| Congress of Arras | |
|---|---|
.jpg) Small illustration fromVigiles de Charles VII (c. 1484) depicting the congress | |
| Type | Peace congress |
| Context | Hundred Years' War Armagnac–Burgundian Civil War |
| Date | 5 August – 21 September 1435 (1435-08-05 –1435-09-21)[1] |
| Place | Arras,County of Artois,France |
| Parties |  Kingdom of France.svg) Kingdom of England Duchy of Burgundy |
| Outcome | The English walked out after no agreement was reached. Treaty of Arras between France and Burgundy |
TheCongress of Arras was a diplomatic congregation established atArras in the summer of 1435 during theHundred Years' War, between representatives ofEngland,France andBurgundy. It was the first negotiation since theTreaty of Troyes and replaced the fifteen-year agreement between Burgundy and England that would have seen the dynasty ofHenry V inherit the French crown. HistorianRichard Vaughan has called it "Europe's first real peace congress."[1]
Toward the close of the Hundred Years' War, both the Congress and the subsequentTreaty of Arras represented diplomatic failures for England and major successes for France and led to the expulsion of the English from France.
English negotiators entered the congress believing it was a peace negotiation between England and France only. They proposed an extendedtruce and a marriage between adolescent KingHenry VI of England and a daughter of French kingCharles VII of France. The English were unwilling to renouncetheir claim to the crown of France. This position prevented meaningful negotiation. The English delegation broke off from the congress in mid-session to put down a raid by French captainsXaintrailles andLa Hire.
Meanwhile, the French delegation and leading clergy urgedPhilip the Good of Burgundy to reconcile with Charles VII. Burgundy was anappanage at the time, virtually an independent state, and had been allied with England since themurder of Philip's father in 1419. Charles VII had been complicit in that crime. Philip despised the French king but believed he would gain an advantage in a French government ruled by a weak French king instead of the English regentJohn, Duke of Bedford.[2]
Philip's sisterAnne of Burgundy had been married to the English duke. Relations between the two men deteriorated following her death in 1432. When the English delegation returned to the congress they too found their Burgundian ally had switched sides. The Duke of Bedford, at this point the only man keeping the Anglo-Burgundian alliance standing, died on 14 September 1435, one week before the congress concluded.
and their prisoners,Duke of Orleans,Count of Eu
Representing Charles VII:
For Burgundy:
Among the possibly as many as 58 who attended for the French,[18] Guidon VII, seigneur de la Roche Guyon, and Gilles de Duremont, Abbot of Fécamp, may also have been present.
Niccolò Albergati, Bishop of Bologna, papallegate[19]
| Type | Peace treaty |
|---|---|
| Context | Hundred Years' War |
| Signed | 21 September 1435 (1435-09-21) |
| Location | Arras,County of Artois |
| Mediators | Niccolò Albergati |
| Signatories |  Burgundian party Armagnac party |
The congress gave rise to the second Treaty of Arras,[20] which was signed on 20/21 September 1435 and became an important diplomatic achievement for theFrench in the closing years of the Hundred Years' War. Overall, it reconciled alongstanding feud betweenKing Charles VII of France andDuke Philip III of Burgundy (Philip the Good). Philip recognized Charles VII asking of France and, in return, Philip was exempted fromhomage to the crown, and Charles agreed to punish the murderers of Philip's father Duke John I of Burgundy (John the Fearless).[21]
By breaking the alliance between Burgundy and England, Charles VII consolidated his position as King of France against a rival claim byHenry VI of England. The political distinction betweenArmagnacs andBurgundians ceased to be significant from this time onward. France already hadScotland as an ally and England was left isolated. From 1435 onward,English rule in France underwent steady decline.
The congress's limited success was facilitated by representatives ofPope Eugene IV and theCouncil of Basel. Members of each of these delegations wrote legal opinions absolving Duke Philip of Burgundy from his former obligations to England.
Charles VII disavowed participation in the assassination of Duke John of Burgundy (John the Fearless) of theDuchy of Burgundy, father of Duke Philip of Burgundy (Philip the Good), and condemned the act and promised to punish the perpetrators.
Furthermore, the following domains became vassal states of theDuke of Burgundy:
In return, the Duchy of Burgundy recognized Charles VII as King of France and returned theCounty of Tonnerre. Also, Philip the Good was exempted from rendering homage, fealty, or service to Charles VII, as he still believed that the king may have been complicit in his father's murder. Upon the death of either the king or the duke the homage would be resumed.