The War of the Burgundian Succession took place from 1477 to 1482 (or 1493 according to some historians), immediately following the Burgundian Wars. At stake was the partition of the Burgundian hereditary lands between the Kingdom of France and the House of Habsburg, after Duke Charles the Bold had perished in the Battle of Nancy on 5 January 1477.
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👉 War of the Burgundian Succession in the context of French–Habsburg rivalry
The term French–Habsburg rivalry (French: Rivalité franco-habsbourgeoise; German: Habsburgisch-französischer Gegensatz) describes the rivalry between France and the House of Habsburg. The Habsburgs headed an expansive and evolving empire that included, at various times, the Holy Roman Empire, the Spanish Empire, Portugal through Iberian Union, Austria, Bohemia and Hungary from the Diet of Augsburg in the High Middle Ages until the dissolution of the monarchy following World War I in the late modern period.
In addition to holding the Austrian hereditary lands, the Habsburg dynasty ruled the Low Countries (1482–1794), Spain (1504–1700) and the Holy Roman Empire (1438–1806). All these lands were in personal union under Emperor Charles V. The expansion of the Habsburgs into western Europe increasingly led to border tensions with the Kingdom of France, which found itself encircled by Habsburg territory. The subsequent rivalry between the two powers became a cause for several conflicts. These include parts of the Anglo-French Wars (1066–1815), the War of the Burgundian Succession (1477–1482), the Italian Wars (1494–1559), the Thirty Years' War (1618–1648), the Nine Years' War (1688–1697), and the succession wars of Jülich (1609–1614), Mantua (1628–1631), Spain (1700–1713), Poland (1733–1736) and Austria (1740–1748).
In this Dossier
- ⭐ Core Definition: War of the Burgundian Succession
- 👉 War of the Burgundian Succession in the context of French–Habsburg rivalry
- War of the Burgundian Succession in the context of Mary of Burgundy
- War of the Burgundian Succession in the context of Treaty of Arras (1482)
- War of the Burgundian Succession in the context of Treaty of Senlis
War of the Burgundian Succession in the context of Mary of Burgundy
Mary of Burgundy (French: Marie de Bourgogne; Dutch: Maria van Bourgondië; 13 February 1457 – 27 March 1482), nicknamed the Rich, was a member of the House of Valois-Burgundy, and ruler in her own right (sui iuris) over much of the Valois-Burgundian lands, from 1477 to 1482. Her effective rule extended over major part of the Burgundian Netherlands, while she also claimed the rest of the Burgundian inheritance, including domains that were seized by her cousin, the French king Louis XI in 1477, such as the Duchy of Burgundy, the Free County of Burgundy and several other lands, both within the Kingdom of France and the Holy Roman Empire.
As the only child of Charles the Bold, ruler of the Valois-Burgundian State, and his wife Isabella of Bourbon, Mary became the heiress of Valois-Burgundian lands, and at the age of 19, upon the death of her father in the Battle of Nancy on 5 January 1477, she claimed the entire inheritance, being accepted as the new ruler in several domains. Her claims were not recognized by the French king Louis XI, who quickly seized various Valois-Burgundian domains, not only those that belonged to the French realm (such as the Duchy of Burgundy), but also some that belonged to the Holy Roman Empire (such as the Free County of Burgundy). Those disputes led to the War of the Burgundian Succession.
War of the Burgundian Succession in the context of Treaty of Arras (1482)
The Treaty of Arras was concluded at Arras on 23 December 1482, between King Louis XI of France and Archduke Maximilian I of Austria, thus ending the first phase of the War of the Burgundian Succession, that broke out in 1477 over the Burgundian inheritance, a collection of Valois-Burgundy domains that included the Burgundian Netherlands and several other possessions of the House of Valois-Burgundy.
War of the Burgundian Succession in the context of Treaty of Senlis
The Treaty of Senlis concerning the Burgundian succession was signed at the French city of Senlis on 23 May 1493, between King Charles VIII of France and Maximilian I, at the time King of the Romans and future Holy Roman Emperor, who acted on behalf of his young son Philip the Handsome, the Habsburg claimant to the Burgundian inheritance. The treaty contained 48 clauses, dealing with various political, dynastic and territorial questions that were previously addressed by the Treaty of Arras (1482).