribed by Louis XI and died at the Battle of Nancy.

Mary of Burgundy, second half of the 15th century.
artist unknown

Marie of Burgundy (French Marie duchesse de Bourgogne, February 13, 1457 - March 27, 1482) - since 1477, Duchess of Burgundy, Hainault and Namur, Countess of Holland, only daughter and heiress of the Duke of Burgundy, Charles the Bold.

MARY OF BURGUNDY, daughter of Charles the Bold and Margaret of York

Mary died in 1482 at the age of just 25 from the consequences of falling from a horse while falconry while pregnant. Philippe de Commines writes in his Memoirs:

Mary of Burgundy on the fatal hunt, pursued by death
(miniature from the book of hours begun for Mary and completed for Maximilian)

The horse she was riding was hot and threw her onto a large log. Some say, however, that she fell in an attack of fever. But be that as it may, a few days after the fall she died, and this was a great grief for her subjects and friends, for after her death they no longer knew peace: after all, the people of Ghent revered her much more than her husband, since she was the owner countries.

Mary of Burgundy is buried in the Church of Our Lady in Bruges next to her father Charles the Bold.
http://ru.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mary_Burgundy

Duchess Mary of Burgundy

CHARLES VII the Victorious (1403 - 1461), KING OF FRANCE father of Louis XI,
artist: Jean Fouquet

LOUIS XI king of France
artist Jean Bourdichon

PHILIPPE DE COMMINES secretary and confidant of Charles the Bold,
later – Louis XI

Burgundy in search of self-identity
(1363-1477)
http://www.osh.ru/pedia/history/west/light_ages/burg07.shtml

In the 1380s, the first Duke of Burgundy from the Valois dynasty, Philip the Brave, supported the representative of the same dynasty of French kings, Charles VI, in the fight against the rebellious Ghent. . The Duke participated on the side of the French king in the Battle of Roosebeke (French Roosebeke, Dutch Rozebeke) on November 27, 1382.
In Froissart's chronicles there is a miniature dedicated to the battle.

Burgundy... A sonorous, very sonorous name. In it one can hear the knight's buhurt, and the name of Brünnhilde from the Song of the Nibelungs, and the trembling of the bowstring on the tested bow. Burgundy hums and hums in the wind of time, no matter what book you open on the Middle Ages, be it military history or a work of art history, you will see the standards of proud dukes everywhere. And in the novels, Burgundy wine is splashing with might and main in the cups of proud nobles... Meanwhile, this most interesting phenomenon has still not been studied as deeply as it deserves. The rise, flowering and fall of the Duchy of Burgundy occurred during the “timelessness”, the gap between the classical Middle Ages and the Renaissance, which Huizinga called the “autumn of the Middle Ages.” For some reason, this era occupied the minds of researchers less than neighboring times. Clear, established forms seemed more interesting, but this changeable time in history is notable for the fact that it mixed the future and the past, the face of Europe changed before our eyes, and the energy of this process, the clash of contradictory forces, cannot in any way be exhausted by the stupid phrase “XIV-XV centuries - the period of decline and decay of feudalism." This mixture was expressed especially clearly in military affairs as a unique combination of old methods of war and new firearms, and what can we say about the way of life, art, philosophy and government structures of this era?

“... I heard that the court of the Duke of Burgundy is much more magnificent and rich than the French court and that serving under the duke’s banner is much more honorable: the Burgundians are masters of fighting, and there is a lot to learn from them, not like from your most Christian king, who wins all victories with tongues their ambassadors.

You talk like a frivolous boy, dear nephew. However, I myself remember that I was just as simple when I came here for the first time. I imagined the king - nothing other than sitting under a canopy with a golden crown on his head and feasting with his knights and vassals or galloping at the head of an army... If you want, I’ll whisper in your ear: all this is nonsense, moonlight on the water... Politics, brother, politics is where strength lies! You may ask me, what is politics? This is the art that the French king created, the art of fighting with someone else's weapons and drawing money to pay his troops from someone else's pocket. Yes, this is the wisest of all the sovereigns who ever wore purple, although he never wears it and often dresses more simply than is fitting even for me.

But this is not the answer to my question, uncle,” Dorward noted. - It is clear that if I am forced to serve on someone else’s side, I would like to get a job where I could, on occasion, distinguish myself and glorify my name.

I understand you, I understand you perfectly, nephew, but you yourself still don’t understand much about these matters. The Duke of Burgundy is a daredevil, a hot-tempered and quick-tempered man, a desperate head, to be sure! In all battles he is always the first, always at the head of his knights and vassals from Artois and Hainault; but do you really think that, serving with him, you or I could advance before the Duke and his brave nobility? ... If you are a foreigner, do not expect anything in the service of the duke - no high rank, no lands, no money: all this goes only to your own people, only to the sons of your native land.”

