Grand Dukes of the West: A History of Valois Burgundy

Jacqueline of Bavaria is back in the Low Countries with a new husband. While Philip the Good, John IV of Brabant, and John the Pitiless are all arrayed against her, the Countess of Hainaut-Holland-Zeeland is going to fight for her Counties and now she has the English backing her up...right?

Time Period Covered: 1421-1425

Notable People: Philip the Good, Jaqueline of Bavaria, Humphrey Duke of Gloucester, John IV of Brabant, Philip of Saint-Pol, John Duke of Bedford, John the Pitiless

Notable Events/Developments: Marriage of Jacqueline of Bavaria and Humphrey of Gloucester, Death of John the Pitiless, The Hook and Cod Wars

The King is dead, long live the King...whoever that might be. After the deaths of Henry V of England and Charles VI of France, the Duke of Bedford took the lead in continuing the Lancastrian conquest of France. Bedford's opponent, Charles VII, led a rump state in the south, known derisively as the Kingdom of Bourges. Philip the Good remained with the English after the death of Henry V, but his commitment to the cause was flagging, something noticed by both Bedford and Bourges.

Time Period Covered: 1422-1424

Notable People: Philip the Good, John Duke of Bedford, Charles VII of France, John V Duke of Brittany, Arthur de Richemont, Anne of Burgundy, Margaret of Burgundy

Notable Events/Developments: Treaty of Amiens (1423), Battle of Cravant, Battle of Vernuil

With the Treaty of Troyes, the English and Burgundians have come together to defeat the Dauphinists. But that's easier said than done, once the actual work of war and conquest began, difficulties popped up almost immediately.

Time Period Covered: 1421-1422

Notable People: Philip the Good, Henry V of England, Charles VI of France, Charles VII of France, Jacques d'Harcourt, Tanneguy du Chatel, John Stewart Earl of Buchan, Richard Beauchamp Earl of Warwick

Notable Events/Developments: Creation of the Army of Scotland, Battle of Bauge, Rebellion of Jacques d'Harcourt, Battle of Mons-en-Vimeu, Fall of La Charite to the Dauphinists

In the wake of the assassination of John the Fearless, the Burgundians came to the conclusion that no peace could be made with the Dauphin. Instead the Duke of Burgundy and his followers decided to throw their lot in with the English and sign the controversial Treaty of Troyes.

Time Period Covered: 1419-1420

Notable People: Philip the Good, Henry V of England, Queen Isabeau, Charles VI of France

Between 1415 and 1419, the third generation of Burgundians came to power in the Low Countries. In this episode we'll explore the early careers of the grandchildren of Philip the Bold: Philip the Good, Jacqueline of Bavaria, John IV of Brabant, and Philip of Saint-Pol.

Time Period Covered: 1415-1421

Notable People: Philip the Good, Jacqueline of Bavaria, John IV of Brabant, John the Pitiless, Philip of Saint-Pol, Bonne of Artois

Notable Events/Developments: Hook and Cod Wars, Conflict between John the Pitiless and Jacqueline of Bavaria, Marriage of John IV of Brabant and Jacqueline of Bavaria

Throughout the later Middle Ages, the County of Holland was consumed by partisan fighting. These factions, the Hooks and Cods, arose from a power struggle between Margaret of Avesnes and her son William I of Bavaria. The fight between mother and son would only last a few years, but the factional strife would continue for over a century.

Time Period Covered: 1299 - 1417

Notable People: John II of Avesnes, William II of Avesnes, Margaret of Avesnes, William I of Bavaria, Jan Van Arkel Bishop of Utrecht, Albert of Bavaria, William II of Bavaria, Jan V Van Arkel

Notable Events: Bavarian Inheritance of Hainault-Holland-Zeeland, Formation of the Hook and Cod factions, The Hook and Cod Wars, The Arkel War

In the later middle ages, the House of Wittelsbach, rulers of Bavaria and the Palatinate, competed with the Houses of Luxembourg and Habsburg for land, power, and the Imperial Throne.

Time Period Covered: 1273 - 1410

Notable People: Ludwig IV the Bavarian, Rupert of the Palatinate, Rudolph I of Bavaria, Frederick the Fair, Pope John XXII, Pope Clement VI, Wenceslaus IV of Bohemia, Emperor Charles IV

After years of Civil War John the Fearless and Dauphin Charles met on a bridge over the Yonne River to make peace...

