| Duchy of Burgundy | |
|---|---|
  | |
| Creation date | 880 |
| Peerage | Peerage of France |
| First holder | Richard the Justiciar |
| Last holder |
|
| Status | Extinct |
| Extinction date |
|
| Seats | |
Duke of Burgundy (French:duc de Bourgogne) was a title used by the rulers of theDuchy of Burgundy, from its establishment in 843 to its annexation by theFrench crown in 1477, and later by members of theHouse of Habsburg, includingHoly Roman Emperors andkings of Spain, who claimed Burgundy proper and ruled theBurgundian Netherlands.[1]
The Duchy of Burgundy was a small portion of the traditional lands of theBurgundians west of the riverSaône which, in 843, was allotted toCharles the Bald's kingdom of theWest Franks. Under theAncien Régime, the duke of Burgundy was the premier laypeer of theKingdom of France. Beginning withRobert II of France (r. 996–1031), the title was held by theCapetians, the French royal family. In 1032 KingHenry I of France granted the duchy to his younger brother,Robert, who founded theHouse of Burgundy. When the senior line of the House of Burgundy became extinct in 1361, the title was inherited by KingJohn II of France through proximity of blood. John granted the duchy to his younger son,Philip the Bold, in 1363. TheValois dukes gradually came to rule over a vast complex of territories known as theBurgundian State, and became dangerous rivals to the senior French royal line of theHouse of Valois.
When the male line of the Valois dukes of Burgundy became extinct in 1477, the Duchy of Burgundy was confiscated byLouis XI of France. The title "duke of Burgundy" passed to Habsburg monarchs afterMary of Burgundy marriedMaximilian I of Austria in 1477. The Habsburgs used this connection to claim Burgundy proper and to rule theirBurgundian inheritance until the Napoleonic era. The title was subsequently revived for several younger sons of theHouse of Bourbon and since 1975, branches of it have used "duke of Burgundy" as a revivedcourtesy title.
The first margrave (marchio), later duke (dux), of Burgundy was Richard of theHouse of Ardennes,[citation needed] whose duchy was created from the merging of several regional counties of thekingdom of Provence which had belonged to his brotherBoso. Richard was the son of Eccard of Macon and Richildis of Arles, Boso the son of Bivin of Gorze and Richildis of Arles.
His descendants and their relatives by marriage ruled the duchy until its annexation over a century later by the French crown, their suzerain.
In 1004, Burgundy was annexed by the king, of theHouse of Capet. Otto William continued to rule what would come to be called theFree County of Burgundy. His descendants formed anotherHouse of Ivrea.
Robert, son ofRobert II of France, received the Duchy as a peace settlement, having disputed the succession to the throne of France with his brotherHenry.
| Picture | Name | Birth | Became Duke | Ruled until | Death | Notes | Arms |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 | Robert Ithe Old (Robert Ierle Vieux) | 1011 | 1032 | 21 March 1076 | Younger son ofRobert II of France. | ||
| Hugh I (Hugues Ier) | 1057 | 21 March 1076 | 1079 | 29 August 1093 | Eldest son of Henry of Burgundy, grandson of Robert I. Abdicated in favour of his younger brother, Odo. | ||
 | Odo I Borelthe Red (Eudes Ier Borelle Roux) | 1058 | 1079 | 23 March 1103 | Younger brother of Hugh I. | ||
 | Hugh II (Hugues II) | 1084 | 23 March 1103 | 1143 | Son of Odo I | ||
 | Odo II (Eudes II) | 1118 | 1143 | 27 June/27 September 1162 | Eldest son of Hugh II | | |
 | Hugh III (Hugues III) | 1142 | 27 June/27 September 1162 | 25 August 1192 | Eldest son of Odo II | | |
 | Odo III (Eudes III) | 1166 | 25 August 1192 | 6 July 1218 | Eldest son of Hugh III | | |
 | Hugh IV (Hugues IV) | 9 March 1213 | 6 July 1218 | 27 October 1272 | Eldest son of Odo III | | |
 | Robert II (Robert II) | 1248 | 27 October 1271 | 21 March 1306 | Eldest surviving son of Hugh IV. | | |
 | Hugh V (Hugues V) | 1282 | 21 March 1306 | 9 May 1315 | Eldest son of Robert II. | | |
 | Odo IV (Eudes IV) | 1295 | 9 May 1315 | 3 April 1350 | Younger brother of Hugh V. | | |
 | Philip Iof Rouvres (Philippe Ierde Rouvres) | 1346 | 3 April 1350 | 21 November 1361 | Grandson of Odo IV. | | |
On 28 December 1361John II of France, the second Valois king, successfully claimed the duchy after the death ofPhilip, the last Capet duke.[2]The duchy did not merge into the royal domain; it remained a distinct feudal entity, with the Burgundian estates firmly opposing annexation.[2][3]
In January 1362 he had appointed Henri of Bar, Lord of Pierrefort, as the initial governor,[4] but As early as January 25, 1362, John appointed John of Melun, Count of Tancarville as govenor of Burgundy.[5]
John then passed the duchy to his youngest sonPhilip as anapanage in 1363.
