| 933–15th century | |||||||||||||||||||||||
 The Kingdom of Burgundy within Europe at the beginning of the 11th century | |||||||||||||||||||||||
 Burgundy in the 12th–13th century: | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| Status |
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| Capital | Arles | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| Government | Monarchy | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| King | |||||||||||||||||||||||
• 912–937 (first) | Rudolph II | ||||||||||||||||||||||
• 1410–1437 (last) | Sigismund | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| Historical era | High Middle Ages | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| 933 | |||||||||||||||||||||||
• Rudolph III pledged succession to KingHenry II of Germany | May 1006 | ||||||||||||||||||||||
• Rudolph III died without issue; kingdom inherited byEmperor Conrad II | 6 September 1032 | ||||||||||||||||||||||
• Emperor Charles IV detached theCounty of Savoy | 1361 | ||||||||||||||||||||||
• Dauphin Charles made Imperial Vicar of Burgundy | 7 January 1378 | ||||||||||||||||||||||
• Disestablished | 15th century | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| 27 April 1803 | |||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Today part of | |||||||||||||||||||||||
TheKingdom of Burgundy (Latin:Regnum Burgundiae), also known as theKingdom of Arles (Latin:Regnum Arleatense),[1] was arealm established in 933 by the unification ofLower Burgundy with theUpper Burgundy. As an independentkingdom, it was ruled bymonarchs from theElder House of Welf until 1032, when it was incorporated into theHoly Roman Empire, becoming one of the empire's three constituent realms, together with theKingdom of Germany and theKingdom of Italy.[2] By the 13th century it went through the process offeudal fragmentation, and since the 14th century the imperial rule over the kingdom became mainly nominal, weakening further during the 15th century.[3]
Its territory stretched from theMediterranean Sea in the south to theHigh Rhine in the north, and from theWestern Alps in the east to theRhône basin in the west, thus encompassing almost all of the historicalBurgundian lands, and roughly corresponding to the present-dayFrench regions ofProvence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur,Rhône-Alpes andFranche-Comté, as well as the region ofRomandy in westernSwitzerland.
As an independent state (933-1032), the realm was known as theKingdom of Burgundy, keeping the same name within the Holy Roman Empire, but also becoming known as theKingdom of Arles, in reference to its capital city ofArles. Thus in sources, as well in historiography, it is referred to in various contexts as theSecond Kingdom of Burgundy in order to distinguish the realm created in 933 from theFirst Kingdom of Burgundy (411-534), while the termKingdom of Arles (alsoArelat, orKingdom of Arles and Vienne) is commonly used for the later period, after 1032.[4]
Since the middle of the 9th century, theCarolingian Empire went through a series of crisis and divisions. In 843, by theTreaty of Verdun, the Empire was divided in three parts, with much of Burgundian lands becoming part ofMiddle Francia, which was allotted to emperorLothair I (Lotharii Regnum), while the north-western Burgundian regions (laterDuchy of Burgundy, the present-dayBourgogne), went toCharles the Bald, king ofWest Francia. KingLouis the German receivedEast Francia, comprising the territory east of the riverRhine.
In 855, by theTreaty of Prüm, theMiddle Francia was divided, allottingUpper Burgundy to Lothair's second sonLothair II (d. 869), and also designatingLower Burgundy withProvence to Lothair's younger sonCharles the Young (d. 863). Upon the death of Charles in 863, his domains were divided between his brothers: emperorLouis II took Provence, while Lothair II received the rest. In 869, Lothair II died without legitimate children, and in 870 his uncles Charles the Bald and Louis the German concluded theTreaty of Meerssen and partitioned his territory: much of the Upper Burgundy, the territory around of theJura mountains, went to Louis the German. The western regions went to Charles the Bald, while emperor Louis II kept Provence and parts of Lower Burgundy. In 875, the emperor died, and his domains in Lower Burgundy and Provence were taken by Charles the Bald and incorporated into his domains.[5][6]
In the confusion after the death of Charles' son, the West Frankish kingLouis the Stammerer in 879, one of his most powerful nobles, countBoso of Provence (d. 887) refused to submit to Louis' heirs. At theSynod of Mantaille, Boso was proclaimed king,[7][8] thus establishing a distinctive kingdom in the regions ofLower Burgundy and Provence, centered atVienne and Arles, but his realm was much reduced by 882.[9][10] His son and heir, kingLouis the Blind (d. 928) succeeded to restore and consolidate the realm in 890, and even managed to capture northern Italy, becoming the emperor in 901. Blinded in 905, he gradually transferred the governance to his cousin, countHugh of Arles.
In the meanwhile, a separate kingdom was created in Upper Burgundy. In 888, upon the death of the EmperorCharles the Fat, countRudolph, from theElder House of Welf, founded the Kingdom of Upper Burgundy, centered atSaint-Maurice which included the Upper-Burgundian lands on both sides of theJura mountains. In 912, he was succeeded in Upper Burgundy by his sonRudolph II.[11][12]
In 933, kingHugh of Italy ceded Lower Burgundy to kingRudolph II of Upper Burgundy in return for Rudolph relinquishing his claim to theItalian throne. Rudolph merged both Upper and Lower Burgundy to form the united Kingdom of Burgundy, stretching from the Jura mountains to the coasts of Provence.
