By the author of A History of Valois Burgundy in four volumes: 1. Philip the Bold. The Formation of the Burgundian State, Longman, 1962 2. John the Fearless The Growth of Burgundian Power, Longman, 1966 3. Philip the Good. The Apogee of Burgundy, Longman, 1970 4. Charles the Bold. The Last Valois Duke of Burgundy, Longman, 1973 Richard Vaußhan Valois Burgundy Allen Lane Copyright O Richard Vaughan, 1975 First published 1975 Allen Lane Penguin Books Ltd, 17 Grosvenor Gardens, London sw 1 ISBN 0 7139 0924 2 Printed in Great Britain by Western Printing Services Ltd Bristol Set in 10 on npt Monotype Spectrum Contents Maps and Genealogical Tables vii Preface i I. The European Context 3 2. The Origins and Identity of Valois Burgundy 14 3. Sources of Information 32 4. Burgundy and her Neighbours 48 5. Rulers and Administrators 74 6. The Structure of Government 95 7. Military Power 123 8. The Court and the Arts 162 9. The Fall of Valois Burgundy 194 Select reading list 228 Supplementary Bibliography 234 Index 239 s Maps and Genealogical Tables Maps Valois Burgundy - regions and territories viii Valois Burgundy - towns and rivers in and near Burgundian territory ix Holland, Hainault and Zeeland 131 The duchy of Lorraine 134 The principality of Liège 140 The siege of Neuss 148 Duke Sigmund’s mortgages to Charles the Bold by the Treaty of St Omer, 9 May 1469 203 The pays de Vaud and surrounding territories 205 The battle of Murten 217 The battle of Nancy 225 Genealogical Tables The Valois dukes of Burgundy 4 The succession to Brabant and to Hainault, Holland and Zeeland 29 Burgundy and Bourbon 61 Burgundy and Savoy 65 Burgundy, Cleves and Guelders 67 C. of OLDENBURG C. of MARK C. of NASSAU C.of D. of NORMANDY RHINE PALATINATE wOrtemberg C.of CHAMPAGNE ALSACE Cof BREISGAU FERRETTE SWISS FEDERATION VALAIS O.of MILAN Approxfcnate border of the empire ■ Burgundian territortee HHH under PhMp the Good PIEDMONT Valois Burgundy — Regions and Territories Preface My four-volume History of Valois Burgundy was not conceived as a series of biographies but rather as a descriptive history of the polity which, for want of a better name, one has to call ‘the Burgundian state*. It was divided into four volumes coinciding with the four ducal reigns of Philip the Bold, John the Fearless, Philip the Good and Charles the Bold. These four dukes are called Valois because they were descended from the second king of France of the house of Valois, John the Good (1350-64). Their predecessors in the duchy of Burgundy, like the earlier kings of France, belonged to the house of Capet, and are known as the Capetian dukes of Burgundy. This division of the larger work into four volumes, one for each duke, was partly for conven­ ience, but also because of the differing personalities, interests, attitudes and, less often, policies, of the four dukes. Each, in fact, made his distinctive mark on history. But this division of the work made it difficult to draw sufficient attention to the long-term developments and also led to the repetition of dis­ cussion of certain topics at different periods. The aim of this single-volume history of Valois Burgundy is to gather some of the material and all the more important arguments and con­ clusions of the larger work into a form convenient for the general reader and the student, neither of whom may wish to work through the separate four volumes, still less purchase them. Emphasis, throughout the larger work, was on the duke, the court, the central administration and whatever could be defined as general and Burgundian, rather than on what was particular and regional. This emphasis has been retained, even strengthened, here: we set out to describe a political organ­ ization, not to write the history of territories, regions, areas. The scope of this book includes an explanation of how the so-called Burgundian state came into being, an examination of its nature and identity, and a description of how it was ruled in terms of the personalities of the dukes and their officials, and in terms of institutions. An attempt is made to analyse the role and i