Grand Dukes of the West: A History of Valois Burgundy

Josh Zucker
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Grand Dukes of the West: A History of Valois Burgundy

The story of Valois Burgundy is one of the most exciting of the Late Middle Ages. The four Valois Dukes of Burgundy used political intrigue, calculated splendor, economic power, and good old-fashioned violence to forge a state out of the many Duchies and Counties between France and the Holy Roman Empire. During Burgundy's height its Dukes were seen by many as the equals of Kings and Emperors and their court was at the center of Western Europe's cultural and political development. And then it all fell apart. Please join me as I explore the history and legacy of this forgotten kingdom.

  1. JAN 6

    Episode 51: A Terrible Wednesday

    As Philip the Good retreated from Calais, he found himself going out of the frying pan and into the fire. The militias of Flanders had mutineed and the county was on the brink of rebellion. Time Period Covered: 1432-1438 Notable People: Philip the Good, Isabella of Portugal Duchess of Burgundy, Roland d'Uutkercke, Jan Van Hoorn, Simon de Lalaing, Colard de Commines, Raase Rouven Notable Events/Developments: Revolt of Ghent (1432), Rebellion of Cassel (1430), Failure of the Siege of Calais (1436), Rebellion of Bruges (1436-1438), Terrible Wednesday of Pentecost

    50 min

  2. 12/09/2024

    Episode 50: Reorientation

    As soon as the ink was dry on the Treaty of Arras, the military situation in France was turned on it's head. The English position is now in free fall, and as they struggle to regain control, their former allies the Burgundians are only adding to their troubles. Time Period Covered: 1435-1437 Notable People: Philip the Good, Jean de Villiers Lord of l'Isle-Adam, John of Luxembourg, Charles VII of France Notable Events/Developments: Burgundian Volte-Face, Charles VII gains Paris (1436), Burgundian Siege of Calais (1436)

    40 min

  3. 11/25/2024

    Episode 49: The Congress of Arras

    In mid-1435 delegates from England, France, and Burgundy converged on Arras to discuss ending the Hundred Years War. Time Period Covered: 1435 Notable People: Philip the Good, Cardinal Niccolo Albergati, Charles I Duke of Bourbon, Cardinal Hugh de Lusignan, Cardinal Henry Beaufort Notable Events/Developments: The Congress of Arras, The Treaty of Arras, Death of John Duke of Bedford

    39 min

  4. 11/11/2024

    Episode 48: The Road to Arras

    Philip the Good is tired of the Hundred Years War. He's tired of the destruction, he's tired of the death, and he's tired of his ally's inability to defend his lands. But the Duke of Burgundy finds himself trapped by an oath not to make a separate peace with the increasingly powerful French Court of Charles VII. Time Period Covered: 1431-1435 Notable People: Philip the Good, Charles VII of France, Cardinal Niccolo Albergati, Arthur de Richemont, Yolande of Anjou, Charles of Anjou Count of Maine, Charles I Duke of Bourbon Notable Events/Developments: Peace Conference of Auxerre (1433), Peace Conference of Siene-Port (1433), Fall of Georges de la Tremoille, Peace Conference of Nevers (1435)

    33 min

  5. 10/28/2024

    Episode 47: Allies and Enemies

    In the years after the capture of Joan of Arc, the French continued their resurgence while the English struggled to hold on to what they had. As the tables began to turn, the Duke of Burgundy began to worry that he had chosen the wrong side in the Hundred Years War. Time Period Covered: 1430-1434 Notable People: Philip the Good, Charles VII of France, Henry VI of England, John Duke of Bedford, Arnaud-Guilhem de Barbazan, Antoine de Toulongeon, Charles I Duke of Bourbon Notable Events/Developments: French Coronation of Henry VI, Deterioration of Anglo-Burgundian relationship, Death of Anne of Burgundy Duchess of Bedford

    37 min

  6. 10/14/2024

    Episode 46: Imperial Machinations

    As Philip the Good expanded his reach into the Holy Roman Empire, some Imperial Princes greeted him as a new ally, but others saw Burgundian expansion as a threat. Sigismund of Luxembourg, the Holy Roman Emperor, fell into the latter category, and throughout his long career he was a determined, if mostly ineffective opponent of Burgundy. Time Period Covered: 1421-1437 Notable People: Philip the Good, Emperor Sigismund of Luxembourg, Rene of Anjou, Antoine de Vaudemont, Louis de Chalon Prince of Orange, Jean de Neufchatel, Arnold of Egmond Duke of Guelders, Adolph I of Cleves, Frederick of the Empty Pockets Notable Events/Developments: Battle of Anthon, Battle of Bulgneville, The Hussite Wars

    34 min

  7. 09/30/2024

    Episode 45: Bickering Bishops and Papal Politics

    Philip the Good was a prince of a European stature, and as such he interacted with the Church in a number of ways and on a number of levels. The Duke of Burgundy did his best to control the Church in his lands, influence the Bishoprics which neighbored his territories, and make his voice heard in Rome and in the emerging Council of Basel. Time Period Covered: 1428-1440 Notable People: Philip the Good, Pope Martin V, Pope Eugenius IV, John of Heinsberg, Rudolf von Diepholz, Guillaume Fillastre Notable Events/Developments: Utrecht Schism, Dinant-Bouvignes Conflict, Council of Basel

    44 min

  8. 09/16/2024

    Episode 44: All That Glitters

    1430 was a banner year for Burgundian magnificence. Philip the Good's marriage to Isabella of Portugal and his founding of the Order of the Golden Fleece demonstrated the wealth, influence, and power of Burgundy. Time Period Covered: 1430 Notable People: Philip the Good, Isabella of Portugal, John of Luxembourg, Hugh de Lannoy, Antoine de Croy, Jan van Eyck Notable Events/Developments: Marriage of Philip the Good and Isabella of Portugal, Founding of the Order of the Golden Fleece

    37 min
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About

The story of Valois Burgundy is one of the most exciting of the Late Middle Ages. The four Valois Dukes of Burgundy used political intrigue, calculated splendor, economic power, and good old-fashioned violence to forge a state out of the many Duchies and Counties between France and the Holy Roman Empire. During Burgundy's height its Dukes were seen by many as the equals of Kings and Emperors and their court was at the center of Western Europe's cultural and political development. And then it all fell apart. Please join me as I explore the history and legacy of this forgotten kingdom.

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