In 937, Rudolph was succeeded by his son, kingConrad the Peaceful. Inheritance claims by king Hugh of Italy were rejected, with the support of emperorOtto I. The kingdom was simultaneously invaded byMagyar and Arab raiding parties in 954. Conrad sent envoys to both parties to attack one another, and also sent expeditions toProvence in raiding Arab settlements in the 960s.[13]
In 993, Conrad was succeeded by his son, kingRudolph III, who had no heirs, and thus in 1006 he was forced to sign a succession treaty in favor of the future emperorHenry II. Rudolph attempted to renounce the treaty in 1016, but without success.
_1250_(134037781).jpg)
In 1032, king Rudolph III died without any surviving heirs, and in accordance with the 1006 treaty, the kingdom passed to Henry's successor, EmperorConrad II from theSalian dynasty. Thus, the kingdom was incorporated into theHoly Roman Empire, though its territories operated with considerable autonomy.[2]
In 1057, the empressAgnes (d. 1077), acting as the regent for her young son, EmperorHenry IV, appointedRudolf of Rheinfelden as imperial representative and governor of Burgundy.[14]
EmperorLothair III (d. 1137) appointedConrad I, Duke of Zähringen (d. 1152) as the imperial representative in the kingdom, titled as theRector of Burgundy (Latin:Rector Burgundiae), and the same office was held by Conrad's successors from theHouse of Zähringen until EmperorFrederick II (d. 1250) decided to confer that title on his own son and designated heir,Henry (d. 1242).[15]
Though from that time the emperors held the title "King of Arles", few went to be crowned in the cathedral of Arles. An exception wasFrederick Barbarossa, who in 1157 helda diet in Besançon and in 1178 was crowned King of Burgundy by thearchbishop of Arles.[16]
In 1246, the French princeCharles I of Anjou succeeded in acquiring theCounty of Provence and theCounty of Forcalquier, thus establishing a Provençal branch of theHouse of Capet.[17] In coordination withPope Nicholas III, he made a stillborn attempt to revive the kingdom of Burgundy/Arles. Between 1277 and 1279, Charles, at that time alreadyKing of Sicily,Rudolf of Habsburg, King of the Romans and aspirant to the Imperial crown, andMargaret of Provence, queen dowager of France, settled their dispute over the County of Provence, and also over Rudolf's bid to become the sole Imperial candidate. Rudolf agreed that his daughterClemence of Austria would marry Charles's grandsonCharles Martel of Anjou, with the whole Arelat kingdom as her dowry. In exchange, Charles would support the imperial crown being made hereditary in the House of Habsburg. Nicholas III expected Northern Italy to become a kingdom carved out of Imperial territory, to be given to his family, the Orsini. In 1282, Charles was ready to send the child couple to reclaim the old royal title of Kings of Arles, but theWar of the Sicilian Vespers frustrated his plans.[18]
TheVivarais see ofViviers was the first of the kingdom's territories to be annexed to theKingdom of France; this annexation occurred gradually during the 13th century and was formally recognized in 1306.[19] TheLyonnais had been practically beyond the reach of the Empire since the late 12th century. Its incorporation into France was the result of internal conflicts between theArchbishop of Lyon, the cathedral chapter, and the city council. It was cemented in the early 14th century and formalized in a 1312 treaty betweenArchbishop Peter of Savoy andPhilip IV of France. EmperorHenry VII protested against this but did not seriously challenge it.[19]
From 1343, the French royalHouse of Valois tried to expand its influence over the Kingdom of Arles by acquiring feudal possessions in the region ofDauphiné, ruled by the childless dauphinHumbert II of Viennois. By 1349, Humbert finally decided to sell his domains to the House of Valois, and an agreement was made designating young French princeCharles (the future-king Charles V) as Humbert's successor, on the condition that the Dauphiné would remain a distinctpolity and thus not be incorporated into the French realm. Thus in the summer of 1349, young Charles became the first ValoisDauphin de Viennois. In 1350, when his father ascended to the French throne, Charles became theheir presumptive and thus for the first time the two honors of Dauphin de Viennois and heir to the French throne were held by the same person.[20][21]
In 1356, the young Charles, being the rulingDauphin of Viennois, made anhomage to the emperorCharles IV atMetz, and received imperial confirmation. On the same occasion, Charles was appointed as theimperial vicar in Dauphiné.[22] Formally remaining an imperial fief within the Kingdom of Arles, theDauphiné was from that time effectively controlled by the French royal House of Valois.[23]
