States of the Duke of Burgundy États du duc de Bourgogne (French)
1384–1482
Above: Ducal banner Below:Cross of Burgundy Coat of arms
The Burgundian State at its greatest extent, underCharles the Bold
Status	Personal union
Common languages	Latin,Middle French,Middle Dutch
Religion	Roman Catholicism
Government	Monarchy
Duke of Burgundy
• 1363–1404	Philip the Bold
• 1404–1419	John the Fearless
• 1419–1467	Philip the Good
• 1467–1477	Charles the Bold
• 1477–1482	Mary of Burgundy
Legislature	States General of the Netherlands andEstates of Burgundy
Historical era	Late Middle Ages
• Accession toCounty of Flanders	30 January 1384
• First Treaty of Arras	21 September 1435
• Battle of Nancy	5 January 1477
• Mary's death	27 March 1482
• Second Treaty of Arras	23 December 1482
Succeeded by Habsburg Monarchy Kingdom of France Holy Roman Empire Habsburg Netherlands

TheBurgundian State^[1] (French:État bourguignon[etabuʁɡiɲɔ̃];Dutch:Bourgondische Rijk[burˈɣɔndisəˈrɛik]) was acomposite monarchy ruled by theDukes of Burgundy from the late 14th to the late 15th centuries, and which ultimately comprised not only theDuchy andCounty of Burgundy but also theBurgundian Netherlands. The latter, acquired piecemeal over time and largely through inheritance, was, in fact, their principal source of wealth and prestige. The Dukes were members of theHouse of Valois-Burgundy, acadet branch of the French royalHouse of Valois, and thecomplex of territories they ruled is sometimes referred to asValois Burgundy.^[2] The term "Burgundian State" was coined by historians and was not in contemporary use; the polity remained a collection of separate duchies and counties inpersonal union under the Duke of Burgundy.

It is regarded as one of the major powers in Europe of the 15th century. The Dukes of Burgundy were among the wealthiest and the most powerful princes in Europe and were sometimes called "Grand Dukes of the West".^[3] Including the thriving regions ofFlanders andBrabant, the Burgundian State was a major centre of trade and commerce and a focal point of courtly culture that set the fashion for European royal houses and their courts.^[4] It nearly turned into a kingdom in its own right, butCharles the Bold's early death at theBattle of Nancy put an end to hisLotharingian dream and his legacy passed to theHouse of Habsburg through the marriage of his daughterMary toMaximilian of Austria. MeanwhilePicardy and theDuchy of Burgundy were conquered by theKing of France.

Thepartition of the Burgundian heritage marked the beginning of the centuries-longFrench–Habsburg rivalry and played a pivotal role in European politics long after Burgundy had lost its role as an independent political identity. With the abdication ofEmperor Charles V in 1555, the Burgundian Netherlands passed to theSpanish Empire of KingPhilip II. During theDutch Revolt, or theEighty Years' War (1568–1648), the northern provinces of theLow Countries gained their independence from Spanish rule and formed theDutch Republic (now theNetherlands). The southern provinces remained under Spanish rule until the 18th century and became known as theSpanish Netherlands, orSouthern Netherlands (corresponding roughly to present dayBelgium,Luxembourg and northernHauts-de-France).

The notion of a "Burgundian State" was coined in the 19th century by the Belgian historianHenri Pirenne in hisHistoire de Belgique to describe what he saw as the precursor of theBelgian state.^[5] In hisnationalist view, the Dukes of Burgundy were the creators of a Burgundian or Belgian nation.Johan Huizinga reused the concept out of convenience at the beginning of the 20th century. In 1999,Bertrand Schnerb [fr] popularised the expression in France with amonograph namedThe Burgundian State.^[1]

That use is, however, controversial among historians.^[6] Though he used it, Huizinga noted that the "Burgundian State" was a creation of modernhistoriography and was not an entity that its contemporaries recognised.^[7] Many historians, especiallyhistorians of law, Belgian and Dutch historians, argue that legally speaking, the lands of the dukes formed a collection of princely estates, rather than an actualstate. As such, they call those lands "Valois Burgundy", "Burgundian states", "Great Principality of Burgundy",^[8] "Burgundian Union"^[9] or "Burgundian Commonwealth".^[10]

Indeed, the Burgundian State remained apersonal union of territories constituting a "composite monarchy" rather than a state.^[11] The provinces shared no common legislation, although the dukes created common institutions. At the time, there was no name to describe the territorial complex otherwise than "the lands and estates of the duke of Burgundy". The last dukes of the Valois dynasty, however, tried to rally the various populations around symbols such as theCross of Burgundy and theOrder of the Golden Fleece. UnderCharles the Bold, who wanted to create a kingdom of his own, propaganda insisted that theBelgae were the common ancestors for all of his lands. TheLeo Belgicus appeared after that to symbolise the unity of theLow Countries.