The history of Burgundy should begin on September 19, 1356, when French blood poured abundantly onto the field at Poitiers. Remember this episode, well described by Druon? Everything was already lost, the Black Prince could celebrate his victory. But King John II continued to fight. His vassals fled in disgrace or died, he was suffocating inside his shell from heat and anger, blood from the wound was pouring into his eyes, but time after time the king raised a heavy ax to strike. Even though the battle was lost, even if everyone left him, even his eldest son, little Philip, the youngest son, remained next to his father, clutching a child’s sword in his hands, and shouted to him, who could not see anything: “Father, on the left! Father, danger is on the right!”

In 1363, John II thanked his son for his loyalty by granting him Burgundy as a fief. It seems that this did not promise anything terrible, because legally the territory remained in the power of the king, and even if the ducal dynasty ended, the land should have returned to the crown. Such holdings of princes of the blood were common: the duchies of Anjou, Bourbon, Vendôme, Orleans, the Viscountcy of Béarn and many others. But this gift turned out to be France’s worst mistake, because soon she had a dangerous rival at her side, the fight against which cost a lot of blood.

The formation of the duchy as a reward for valor on the battlefield in the eyes of contemporaries left an imprint on the entire subsequent history of Burgundy. For many years she became the personification of the spirit of chivalry, its splendor, strength and greatness. The names of the Burgundian dukes alone are worth something: Philip the Brave, Jean the Fearless, Philip the Good, Charles the Brave... And all of them were not only brave, but also smart, although each nickname was given for a cause. Their policy methods were effective and largely innovative for that time, despite their adherence to the ideals of bygone times. They even wrote about Karl the Bold: “He was a man who looked back, but used new means to do this.” The traditional view of the dukes as defenders of an obsolete feudalism is shattered if one looks at their alliance with the lower classes and university masters, at their dynamic reforms and transformations.

The fact is that the knightly ideal was not an abstract concept, but a completely practical model of state power and social structure. We can talk about its influence for a long time, but for now it is enough to say that there was no contradiction with it - Burgundy contradicted only the myth of Burgundy, and all innovations were organic and natural.

The mechanism of state power always has a complex structure, but its projection in ordinary consciousness forms unchanging and simple structures. So, for example, monarchs are reduced to a certain number of types: a noble and just sovereign; a sovereign misled by bad advice; the sovereign avenger for the honor of his family; a sovereign who has fallen into misfortune and is supported by the devotion of his subjects, etc. And only those who did not suspect that historical figures were living people, and then suddenly encountered this, can talk about inconsistency.

Europe was already divided between existing states. It seemed that the borders had already been fixed - and then Burgundy, powerful, rich, energetic, quickly appeared on the map. Fantastic takeoff! The dukes expanded the boundaries of their possessions largely thanks to successful marriages: to Philip the Brave his wife Margaret of Flanders brought the counties of Flanders, Artois and Franche-Comté, Nevers and Rethel, the wife of John the Fearless Margaret of Holland brought the counties of Holland, Zeeland and Gennegau. Of course, the infusion of these territories into the duchy did not go smoothly - the confusing medieval law gave rise to many contenders, but in a difficult struggle the Burgundians prevailed. And Duke Philip the Good generally marries royalty three times: French, Bourbon and Portuguese princesses. As the Habsburgs said, pursuing a similar policy, “Let others fight. Austria does marriages.” The power of the dukes was all the greater because in their family the authority of the head was never questioned by anyone. Unlike the French princes, the Burgundians did not start internecine strife and acted as a united front.

After the murder of Jean the Fearless, most likely committed with the consent of the King of France, the Burgundians took a clearly aggressive position. Huizinga wrote: “Whoever wants to write the history of the Burgundian dynasty will have to try to make the main tone of his narrative the invariably sounding motive of revenge, so that in every act, whether in council or on the battlefield, one can feel the bitterness that lived in these hearts, torn apart by a dark thirst for revenge and devilish arrogance.”

Former French, they pursued an anti-French policy, entered into alliances with England in the Hundred Years' War, and took part in the burning of Joan of Arc. Naturally, the kings of France were asleep and dreamed of how to return Burgundy, which thought highly of itself, to its place - but luck was not yet on their side. In the end, Philip the Good even achieved the abolition of fief service and the transfer of the apanage into hereditary possession, and although legally everything was arranged as if the King of France was giving the land to the Duke as collateral for a symbolic sum, this was a real defeat, the peak of the power of the Grand Dukes of the West, as they themselves called. Their power stretched from the North Sea in the north to Lake Geneva in the south, in the west their borders were Ile-de-France and the Loire, in the east - the Rhine. The Burgundian possessions included almost all of the Netherlands: Flanders, Holland, Zeeland, Gennegau, Brabant, Limburg, Rethel, Picardy, Luxembourg, Geldern, Artois and dependent Cleve and Utrecht, as well as a group of possessions on the border of France and Germany to the Swiss cantons: actually Burgundy, Franche-Comté, Nevers, Macon, Auxerre, Charolais, Breisgau and Sundgau, Lorraine and Bar. This abundance of names gives only a pale idea of ​​how much the Burgundians gathered under their hand.