Time Period Covered: 1418-1419

Notable People: John the Fearless, Charles VII of France, Henry V of England, Tanneguy du Chastel, Lady of Giac, Queen Isabeau, Jean Louvet, Nicolas Rolin

Notable Events/Developments: English Conquest of Rouen, Treaty of Pouilly-le-Fort, Assassination of John the Fearless

The Battle of Agincourt and death of Dauphin Louis upended many of the political arrangements of the past few years. The conflict between the Armagnacs and Burgundians continues, now without Louis of Guyenne to keep them in check. All the while the kings of England and Germany conspire to make their own advances at France's expense.

Time Period Covered: 1416-1417

Notable People: John the Fearless, Sigismund of Luxembourg, Bernard VII Count of Armagnac, William of Bavaria Count of Hainault-Holland-Zeeland, John of Touraine, Henry V of England

Notable Events/Developments: The Council of Constance, Death of John of Barry, Death of Louis II of Anjou, Death of William of Bavaria

After the fall of the Cabochiens, John the Fearless fled Paris and left the city wide open for the Armagnacs to return. Now at the helm of government, the Armagnacs work to use France's resources to settle their scores with the Duke of Burgundy.

Time Period Covered: 1413-1415

Notable People: John the Fearless, Louis of Guyenne, John Duke of Berry, Anthony of Burgundy Duke of Brabant, Margaret of Burgundy Countess of Hainault-Holland-Zeeland, Philip the Good, Louis de Chalon Count of Tonnerre

Notable Events/Developments: Armagnac Campaign into Picardy and Artois, Treaty of Arras (1414)

John the Fearless continues to be dominant in Paris, but with the Peace of Auxerre coming into effect, the Armagnacs are attempting to share in the Government of France once more. To ensure his power, John the Fearless courts the radicals of Paris and the Estates General, but soon the radicals develop a mind of their own and a medieval French Revolution might be in the making.

Time Period Covered: 1413

Notable People: John the Fearless, Louis of Guyenne, John Duke of Berry, Waleran of Luxembourg Count of Saint-Pol, Jean de Troyes, Simon Caboche, Pierre Des Essarts, Eustache de Pavilly, Jean Jouvenal

Notable Events/Developments: Peace of Auxerre, The Cabochien Uprising, The Ordonnance Cabochienne, The Estates General of 1413

After the first showdown with the League of Gien, John the Fearless managed to maintain his grip on power. But the Armagnacs are regrouping and the war is about to escalate as both parties court support from the King of England.

Time Period Covered: 1410 - 1412

Notable People: John the Fearless, John Duke of Berry, Charles Duke of Orleans, John V Duke of Brittany, Charles d'Albret Constable of France, Bernard VII Count of Armagnac, Louis II Duke of Anjou, Charles III King of Navarre, Queen Isabeau, Waleran of Luxembourg Count of Saint-Pol, Henry IV of England, Henry V of England

Notable Events/Developments: Burgundian Armagnac Civil War, First Armagnac Campaign into Picardy, War for Tonnerre, 1412 Siege of Bourges

When John the Fearless left Paris for Liege in 1408, his position was shaky, but his return as a conquering hero quickly established his dominance over the capital. However, his enemies and rivals are beginning to unify, and the League of Gien poses a significant threat to his continued mastery of France.

Time Period Covered: 1408 - 1410

Notable People: John the Fearless, John Duke of Berry, Queen Isabeau, Valentina Visconti, Charles Duke of Orleans, John V Duke of Brittany, Louis II Duke of Anjou, Jean de Montagu, Charles d'Albret Constable of France, Bernard VII Count of Armagnac, Charles III King of Navarre,

Notable Events/Developments: Formation of the League of Gien, Reconciliation at Chartres, Peace of Bicetre, Burgundian Armagnac Civil War

Over the course of the 14th Century the lords of a small county on the border between France and the Holy Roman Empire became the Kings of Bohemia, Hungary, and Germany and the lords of dozens of smaller principalities. The House of Luxembourg began its rise when the Count of Luxembourg was put forward as a compromise candidate for Holy Roman Emperor, and from there they became one of the most important houses in Central Europe. In this miniseries we'll explore three of these powerful and influential houses: The House of Luxembourg, the Wittelsbach House of Bavaria, and the Habsburg House of Austria.