Furthermore, the Burgundian State was not ade juresovereign state. The dukes of Burgundy werevassals of theking of France and theHoly Roman Emperor, even if they acted as sovereigns. The authority of the emperor was highly hypothetical, but in most of their Frenchfiefs, for instance, their judgements could be challenged before theParlement of Paris. Charles the Bold created theParliament of Mechelen to avoid this.

Following Johan Huizinga, Marc Boone andWim Blockmans ironically concluded that a true Burgundian State existed only from the loss of the Duchy of Burgundy and the extinction of the Burgundian dynasty to theDutch Revolt.^[7][12]

The Capetian House of Burgundy became extinct when DukePhilip I died in 1361, before he was able to consummate the marriage withMargaret of Dampierre, heiress of CountLouis II of Flanders. On 28 December 1361John II of France, the second Valois king, successfully claimed the duchy.^[13]The duchy did not merge into the royal domain; it remained a distinct feudal entity, with the Burgundian estates firmly opposing annexation.^[13][14]

In January 1362,John II of France had appointed Henri of Bar, Lord of Pierrefort, as the initial governor,^[15] but As early as January 25, 1362, John appointed John of Melun, Count of Tancarville as govenor of Burgundy.^[16] He later decided to give it as afief to his youngest son, known asPhilip the Bold, who was officially recognized asDuke of Burgundy andFirst Peer of France on 2 June 1364.

The same year,Edmund of Langley, son ofEdward III of England, became engaged toMargaret of Flanders, daughter of the CountLouis II of Flanders and heiress toFlanders,Artois,Rethel,Nevers and theFree County of Burgundy. KingCharles V of France could not let this marriage happen. Since Edmund and Margaret were cousins, they needed apapal dispensation to marry, which PopeUrban V refused them because of lobbying by Charles, who wanted to marry Margaret to his younger brother, Philip the Bold, Duke of Burgundy. The Count of Flanders, eager for an alliance, agreed to marry his daughter and heir presumptive to Philip.

The marriage took place on 19 June 1369 inGhent, and from then Philip was closely associated to the reign of his father-in-law, helping him to crush the Flemish at theBattle of Roosebeke. Louis of Flanders died soon after, on 30 January 1384: Philip became Count consort of Flanders, Artois, Rethel, Nevers and Burgundy. Peace was officially restored in Flanders by thePeace of Tournai in 1385. Also in 1385, the offices of Chancellor of Burgundy and of Chancellor of Flanders were merged, and in 1386 two Chambers of Accounts were created: the first onein Lille for his northern possessions, the other one inDijon for his southern possessions. These were the first step in the centralization of power.^[1]

Philip carried out an ambitious matrimonial policy that turned to the east: his first sonJohn marriedMargaret of Bavaria, and his daughtersMargaret andCatherine of Burgundy married, respectively,William, Count ofHainaut,Holland andZeeland, andLeopold IV, Duke of Austria. His last sonAnthony marriedJeanne of Saint-Pol, daughter ofWaleran III of Luxembourg.

During the reigns of Philip the Bold and his sonJohn the Fearless, loyalty to theking of France remained strong, and serving the kingdom was a significant duty. During the minority of his nephew, KingCharles VI, Philip took part in the "government of the uncles": he wasregent alongside his brothersLouis I, Duke of Anjou, andJohn, Duke of Berry, andLouis II, Duke of Bourbon. Charles VI took power for himself in 1388, aged 19, only to give it back four years later, when he showedhis first signs of madness. From then, the King was considered mad and the Duke of Burgundy effectively had power, althoughLouis I, Duke of Orléans, gained more and more power and Philip's influence diminished.^[17]

