The War of the Burgundian Succession (1477-1493)

During the 15th century the Dukes of Burgundy ruled over a large network of territories in both France and the Holy Roman Empire that gave them great wealth and power. Though vassals of the French monarch as well as the Emperor, they came to be seen as dangerous and over-mighty rivals to both. The Burgundian court was the pinnacle of European culture, the Burgundian-ruled Netherlands the economic centre of northern Europe, and the modern armies of the latter dukes made them a serious military power. All of this came crashing down, however, when the last of the Valois dukes, Charles the Bold, overreached and was defeated in three disastrous battles against the Swiss. At the last of these, the Battle of Nancy in January 1477, he was killed.

Charles had no male heir, so the vast Burgundian territories went to his nineteen year old daughter, Mary. Her inheritance included both the duchy and the county (or Franche-Comté) of Burgundy on either side of the border, as well as the Low Countries in pretty much their entirety. The question of finding her a husband had been important before, but now it was crucial. Whoever married Mary would effectively become the next Duke of Burgundy, if not in name. Her most notable suitor was Louis XI of France, on behalf of his eight-year-old son Charles. Louis wanted to see the French Burgundian territories revert back to the crown, and so marriage to Mary was the key. However when Mary refused to consider it he decided instead to take them by force. 

French armies quickly occupied Picardy and the Duchy of Burgundy itself, before moving on to Artois and the Franche-Comté. They met little resistance, as many towns willingly renounced Mary and swore allegiance to France. Others needed a little persuasion through military force. Much of the nobility whom had served Charles the Bold switched sides, including the duke’s half-brother Anthony. Mary was defenceless, as her father’s armies had pretty much been destroyed as a result of his ill-fated expeditions against the Swiss, and she was forced to sign the Great Privilege to earn the loyalty of the Low Countries. Now granted new levels of independence, Flanders agreed to raise large numbers of troops to combat the French, but these attempts universally met with disaster.

Salvation seemingly arrived in the form of Maximilian of Hapsburg, the young Archduke of Austria and son of the Holy Roman Emperor. It was Maximilian whom Mary consented to marry, hoping the might of the Emperor could keep her lands from the clutches of Louis XI, and they managed to win over to their cause all who were fearful of French dominance. As it turned out though, Maximilian had little in the way of wealth or military strength, and no aid was forthcoming from his father. Nevertheless the new couple looked to defending Mary’s inheritance, trying to raise new armies and recruiting large numbers of mercenaries. 

The next few years saw much fighting across the borders. Various towns and castles changed hands, and overall the French had the better of it. The one major pitched battle of the war was at Guinegate in the summer of 1479 – here Maximilian won the field, but completely failed to follow up on his victory. Things went from bad to worse for him when in 1482 Mary died in a riding accident, and suddenly his hold on his new vassals became very shaky. Any loyalty had been for Mary, and Maximilian was still seen as a foreigner who was little liked. Their marriage had produced children though, and Maximilian’s struggle now was to keep hold of his position as regent for his infant son Philip, who was held by the city of Ghent. The Flemish actually negotiated the humiliating Treaty of Arras (December 1482) in Philip’s name as Duke of Burgundy – Maximilian had little say in the outcome. His daughter Margaret was betrothed to the dauphin Charles, with Artois, Charolais and the Franche-Comté as her dowry.

Mary of Burgundy

Louis XI has seemingly won, but did not live long enough to enjoy the fruits of his success. He died in 1483, and the dauphin became Charles VIII, still in his minority and so for now in the power of his regents. Over the next few years the borders were for the most part quiet, as the French regency government was distracted from the Burgundian issue, and Maximilian had to deal with revolts against his rule in Guelders, Liège, Utrecht and Flanders. Indeed it was the Flemish who caused him the biggest headaches, constantly on the verge of rebellion. He was actually imprisoned in the city of Bruges in 1488, forcing his father the emperor to finally stir himself and march to Flanders with a large army to secure his release.

By 1490 Maximilian was betrothed to Anne, Duchess of Brittany, and had formed alliances with England and Spain. But Charles VIII, who since 1482 had been betrothed to Maximilian’s daughter Margaret, spurned her and married Anne of Brittany himself. In doing so Charles had lost any right to Artois, Charolais and the Franche-Comté, which he had gained through his marriage pact to Margaret. Maximilian went on the offensive, and succeeded in re-conquering the Franche-Comté. In 1493 the Treaty of Senlis confirmed the new status quo – hostilities ended, and Maximilian kept Artois, Charolais and the Franche-Comté. France kept hold of Picardy and the Duchy of Burgundy itself. Charles VIII was seemingly happy to settle the issue and make peace, as he was now focused on the idea of invading Italy, and needed no distractions. That same year the emperor died, and Maximilian succeeded to the title himself (though his actual coronation would have to wait for several more years). The government of the Low Countries was formerly bestowed on his son Philip, as titular Duke of Burgundy, though the actual duchy has remained part of France to this day.