Time Period Covered: 1308 - 1396

Notable People: Henry VII of Luxembourg, Baldwin of Luxembourg Archbishop of Trier, John the Blind, Charles IV of Luxembourg, Wenceslas IV of Luxembourg, Sigismund of Luxembourg, Henry of Carinthia, Ludwig IV the Bavarian

Notable Events/Developments: The Great Interregnum of the Holy Roman Empire, The Golden Bull of 1356, Founding of Charles University

Cover Art by Brandon Wilburn

Music by Zakhar Valaha

The Crusaders have reached Nicopolis! But as the Crusaders settle in and prepare for a siege the Ottoman army led by Sultan Bayezid the Thunderbolt is making it's way north.

Time Period Covered: 1396-1398

Notable People: John the Fearless, Sigismund of Luxembourg, Mircea the Elder, Bayezid the Thunderbolt, Engeurrand de Coucy, Philip of Artois Count of Eu, Jean Le Maingre/Boucicaut, Stefan Lazarevic, Philip the Bold, Dino Rapondi

Thank you to Bry from Pontifacts and Ben from Wittenberg to Westphalia for reading the quotes for this episode.

Cover Art by Brandon Wilburn

Music by Zakhar Valaha

In 1396, Count John of Nevers, son of Duke Philip the Bold of Burgundy, led a Crusade against the Ottoman Empire. In this second part of three on the Crusade of Nicopolis we will explore the legacy of the Crusades in Late Medieval Europe and begin our march towards Nicopolis.

Time Period Covered: ~1300 - 1396

Notable People: John the Fearless, Philip the Bold, Philippe de Mezieres, King Charles VI of France, King Richard II of England, John of Gaunt, Louis of Orleans, Sigismund of Luxembourg, Mircea the Elder, Bayezid the Thunderbolt

Notable Events/Developments:  Fall of Outremer, The Truce of Leulinghem, Battle of Vidin (1396), Siege of Oryahovo (1396)

Thank you to Gary Girod from the French History Podcast and Emmanuel Dubois from La Fayette, We Are Here! for reading the quotes for this episode.

Cover Art by Brandon Wilburn

Music by Zakhar Valaha

In 1396, Count John of Nevers, son of Duke Philip the Bold of Burgundy, led a Crusade against the Ottoman Empire. In this first part of three on the Crusade of Nicopolis we will explore the two other major players in this crusade. The Kingdom of Hungary which initiated the call, and the Ottoman Empire, the target of the Crusade.

Time Period Covered: 1299 - 1395

Notable People: Charles Robert of Hungary, Louis the Great of Hungary, Sigismund of Luxembourg, Mircea the Elder, Osman I, Orhan I, Murad I, Bayezid the Thunderbolt, Lazar of Serbia, Stefan Lazarevic

Notable Events/Developments:  Angevin Rule in Hungary, Rise of the Ottomans, Battle of Maritsa, Battle of Kosovo

Thank you to Veronica Fortune from the Passed Podcast and Roberto Toro from The History of Saqartvelo Georgia and Tsar Power for reading the quotes for this episode.

Cover Art by Brandon Wilburn

Music by Zakhar Valaha

In 1392 while travelling to Brittany, King Charles VI fell into delusion. In the aftermath of this episode, Philip the Bold took the opportunity to once again seize power in France. The Duke of Burgundy had been shut out of the inner circle for the past four years, but with the King no longer able to truly rule, Philip asserted his own right by force of personality political savvy.

Time Period Covered: 1392 - 1396

Notable People: Philip the Bold, Louis Duke of Orleans, King Charles VI, Queen Isabeau of Bavaria, John Duke of Berry, Waleran of Luxembourg Count of Saint-Pol, Olivier de Clisson, John of Montfort Duke of Brittany, John of Gaunt, King Richard II of England

Notable Events/Developments:  Madness of Charles VI, Fall of the Marmousets, Bal Des Ardents, Truce of Leulinghem, Death of Pope Clement VII

Cover Art by Brandon Wilburn

Music by Zakhar Valaha

Last episode we saw Olivier de Clisson and John of Montfort at each other's throats. In this Supplemental Episode we'll explore the conflict that drove the two Breton Nobles apart. What could have been a minor conflict got tangled up with the Hundred Years War and the War of Breton Succession, also known as the War of the Two Jeannes, saw the Duchy of Brittany wracked with violence and chaos for decades.

