Charles the Bold in about 1460, wearing the collar of the Order of the Golden Fleece, painted by Rogier van der Weyden
Duke of Burgundy
Reign
15 June 1467 – 5 January 1477
Predecessor
Philip the Good
Successor
Mary the Rich
Born
10 November 1433 Dijon, Burgundy
Died
5 January 1477(1477-01-05) (aged 43) Nancy, Lorraine
Burial
Church of Our Lady, Bruges
Spouses
Catherine of France
(m. 1440; d. 1446)
Isabella of Bourbon
(m. 1454; d. 1465)
Margaret of York
(m. 1468)
Issue
Mary the Rich
Names
Charles Martin
House
Valois-Burgundy
Father
Philip the Good
Mother
Isabella of Portugal
Religion
Roman Catholicism
Signature
Charles Martin (10 November 1433 – 5 January 1477) called The Bold,[a] was the last Duke of Burgundy from the Burgundian cadet branch of House of Valois from 1467 to 1477. He was the only legitimate son of Philip the Good and his third wife, Isabella of Portugal. Appointed as the Count of Charolais upon his birth, Charles vied for power and influence even before succeeding his father. He had a deep rooted rivalry with Louis XI, the King of France, which was the cause to many disputes and events during his life, starting with the War of the Public Weal, a revolt of French vassals under the leadership of Charles.
After ascension to the Duchy of Burgundy in 1467, Charles began pursuing his ambitions: independence from France and forging a kingdom from the North Sea in the north to the borders of Savoy in the south. To this end, he took many actions and through his risky and aggressive foreign policy, became an enemy to all of his neighbouring nations. He added Guelders and Upper Alsace into his realm, and strengthened his rule over Liége by brutally crushing their rebellion. Charles forged many alliances, marrying Edward IV's sister, Margaret of York for an English alliance and arranging the betrothal between his sole child, Mary, with Maximilian, the son of the Holy Roman Emperor, Frederick III.
As a patron of arts, he supported the production of illuminated manuscripts and music, himself being a composer and valid musician. His court was famously seen as a centre of arts, chivalry and etiquette and would keep this reputation even after his death. He was obsessed with order and regulation and wrote many ordinances throughout his rule, dictating military matters, legislations, and diplomacy to the smallest of detail. A religious person, his patron saint was Saint George and he was asked constantly by the Pope and the Venetians to undertake a crusade against the Ottoman Turks.
Towards the end of his life, Charles became engaged in a multinational conflict called the Burgundian War (1474–1477), during which, he tried to protect his rights over Upper Alsace and also annex lands belonging to the Swiss Confederacy. After his unsuccessful siege upon Neuss, he confronted the Swiss in the battles of Grandson and Morat, all of which ended with his defeat. At last, he was killed at the Battle of Nancy on 5 January 1477, fighting against René II of Lorraine and his Swiss army. His death brought an end to the prestigious Burgundian state, and his dynasty would end a generation later when his daughter, Mary of Burgundy died and was succeeded by her son, Philip of Austria.
^Van Loo 2021, p. 287.
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set the fashion for European royal houses and their court. It nearly turned into a kingdom of its own right, but CharlestheBold's early death at the Battle...
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and the third was given by Charles to Louis XI. Later CharlestheBold also sent one of his favorite jewels to be recut, which is now known as the Sancy...
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Luxembourg, the counties of Namur, Holland, Hainaut and other territories, from 1477 until her death in 1482. As the only child of CharlestheBold, Duke of...
the last duke, CharlestheBold, rushed to the Burgundian Wars and was killed in the 1477 Battle of Nancy. The extinction of the dynasty led to the absorption...
Harold CharlesBold (1909–1987) was an American botanist. Bold was born on June 16, 1909, in New York City to Edward Bold and Louise (Krüsi) Bold. He earned...
1474, and the Duke of Burgundy, CharlestheBold, was defeated three times on the battlefield in the following years and was killed at the Battle of Nancy...
Belgium and the Netherlands. In 1477, at the battle of Nancy during the Burgundian Wars, the last duke CharlestheBold was killed in battle, and the Duchy...
as René I) Charles IV (1436–1481), nephew of (also king of Jerusalem and Naples as Charles IV) House of Valois-Burgundy Philip II theBold (1363–1404)...
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The stone has been owned by a number of important figures in European history, such as CharlestheBold, James VI and I, and the Astor family. The shield-shaped...
and Zeeland in 1432, and the Duchy of Luxembourg in 1441. His son, the last Burgundian duke CharlestheBold, in 1473 annexed the Duchy of Guelders, which...
was the hook opposite the axe head, which could be used to pull horsemen to the ground. A Swiss peasant used a halberd to kill CharlestheBold, the Duke...
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1687–1711 Charles II, king of Bohemia 1711–1740 Maria Theresa, queen of Bohemia 1743–1780 CharlestheBold controlled the widespread lands of the Burgundian...
multiple American soap operas including General Hospital, Port Charles, TheBold and the Beautiful, All My Children, and Days of Our Lives. He is also...
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