| Picture | Name | Birth | Became Duke | Ruled until | Death | Notes | Arms |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 | John IIthe Good (Jean IIle Bon) | 26 April 1319 | 28 December 1361[2] | 6 September 1363 | 8 April 1364 | Youngest son of Philip VI The Fortunate | .svg) |
 | Philip IIthe Bold (Philippe IIle Hardi) | 15 January 1342 | 6 September 1363 | 27 April 1404 | Youngest son of John the Good |  | |
 | John Ithe Fearless (Jean Isans Peur) | 28 May 1371 | 27 April 1404 | 10 September 1419 | Eldest son of Philip the Bold |  | |
 | Philip IIIthe Good (Philippe IIIle Bon) | 31 July 1396 | 10 September 1419 | 15 June 1467 | Eldest son of John the Fearless |  | |
 | Charles Ithe Bold[6] (Charles Ile Téméraire) | 21 November 1433 | 15 June 1467 | 5 January 1477 | Eldest son of Philip the Good | | |
.jpg) | Marythe Rich | 13 February 1457 | 5 January 1477 | 27 March 1482 | Only daughter of Charles the Bold | | |
In 1477, the territory of the Duchy of Burgundy was annexed by France. In the same year, Mary marriedMaximilian,Archduke of Austria, giving theHabsburgs control of the remainder of theBurgundian Inheritance.
Although the territory of the Duchy of Burgundy itself remained in the hands of France, the Habsburgs remained in control of the title of Duke of Burgundy and the other parts of the Burgundian inheritance, notably theLow Countries and theFree County of Burgundy in theHoly Roman Empire as well as the County of Charolais in France. They often used the termBurgundy to refer to it (e.g. in the name of theImperial Circle it was grouped into), until the late 18th century, when theAustrian Netherlands were lost to theFrench Republic. The Habsburgs also continued to claim Burgundy proper until theTreaty of Cambrai in 1529, when they surrendered their claim in exchange for French recognition of Imperial sovereignty over Flanders and Artois.
| Picture | Name | Birth | Became Duke | Ruled until | Death | Notes | Arms |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
_-_GG_3872.jpg) | Philip IVthe Handsome (Philippe IVle Beau) | 22 July 1478 | 22 February 1482 | 25 September 1506 | Eldest son of Duchess Mary byMaximilian of Habsburg |  | |
 | Charles II | 24 February 1500 | 25 September 1506 | 16 January 1556 | 21 September 1558 | Eldest son of Philip the Handsome. AlsoCharles I of Aragon and Castile, andHoly Roman Emperor Charles V | .svg) |
Five days later, on December 28, the king had the Estates of the Duchy of Burgundy, that is, the representatives of the Church, the nobles, and the townspeople, assembled before him at Saint-Bénigne. These Estates, convened in principle to provide financial assistance to the new Duke, presented him with petitions, requests, and memoranda concerning the government of the Duchy. King John responded to their requests by granting a Grand Charter of Privileges to the Burgundians....This document, the full text of which has survived, precisely describes the circumstances of the accession of the Valois to Burgundy, the king's desire, as the new duke, to gain the sympathy of his Burgundian subjects, and the new law and institutions established on this occasion.
King John at once laid claim to and took possession of this important fief which, if it could have been incorporated into the royal domain, would have greatly increased the power and the income of the crown. But the local particularism of the inhabitants, coupled with King John's generous feelings towards his youngest son, made this impossible.
he had appointed Henri de Bar, Lord of Pierrefort, as governor. Working with him would be a team of trusted men of John the Good who had already served him in Burgundy
the duchy of Burgundy, the counties of Champagne, Brie, and Forez, as well as the seigneury of Beaujeu, the bailiwicks of Sens, Saint-Pierre-le-Moûtier, Mâcon, and Lyonnais. From now on, it was thus the entire eastern part of the kingdom which was placed under the authority of the Count of Tancarville.