Philip died in 1404 andJohn the Fearless succeeded him. His main goal was to regain power over the regency by excludingLouis of Orléans. Louis was very unpopular: he wanted toresume war with the English and was rumoured to have had an affair withQueen Isabeau. Both men were constantly hampering each other, until John finally decided to kill his enemy. Louis of Orléans wasmurdered on 23 November 1407 in the streets of Paris. It was the beginning of theArmagnac–Burgundian Civil War. The Duke of Burgundy was in power until 1413, when theArmagnacs took Paris. WhenHenry V of England resumed the war, John of Burgundy remained neutral and avoided the French defeat atAgincourt. He took Paris back in 1418 and had control over the King, butCharles, theDauphin of France, an Armagnac partisan, escaped. He later took the lead of the Armagnac party. In 1419,parleys took place: theArmagnac and theBurgundian parties were close to find peace at last, but on 10 September 1419, during a parley between the Duke and the Dauphin on the bridge atMontereau,John the Fearless was murdered in turn.

Seeking revenge, the new 23-year-old duke of Burgundy, Philip, later known asPhilip the Good, agreed to ally with the English. As regent, he madeKing Charles sign theTreaty of Troyes, which disinherited his son in favor ofHenry V of England, who was to marryCatherine of Valois, uniting the Houses ofFrance andEngland. But Henry died in August 1422, followed two months later by Charles.Henry VI,King of France and England, was just a baby, and the regency was assumed byJohn, Duke of Bedford. The Anglo-Burgundian alliance won many major victories, and controlled a large part of France. However,Joan of Arc came and changed the course of the war, allowingCharles VII of France to becrowned in Reims on July 1429. Joan of Arc was later captured by the Burgundians and handed over to the English.

In 1435, theCongress of Arras took place and ended in a reconciliation between Burgundy and France. DukePhilip the Good recognizedCharles VII asKing of France, and Charles recognized the Burgundian territorial acquisitions. Philip was personally exempted from pledginghomage to the King.

After 1435,Philip the Good was no longer interested in the French affairs, and ruled his own territories as theirsovereign.

Philip managed to considerably expand the Burgundian State in theLow Countries. In 1421, he bought theCounty of Namur from the impoverishedMarquis of Namur, inheriting it outright in 1429. In 1430, he inherited theMargraviate of Antwerp and the Duchies ofBrabant,Limburg andLuxembourg, succeeding his cousinPhilip, son ofAnthony of Burgundy. He also took advantage of a succession crisis to make himself the heir ofJacqueline of Hainaut — at the time of her death, in 1433, he seized her Counties ofHainaut,Holland andZeeland. Finally, in 1441 he bought from his auntElizabeth of Görlitz theDuchy of Luxembourg. The Low Countries were at last united, becoming theBurgundian Netherlands.

Under his rule, the court of Burgundy found its apex. A greatpatron, he made it a major artistic center. Burgundian celebrations andbanquets enjoyed an international reputation. Philip himself was a renowned prince withinChristendom, especially for his repeated calls for aCrusade against theOttoman Empire, such as during theFeast of the Pheasant. In 1430, he created the prestigiousOrder of the Golden Fleece.^[18]

However, the growing centralisation of power under theHouse of Burgundy did not please the Flemish cities, proud of their autonomy and liberties. Duke Philip had to suppress theBruges Rebellion of 1436–1438, and then theRevolt of Ghent of 1449–1453. Both times, Burgundian forces were able to count on the support of the other Flemish towns. After those two events, urban liberties were severely compromised, and Burgundian domination only increased.

More opposition came in theWars of Liège, a series of three rebellions led by thePrincipality of Liège, refusing the Burgundian protectorate andLouis de Bourbon, nephew of Philip the Good, as their Prince-Bishop. Three times the rebels were defeated, untilCharles the Bold sacked and destroyed the town in 1468.

At the end of Philip's long reign, under the influence of theHouse of Croÿ, the Duke got closer to KingLouis XI of France, whom he hosted when he was opposed to his father. Louis bought back the towns ofPicardy, which displeasedCharles,count of Charolais, the Duke's son and heir. He joined a noble revolt against the King, theLeague of the Public Weal, whereupon the King returned the towns to Burgundy.