In the spring of 1365, EmperorCharles IV came in person to the Kingdom of Arles. During the month of May he visited theCounty of Savoy, and appointed countAmadeus VI asimperial vicar over central regions of the Kingdom, fromLausanne andGeneva, toLyon andGrenoble.[24] At the same time, pretensions of the French royalHouse of Valois towards gaining the imperial vicariate over the region were rejected by the emperor.[25] Proceeding to Arles, the emperor was crowned as king on 4 June (1365), by cardinal Guillaume de La Garde, theArchbishop of Arles, in the presence of high representatives of various regions, including Provence and Dauphiné,[26] thus reaffirming imperial sovereignty over the Arlesian realm. That was the first coronation after a gap of nearly two centuries, following the previous Arlesian coronation ofFrederick I in 1178. That attempt to revive the imperial hold on the Kingdom was mainly symbolic. Already in 1366, count Amadeus VI of Savoy was relieved of his duties as imperial vicar in the region.[27]
During a state visit to Paris in early 1378, Emperor Charles IV granted the title ofimperial vicar over the Kingdom of Burgundy (Arles) to the nine-year-oldCharles, Dauphin of Viennois (future French king Charles VI), but only for his lifetime.[28] Since Charles wasDauphin of Viennois and thus a holder of an imperial fief within the Kingdom, his appointment as the imperial vicar did not imply transfer of authority to the French crown, but in reality it was still seen as a gain for the House of Valois.[29]
Imperial authority over the old Burgundian regions continued to decline, thus initiating the final stage of institutional dissolution of the Kingdom as a distinct entity. In 1421, EmperorSigismund appointedLouis II of Chalon-Arlay as theImperial vicar of Burgundy in the hope of restoring some imperial authority over Dauphiné, Viennois, and Provence. Those efforts were directed against rising ambitions of powerful Burgundian DukePhilip the Good.[30] In 1463, the title of Imperial vicar was offered to Duke Philip himself, by EmperorFrederick III, as part of a proposed dynastic alliance between the houses of Burgundy and Austria, but no final agreement was reached, and thus the appointment was not accepted.
By that time, French influence over northern parts of the Arlesian realm was strengthened. In 1405, upon the death of CountessMargaret, who ruled theFree County of Burgundy in her own right, that imperial county was inherited by her son,John the Fearless, who was also theDuke of Burgundy. Since John belonged to theHouse of Valois-Burgundy, his acquisition of the county additionally increased French influence in regions belonging to the Kingdom of Burgundy/Arles. In 1477, upon the death ofCharles the Bold, the French king seized not only the Duchy of Burgundy, which belonged to the French realm, but also the County of Burgundy, which was still an imperial fief. But in 1493, by theTreaty of Senlis, the county passed toPhilip the Handsome of theHouse of Habsburg, thus reaffirming its attachment to the Empire.[31]
In the southern regions of the Kingdom, theCounty of Provence was held by theHouse of Valois-Anjou, which also promoted French interests in the region. In 1481, the last Valois-Anjou count,Charles of Provence, died and left his domains to the French royal house, but under the condition that the county would not be integrated into the French realm. Thus, an effective French control was imposed in Province, but without formal annexation.[17]
At the beginning of the 16th century, during theimperial reform, severalimperial circles were created in 1512, one of them being theBurgundian Circle, which encompassed not only theFree County of Burgundy and theFree Imperial City of Besançon, but also much of theHabsburg Netherlands.[32]
By that time, both the Dauphiné and Provence were already under French control, but those realities were not formally sanctioned by the Holy Roman Emperors. Thus in 1524, imperial troops invaded Provence during theItalian War of 1521–1526, but failed to capture the region. In 1525, during the peace negotiations between EmperorCharles V and French KingFrançois I, it was proposed that a realm centered on Arles and Provence could be renewed forCharles III, Duke of Bourbon (d. 1527), but those plans were abandoned and not included in theTreaty of Madrid (1526). In the summer of 1536, during theItalian War of 1536–1538, Emperor Charles V personally led the invasion of Provence. He tookAix-en-Provence on August 5, affirming there his rights to the Kingdom of Arles, but those gains were soon lost, and the war ended with theTreaty of Nice (1538).[33]
Burgundian royal traditions were briefly revived in 1784, following theWar of the Bavarian Succession (1777-1779), when EmperorJoseph II (d. 1790) proposed to the new Bavarian prince-electorCharles Theodore to exchangeBavaria for theAustrian Netherlands, offering him the title "King of Burgundy". While theLow Countries were not part of the Kingdom of Arles, they were part of theBurgundian State and theBurgundian Circle. The proposal was not accepted, and thus the plan failed.[34]
By that time, the title of Imperial vicar of Burgundy became extinct, while the title "King of Arles" remained one of the Holy Roman Emperor's official subsidiary titles until the dissolution of the Empire in 1806. TheArchbishop of Trier continued to act as theImperial Archchancellor of Burgundy/Arles, as codified by theGolden Bull of 1356. The remnants of the Kingdom of Arles became part of theimperial circles unlike Italian,Bohemian, orSwiss territories. All remaining Imperial states but Savoy were conquered byLouis XIV (r. 1643–1715).