But this vastness of possessions was also a weakness of the dukes - each of these territories retained its national, social and political characteristics and privileges. The dukes tried their best to unite this patchwork quilt, but achieved only a single economic space. Reporting on Dutch affairs, a contemporary points out the following: “when the servants of the law suit the sovereign, then they live for a whole year in peace and all his [the Duke’s] requests are willingly satisfied, and when not, there are always surprises.” Similar “surprises” occurred almost every year (largely thanks to French agents). And time after time, the dukes had to either buy off new privileges, or take up arms and drown the uprising in blood. Do you remember how often the rebellious Liege rose?.. The walls of the cities were left in ruins, the instigators of the rebellion were brutally executed - but the next year they again had to gather an army and march against their subjects. The Germans, Swiss, Burgundians, Walloons, Flemings, Frisians and other nationalities did not merge into a single nation. Only the supreme power kept them together. It's funny: France fought against separatism in the form of Burgundy, and the dukes fought against separatism on the scale of their possessions.

At this time, Louis XI ascended the throne of France. The greatest monarch who at that time knew no equal in intelligence and political talent. He quickly brought the rebellious aristocrats within the country to obedience, strengthened the economy, ensured the development of trade, science, the army, and gave way to the third estate, from where he drew lawyers, officers and other executors of the royal will. And his main dream was the return of Burgundy, necessary for a united, centralized France. By force, through diplomacy or as a result of behind-the-scenes intrigues - it doesn’t matter, this king owned all the weapons, and the end justified the means.

His opponent, the fourth Duke of Burgundy, Charles the Bold, was a worthy ruler: a magnificent warrior and an experienced strategist, well educated, a connoisseur and patron of the arts, a polyglot, an excellent dancer and an excellent chess player, the author of interesting songs and poems. Brought up on knightly ideals, the Duke was the last prominent representative of the outgoing Medieval Europe. But along with abstract goals, there was a lot of practicality in it. He carried out reforms of the estate-representative system, judicial and administrative bodies, following the example of France, he introduced indirect taxes ed and gabel and a direct tax - tal and as a result, in ten years he received the same amount of money as his father, Philip the Good - in forty-five. But because of this, popularity among the people has dropped significantly. The all-Burgundian Estates General were convened, a national Court of Accounts was created, the first Burgundian universities were founded in Dijon and Louvain, which trained their own administrative and legal personnel... But many of these reforms were carried out too late and could not save the state.

The last duke cared even more about the army. The Burgundian knights were famous throughout Europe, but Charles made his main bet on cannons and the transition from an unreliable feudal collection system to a contract one: in the 70s. XV century he possessed the best artillery in Western Europe and for the first time allocated it to a special branch of the army, and the army consisted almost entirely of mercenaries. This allowed him to act more quickly and efficiently, but when the Duke's wallet was empty, all his power disappeared in the blink of an eye.

It is interesting that behind the façade of chivalry, few people noticed these progressive changes, but everyone knew about the splendor of the Burgundian court. Or, for example, that in accordance with the ancient custom of personally listening to the complaints and petitions of small people, Charles the Bold, two or three times a week, after the midday meal, surrounded by the first nobles of Burgundy, began a public audience, and everyone could hand him a petition .

Charles the Bold planned to become king and restore Greater Lorraine from the Rhone to the Rhine. But with all his talents, it must be said that the Duke was aiming for a piece that he would not be able to bite off: Louis XI was too tough for even such a brave man. The king understood perfectly well that Burgundy had caused many powers to worry, and the ambitions and victories of its dukes were not to the liking of the rulers of neighboring countries. Thanks to the diplomacy of France, Austria, the union of Alsatian cities and Switzerland forgot about their differences and created an “anti-Burgundian coalition” in 1475. Louis was triumphant: he managed to defeat the rebellious duke with the wrong hands. Not wanting to start a war, he provokes the Swiss, financially fueling their long-standing contradictions with the Burgundians.

At the peak of his power, Charles the Bold begins the Swiss War. He is confident of success, his army is stronger than ever, and pride fills his heart from the number of white and red flags with the cross of St. Andrey. But things didn’t turn out the way he wanted. In 1476, the Duke was defeated at Granson. Nancy was lost, but the main result of the battle was the moral victory of the Swiss, since before Granson the Burgundians had never fled from the battlefield, and what about the Burgundians - infantry had never defeated heavy cavalry like that. Europe saw the first victory of those who for a whole century would be considered the best and invincible soldiers - the Swiss battles, bristling with pikes and halberds. Defeat leads to a decline in the Duke's authority. Discontent flares up within his domain. Karl the Bold decided that the only way to raise his own prestige was to defeat the Swiss. In conditions of complete political isolation, the Duke begins his fatal campaign against Nancy - the road to the final, most crushing defeat. It was not just the last Duke of Burgundy, Charles the Bold, who died in this battle. The entire state perished, although it did not last long (yes, this is that romantic love story of Mary of Burgundy and Maximilian of Habsburg), and in the end, bowing to Louis XI, the Duchy of Burgundy returned to the rule of the lilies. France became united. But the heritage of Burgundy lived on for a long time in the history of that Europe that now no longer exists...