Philip the Good nurtured the ambition to elevate the Burgundian State to the status of a sovereign kingdom within the framework of theHoly Roman Empire, which included a nominalKingdom of Italy and a more substantialKingdom of Bohemia, and in the past had also incorporated the ancientKingdom of Burgundy that however had lost any materiality by the late 14th century. Philip viewed Burgundian kingship as a long-term aim which needed careful preparation. In 1447, he held talks to that effect with Holy Roman Emperor Frederick III, but the latter only proposed kingship on behalf ofBrabant orFrisia, both options too narrow to suit Philip's vision. In 1454, Philip traveled toRegensburg with intent to negotiate Burgundy's status, but Frederick did not attend the meeting and no progress was made.^[19]: 419

Charles, known as "Charles the Bold",^{[nb 1]} succeeded his father Philip the Good in 1467, after having been his lieutenant for two years. An ambitious and ruthless character, he wished to rule over a territorially continuous and independent kingdom, reminiscent of the oldLotharingia, but also of theKingdoms of Burgundy and ofGallia Belgica.

By theTreaty of Péronne of October 1468,Louis XI of France withdrew the French lands of the Duke of Burgundy from the jurisdiction of theParlement of Paris. But he later opposed this agreement, and declared war on the duke in December 1470. According to the noncompliance clause of the treaty, Duke Charles declared himself and his lands forever freed of theFrench crown.

In the same time, he encouraged a resumption of theHundred Years' War. He supported KingEdward IV of York, marrying hissister, and had him land inCalais in the summer of 1475. Presenting himself without a whole army, he failed to convince Edward, who had to deal with the King of France, resulting in theTreaty of Picquigny.

Charles also got closer to theHoly Roman EmperorFrederick III of Habsburg. In November 1473, the two met atTrier and negotiated the marriage of Charles's daughterMarie to Frederick's sonMaximilian. During that encounter, Frederick considered having Charles elected asKing of the Romans and the next Emperor, then pivoted to reviving the Kingdom of Burgundy, which would have included all Burgundian State's lands within the Empire plus the Duchies ofLorraine,Savoy andClèves and the Bishoprics ofUtrecht,Liège,Toul andVerdun. The date of 25 November 1473 was set for Charles' coronation, and a crown and scepter were prepared.^{[19]: 496-497} The Emperor, however, abruptly ended the negotiations by fleeing by night with his son.^[20]

Charles continued to expand the Burgundian State by buyingBrisgau andSundgau fromSigismund, Archduke of Austria in 1469, then conquering theDuchy of Guelders and theCounty of Zutphen. Finally, in 1475, he conquered theDuchy of Lorraine, ruling at last over a vast continuous territory going fromCharolais toFriesland. He proclaimed his wish to make the Lorrainer city ofNancy the capital of his kingdom.^{[citation needed]}

Charles was obsessed with kingship, which could have given his lands the unity they lacked. He always dressed very richly, and, faced with the King of France or the Emperor, presented himself as their equal. He made himself a golden hat, of which an Italian observer of the time said that "it seemed like a king's crown".^[20]

Valois Burgundy's territorial appetite frightened theSwiss Confederacy, leading to theBurgundian Wars (1474–1477).Charles the Bold's armies suffered two large defeats in 1476, atGrandson andMorat. TheDuke of Lorraine took advantage of that and tookNancy back. With a weakened army, Duke Charles persevered and wanted to besiege Nancy as quickly as possible. The union of the Swiss and Lorrainer armies defeated the Burgundians duringthe battle of 5 January 1477, in which Charles the Bold was killed.

After Charles's death,Louis XI didn't wait long to invadeBurgundy,Artois andFlanders. To protect herself,Mary, Charles's sole heir, summoned theStates General of the Netherlands. Unhappy with the previous duke's actions, she had to grant them theGreat Privilege, which suppressed several centralized institutions, reestablished many local and communal rights, and increased the power of the States General. They encouraged her to marryMaximilian of Austria. The marriage eventually took place inGhent on 19 August 1477. The coming of Maximilian as duke cheered the troops, and turned the tables on the King of France who had been taking advantage of the death of his opponent. The French were defeated at theBattle of Guinegate (1479), after which they negotiated a truce. However, the unexpected death of Mary in 1482, from a horse riding accident, weakened Maximilian's position, as he had to cope with difficulties being accepted as the rightful regent for his sonPhilip, aged three.