Time Period Covered: 1341 - 1388

Notable People: John of Montfort, Jeanne of Penthievre, Jeanne of Flanders, Charles of Blois, Jeanne de Clisson, Olivier de Clisson, Philip VI of France

Notable Events/Developments: The War of Breton Succession, Outbreak of the Hundred Years War, English Control of Brest

Cover Art by Brandon Wilburn

Music by Zakhar Valaha

In 1388 King Charles VI dismissed his uncles and assumed control of the French Royal Government. The next four years saw Philip the Bold no longer controlling the realm, but rather dealing with issues in his own territories and looking to expand. With the Uncles on the outs a new circle came to dominate the French Crown known as the Marmousets.

Time Period Covered: 1388 - 1392 

Notable People: Philip the Bold, Olivier de Clisson, John of Montfort Duke of Brittany, Louis Duke of Touraine (later Duke of Orleans), Joan Duchess of Brabant, King Charles VI, John Duke of Berry, Bureau de la Riviere, Dino Rapondi, Jean de Chalon Prince of Orange 

Notable Events/Developments: Truce of Leulinghem, Rise of the Marmousets, War of Breton Succession, Burgundian acquisition of Limbourg and Overmaas

Cover Art by Brandon Wilburn 

Music by Zakhar Valaha

Now that Philip the Bold is firmly in control of the Counties that he inherited from his father-in-law let's take a look at these lands. In this episode we'll  explore the Two Burgundies (The Duchy and County of Burgundy), The County of Nevers, the Champagne Lands, and Philip's 'Lands Down There' (Flanders, Artois, and Rethel). We'll also take a look at Brabant and Limburg where the Burgundian influence is steadily growing.

Cover Art by Brandon Wilburn

Music by Zakhar Valaha

In the late 13th and early 14th centuries, two rival houses dominated the Low Countries. The House of Dampierre ruled Flanders while the House of Avesnes ruled Hainaut and later Holland and Zeeland as well. Unfortunately for all involved these two houses were fierce rivals and entangled in a blood feud. Let's go back to the 13th Century to explore the origins of the Dampierre-Avesnes feud. 

As I've been doing more research for this show I've been running into more topics that I want to cover but which are slightly outside the scope of the show. I hope to use these Supplemental Episodes to help fill in the world of the Grand Dukes of the West and to provide context for some of the events to come. Let me know what you think of the format.

Time Period Covered: 1204 - 1280

Notable People: Margaret of Constantinople Countess of Flanders, Bouchard of Avesnes, William of Dampierre, William II of Dampierre, Guy of Dampierre, John of Avesnes, King Philip II Augustus, King Louis IX, Joan of Constantinople Countess of Flanders, Ferrand of Portugal

Notable Events/Developments: The Fourth Crusade, The Battle of Bouvines, War of the Flemish Succession

Cover Art by Brandon Wilburn

Music by Zakhar Valaha

Before there were Valois, there were Capetians, both in France and in Burgundy. The Capetian House of Burgundy ruled the Duchy for over three centuries and transformed it from a collection of territories to a single political unit. These dukes set the stage for their Valois successors to rise to great heights.

Time Period Covered: 1016-1350

Notable People: Hugh Capet, King Robert II, Duke Odo IV

Notable Developments: Monastic Reform (Cluny and Cistercian Orders), Peace of God Movement, Ducal Bailiffs, The Hundred Years War

Cover Art by Brandon Wilburn

Music by Zakhar Valaha

In this episode we're covering the centuries between King Clothair's conquest of the Kingdom of Burgundy and King Robert II's conquest of the Duchy of Burgundy. A lot changed in that period and we're going to look at the decline of the Merovingians, the rise and fall of the Carolingians, the rise of Feudalism, some of the big events of Frankish History, and how Burgundy became a Duchy. I hope you'll join me!

Time Period Covered: 561 - 1016

Notable People: Pepin de Herstal, Charles Martell, Lothar I, Richard the Justiciar, Hugh the Great, King Robert II

Notable Events: Battle of Tertry, Battle of Tours, Treaty of Verdun, Capitularies of Charles the Bald, Viking Raids in France

Cover Art by Brandon Wilburn

Music by Zakhar Valaha

Welcome to Grand Dukes of the West! This episode begins with an introduction to the show and continues with a history of the Late Antique kingdoms of the Burgundians. The Burgundians were not the most famous of the Germanic Tribes that menaced the Roman Empire in its twilight days, but they did leave a lasting legacy.

Time Period Covered: 406-534

Notable People: Gundahar, Aetius, Gundabad, Clovis

Notable Events: The Crossing of the Rhine, Fall of the Roman Empire, Battle of Vouille, Frankish Conquest of Burgundia

Cover Art by Brandon Wilburn

Music by Zakhar Valaha