Karl der Kühne

Charles the Bold, also known as Charles Martin or Charles the Rash, was born in Dijon on 10 November 1433 and died at the Battle of Nancy on 5 January 1477. A member of the House of Valois-Burgundy, he was the only surviving legitimate son of Duke Philip the Good and his third wife, Isabella of Portugal. From 1467 until his death, he ruled as Duke of Burgundy. His life was shaped by his ambition to unite the Burgundian territories into an independent kingdom stretching between the North Sea and the Alps. Burgundian power rested on the extensive acquisitions of Charles’s predecessors. Philip the Bold, founder of the line, had gained influence in Flanders and other parts of the Low Countries through marriage. Charles’s grandfather, John the Fearless, became deeply involved in French power struggles and was murdered in 1419. Afterward, Charles’s father, Philip the Good, partly withdrew from French politics. Through purchases, inheritances, conquests, and marriage alliances, he greatly expanded the Burgundian domains and sought to establish a centralised state with a distinct cultural identity independent of France. Charles was initially raised under the supervision of his relatives John and Agnes of Cleves. He received a broad education and developed an early interest in histories, chronicles, and romances of chivalry. He was particularly fascinated by Alexander the Great, whose conquests influenced his own ideas about glory and rule. As a child, he was made a knight of the Order of the Golden Fleece and received the title of Count of Charolais, traditionally borne by the heirs of the Burgundian dukes. In 1439, the six-year-old Charles married Catherine, a daughter of the French king Charles VII. Because of their ages, the marriage was initially largely symbolic; Catherine died in 1446. As a young man, Charles began taking part in the affairs of the Burgundian state. In 1449, he participated in the struggle against the revolt of Ghent, although his father removed him from danger before the decisive battle. In 1454, he married Isabella of Bourbon, a niece of Philip the Good. She gave birth to their daughter, Mary, in 1457 and died of tuberculosis in 1465 at the age of 31. Mary remained Charles’s only legitimate child. The relationship between Charles and his father grew increasingly tense. From 1454 to 1464, Philip the Good largely excluded his son from government. Charles lived for periods on his estates in Hainaut and tried to consolidate his position as heir. Conflict also arose over the powerful de Croÿ family, which Philip supported while Charles distrusted it. The disputes became so serious that the Estates General of the Burgundian Netherlands intervened as mediators. In 1464, Charles finally received effective control of the government as lieutenant general. His first act was to confiscate the de Croÿs’ estates and banish the family. Another major rival was the French king Louis XI. As dauphin, Louis had lived for some time at the Burgundian court, where Philip the Good had favoured him, but Louis and Charles disliked each other. Charles feared that Louis intended to recover the Burgundian strongholds in Picardy. In 1465, he therefore joined several French princes in the League of the Public Weal and became its leader. At the Battle of Montlhéry, Charles was wounded in the throat but held his ground with his troops. The subsequent siege of Paris forced Louis to negotiate. The Treaty of Conflans granted important concessions to the allies and returned, among other territories, the Somme towns to Burgundy. After Philip’s death on 15 June 1467, Charles became Duke of Burgundy. His ceremonial entry into Ghent nevertheless led to renewed tensions, as the citizens demanded an easing of the punishments imposed after earlier revolts. Charles ultimately disregarded the city’s rights and declared that only he could appoint its government. His rule was marked by efforts to centralise administration, justice, and the military. In 1473, he established a supreme court in Mechelen for the Burgundian Netherlands and issued detailed ordinances governing administration and the army. His practice of selling offices and his harsh administration of justice also provoked opposition. Charles aspired to a royal crown. He wanted to free Burgundy from French overlordship and create a realm linking his northern and southern possessions. In 1468, after learning that Louis XI had been involved in a rebellion in Liège, Charles attempted to force an agreement and detained the king at Péronne. The resulting treaty temporarily strengthened Charles’s position. At the same time, he pursued an extensive alliance policy. In 1468, he married Margaret of York, sister of the English king Edward IV, to secure an alliance with England. The marriage remained childless, and the couple spent little time together. Charles’s daughter Mary was later betrothed to Maximilian of Austria, son of Emperor Frederick III. Charles expanded his realm through military pressure. In 1473, he conquered the Duchy of Guelders and introduced a more centralised administration there. He had also acquired the Upper Alsatian territories of Sigismund of Austria in 1469. The harsh policies of his governor, Peter von Hagenbach, provoked resistance in Alsace. Hagenbach was overthrown, tried, and executed in 1474. The League of Constance then formed against Burgundy, bringing together Alsatian, Rhenish, and Swiss forces. In 1473, Charles negotiated at Trier with Emperor Frederick III about his elevation to kingship and the future alignment of Burgundian and Habsburg interests. Frederick recognised Charles’s possession of Guelders but refused to make him King of the Romans. A planned coronation as King of Burgundy also failed when the emperor secretly left Trier. Charles reacted furiously but continued to support the betrothal of Mary and Maximilian. His final campaigns ended in disaster. After the long and unsuccessful siege of Neuss, he turned against the Swiss. At Grandson in 1476, he lost his artillery, supplies, and valuable treasures. A few months later, he suffered a crushing defeat at Morat. Charles nevertheless continued the war. When René II of Lorraine recaptured Nancy, Charles hastily assembled a new army and besieged the city. On 5 January 1477, René and Swiss mercenaries launched a surprise attack in heavy snow. Charles’s army disintegrated; he fell with his horse into the Meurthe and was killed by a halberd blow to the head. His death triggered the War of the Burgundian Succession and accelerated the collapse of the Burgundian State. Louis XI quickly occupied several territories, while towns and princes sought to regain their independence. Mary had to secure her rule and granted the Estates General extensive rights through the Great Privilege. Her marriage to Maximilian preserved much of the Burgundian inheritance, although the Duchy of Burgundy itself remained with France. Charles is remembered both as a devout ruler and as a patron of music, art, and illuminated manuscripts, as well as a reformer of government and the army. His ambitious policies made him a powerful but ultimately unsuccessful figure of the late Middle Ages.