TheTreaty of Arras, signed on December 1482, planned to marry Mary and Maximilian's daughter,Margaret, to theDauphin Charles, aged 12. The Burgundy-Habsburgs kept Flanders (and the rest of the Netherlands, which were imperial estates), while France won the Duchy of Burgundy, Artois andPicardy, and soon theCounty of Burgundy as thedowry of Margaret. But the Dauphin, after having been crowned as Charles VIII, instead marriedAnne of Brittany, who was already married byproxy to Maximilian. By theTreaty of Senlis of 1493, the French king gave back Artois,Charolais and the County of Burgundy. Later, by theTreaty of Cambrai of 1529, KingFrancis I of France definitively gave up French sovereignty over Artois and Flanders; in return,Emperor Charles V gave up on his claim to the Duchy of Burgundy.

In 1512, theBurgundian Circle was created as anImperial Circle of theHoly Roman Empire, bringing together Franche-Comté and theHabsburg Netherlands. During theGuelders Wars, the following territories were added to the Burgundian states:Friesland, andFrisia,Utrecht,Overijssel,Groningen, theCounty of Zutphen, and theDuchy of Guelders. In 1549, Charles V issued thePragmatic Sanction and organized the Burgundian Low Countries inSeventeen Provinces. Following theDutch Revolt, those territories were divided between theSpanish Netherlands and theUnited Provinces. Franche-Comté was ceded bySpain to France in theTreaty of Nijmegen (1678). Following theWar of the Spanish Succession, theHabsburg Netherlands passed toAustria and remained in Austrian hands until the French conquest of the late 18th century. Following theCongress of Vienna, the former Burgundian territories remaining divided between France, the Netherlands and, following theBelgian Revolution, modern-dayBelgium.

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The Court of Burgundy wasitinerant. There was no such thing as a capital, although some towns could have claimed it.Dijon was the traditional capital of theDukes of Burgundy, and it was therePhilip the Bold founded thePalace of the Dukes and theChartreuse of Champmol, which was meant to be a burial place for the dynasty. ButPhilip the Good and his successors preferred to stay in theNetherlands, in towns such asBrussels,Ghent,Bruges,Lille,Arras andHesdin.^[21]

Around the Duke was hishôtel, thehousehold having in charge the daily life of the Court, following the French model.

The wealthy Court of Burgundy displayed unprecedented splendor, culminating in the sumptuous wedding ofCharles the Bold andMargaret of York, "the wedding of the century", still celebrated in Bruges nowadays every five years.

Another time for celebrations were thechapters of the Order of the Golden Fleece, where members of the order reunited. The order, which promotedchivalry and Christianity, was very influential in Europe.

The Burgundian Court was also a major artistic center. Theillustrated manuscripts of the dukes were well-renowned; their illuminators includedJean Miélot,Willem Vrelant,Loyset Liédet andLieven van Lathem.Early Netherlandish painting appeared largely thanks to the patronage of the duke of Burgundy: among the most famous of those "Flemish primitives" wereRobert Campin,Jan van Eyck,Rogier van der Weyden andPetrus Christus. In music, members of theBurgundian School were leading composers of mid-15th century Europe, amongst them musiciansGuillaume Du Fay,Gilles Binchois andAntoine Busnois.

Burgundian territories were roughly divided into two parts: Burgundy (Duchy andCounty) to the South; and theNetherlands to the North. TheStates General of the Netherlands were summoned for the first time on 9 January 1464 inBruges, with representatives of the three estates from 16 or 17 provinces – giving its name to theSeventeen Provinces.

One institution was gaining power: theChancery. Thechancellor of Burgundy acquired during this time a political role, becoming something of a chief minister for the dukes.Nicolas Rolin was a well-known figure, a recognized patron and the right-hand man ofPhilip the Good for more than forty years.Guillaume Hugonet succeeded him, and was a spokesman forCharles the Bold: he would always express the Duke's political views (of himself as an absolute ruler) by addressing the towns or the States General.

The Burgundian army assembled soldiers from all the provinces. It relied onfeudal duties, untilCharles the Bold decided to modernize it by creatingcompagnies d'ordonnance, i.e. aregular army, based on the French model.

