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Welcome to Grand Dukes of the West

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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  • Episode 70: Fathers and Sons

    The Duke of Alencon was up to no good…but was he working alone?

    The arrival of Dauphin Louis at the Burgundian Court has only caused the already heightened tensions between France and Burgundy to heighten further. As Philip plays host to the King’s son, his own is finding himself ever more alienated, meanwhile the King is preparing to strike a blow against the power of the French magnates.

    Time Period Covered:  1457-1458

    Notable People:  Philip the Good, Charles the Bold, Charles VII, Louis XI, Laudislaus the Posthumous, John II Duke of Alencon

    Notable Events/Developments:  Charles Count of Charolais in Holland, Dispute about the Somme Towns, French ambitions in Luxembourg, Charles VII’s Anti-Burgundian Allies, Treason of the Duke of Alencon, Trial of the Duke of Alencon

    A depiction of the Lit de Justice where the Duke of Alencon was tried for treason painted by Jean Fouquet.

    Sources

    Philip the Good by Richard Vaughan

    Charles VII by Malcolm Vale

    Louis XI: The Universal Spider by Paul Murray Kendall

    Isabel of Burgundy by Aline S. Taylor

    The Burgundians by Bart Van Loo

    Ouvres of Georges Chastellain Tome III

    Ghent, 1458: The Joyous Entry of Philip the Good. The Ritual of Burgundian Spectacle Used by Urban Politics by Ewald Van Looveren

    Histoire de Charles VII by Thomas Basin Volume II

    Histoire de Charles VII by Gaston du Fresne de Beaucourt Tome VI

    Recueil des croniques et anchiennes istories de la Grant Bretaigne, a present nomme Engleterre by Jean de Wavrin