Philip the Bold created the first version of the Parliament inBeaune. Around the itinerant duke was a judicialGrand Conseil, also itinerant, and under the jurisdiction of theParlement of Paris until 1471.

In December 1473,Charles the Bold createda new Parliament in Mechelen, being asovereign court receiving appeals from subjects from all theBurgundian Netherlands. It was abolished by his successorMary's compromise with the states, theGreat Privilege of 1477, only to be reestablished by her sonPhilip the Handsome as the "Great Council of Mechelen".

TheChambres des Comptes (Chambers of Accounts) were major elements of the centralization of power and of the modern financial system set up by the dukes.Philip the Bold created Chambers inLille andDijon;Philip the Good created two more in Brussels andThe Hague.Charles the Bold created in 1474 a unique Chamber for theBurgundian Netherlands—inMechelen, as was the newly satParliament. Mechelen became the capital of the Northern Burgundian administration. The city had the benefit of being an independent lordship, so neitherFlanders,Brabant orHolland would be privileged by this choice.

The taxes were indirect. The towns refused direct taxes, but nonetheless the taxes only increased and were becoming more and more direct. Under Charles the Bold, the military campaigns were expensive andmilitary aids were often demanded, until 1475 and the granting of an aid of 500,000 crowns by theStates General of the Netherlands.

• The arms of the duke were the arms of Burgundy quartered withPhilip the Bold's old arms ofTouraine.John the Fearless added the arms ofFlanders;Philip the Good those ofBrabant andLimburg.
• John the Fearless chose aplane (rabot) as his personal emblem.
• In John's war against theArmagnacs, he also chose to display a Cross of St. Andrew, meaning a diagonal cross, often red. Later it would be made of two wooden branches, making it a saw-toothed cross, theCross of Burgundy.
• Afiresteel (showing the letter B) was also one of the Burgundian symbols, often represented alongsidesparks.
• TheGolden Fleece was often shown as well, especially the whole collar of the Order's members, in heraldry.

Picture	Name	Birth	Reign	Notes	Arms
	John II of France (Jean II le Bon) (Jan II de Goede)	26 April 1319	28 December 1361 – 6 September 1363[13]	First son of KingPhilip VI of France from theHouse of Valois and his wifeJoan of Burgundy. Married DuchessBonne of Luxembourg in 1332.
	Philip the Bold (Philippe le Hardi) (Filips de Stoute)	15 January 1342	6 September 1363 – 27 April 1404	Younger son ofJohn II of France. Appointedduke of Burgundy in 1363. MarriedMargaret of Flanders in 1369.
	John the Fearless (Jean sans Peur) (Jan zonder Vrees)	28 May 1371	27 April 1404 – 10 September 1419	Eldest son of Philip the Bold.Murdered at Montereau in 1419.
	Philip the Good (Philippe le Bon) (Filips de Goede)	31 July 1396	10 September 1419 – 15 June 1467	Eldest son of John the Fearless.
	Charles the Bold (Charles le Téméraire) (Karel de Stoute)	21 November 1433	15 June 1467 – 5 January 1477	Only legitimate surviving son of Philip the Good. Killed at thebattle of Nancy, leading to theWar of the Burgundian Succession.
	Mary of Burgundy (Marie de Bourgogne) (Maria van Bourgondië)	13 February 1457	5 January 1477 – 27 March 1482	Only child of Charles the Bold. MarriedMaximilian of Austria in 1477.
	Philip the Handsome (Philippe le Beau) (Filips de Schone)	22 July 1478	27 March 1482 – 25 September 1506	Eldest son of Duchess Mary. His father Maximilian is regent until 1494 (the regencyis disputed in Flanders). MarriedJoanna of Castille in 1496 and became King consort of Castille.
	Charles V (Charles Quint) (Karel V)	24 February 1500	25 September 1506 – 25 October 1555	Eldest son of Philip the Handsome. His auntMargaret is regent until 1515, by Emperor Maximilian's will. Elected Emperor of the Romans in 1519. BecameKing of Germany,of Spain andof Italy.

• Former countries in Europe
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• Late Middle Ages
• Burgundy
• Historiography of Europe
• Burgundian Netherlands
• House of Valois
• States and territories disestablished in 1482
• Burgundian State
• Territories of the Valois dukes of Burgundy

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