Loading article…
Duke of Burgundy (French: duc de Bourgogne) was a title used by the rulers of the Duchy of Burgundy, from its establishment in 843 to its annexation by the French crown in 1477, and later by members of the House of Habsburg, including Holy Roman Emperors and kings of Spain, who claimed Burgundy proper and ruled the Burgundian Netherlands.[1]
The Duchy of Burgundy was a small portion of the traditional lands of the Burgundians west of the river Saône which, in 843, was allotted to Charles the Bald's kingdom of the West Franks. Under the Ancien Régime, the duke of Burgundy was the premier lay peer of the Kingdom of France. Beginning with Robert II of France (r.996–1031), the title was held by the Capetians, the French royal family. In 1032 King Henry I of France granted the duchy to his younger brother, Robert, who founded the House of Burgundy. When the senior line of the House of Burgundy became extinct in 1361, the title was inherited by King John II of France through proximity of blood. John granted the duchy to his younger son, Philip the Bold, in 1363. The Valois dukes gradually came to rule over a vast complex of territories known as the Burgundian State, and became dangerous rivals to the senior French royal line of the House of Valois.
When the male line of the Valois dukes of Burgundy became extinct in 1477, the Duchy of Burgundy was confiscated by Louis XI of France. The title "duke of Burgundy" passed to Habsburg monarchs after Mary of Burgundy married Maximilian I of Austria in 1477. The Habsburgs used this connection to claim Burgundy proper and to rule their Burgundian inheritance until the Napoleonic era. The title was subsequently revived for several younger sons of the House of Bourbon and since 1975, branches of it have used "duke of Burgundy" as a revived courtesy title.
Before the Bosonid dynasty took control of Burgundy, many other nobles were informally called Dukes of Burgundy, or rulers around Burgundy.
This is an incomplete list of the Pre-Hereditary Dukes of Burgundy.
The first margrave (marchio), later duke (dux), of Burgundy was Richard of the House of Ardennes, whose duchy was created from the merging of several regional counties of the kingdom of Provence which had belonged to his brother Boso. Richard was the son of Eccard of Macon and Richildis of Arles, Boso the son of Bivin of Gorze and Richildis of Arles.
His descendants and their relatives by marriage ruled the duchy until its annexation over a century later by the French crown, their suzerain.
In 1004, Burgundy was annexed by the king, of the House of Capet. Otto William continued to rule what would come to be called the Free County of Burgundy. His descendants formed another House of Ivrea.
Robert, son of Robert II of France, received the Duchy as a peace settlement, having disputed the succession to the throne of France with his brother Henry.
On 28 December 1361 John II of France, the second Valois king, successfully claimed the duchy after the death of Philip, the last Capet duke.[2] The duchy did not merge into the royal domain; it remained a distinct feudal entity, with the Burgundian estates firmly opposing annexation.[2][3]
In January 1362 he had appointed Henri of Bar, Lord of Pierrefort, as the initial governor,[4] but as early as January 25, 1362, John appointed John of Melun, Count of Tancarville as governor of Burgundy.[5]
John then passed the duchy to his youngest son Philip as an apanage in 1363.
In 1477, the territory of the Duchy of Burgundy was annexed by France. In the same year, Mary married Maximilian, Archduke of Austria, giving the Habsburgs control of the remainder of the Burgundian Inheritance.
Although the territory of the Duchy of Burgundy itself remained in the hands of France, the Habsburgs remained in control of the title of Duke of Burgundy and the other parts of the Burgundian inheritance, notably the Low Countries and the Free County of Burgundy in the Holy Roman Empire as well as the County of Charolais in France. They often used the term Burgundy to refer to it (e.g. in the name of the Imperial Circle it was grouped into), until the late 18th century, when the Austrian Netherlands were lost to the French Republic. The Habsburgs also continued to claim Burgundy proper until the Treaty of Cambrai in 1529, when they surrendered their claim in exchange for French recognition of Imperial sovereignty over Flanders and Artois.
Five days later, on December 28, the king had the Estates of the Duchy of Burgundy, that is, the representatives of the Church, the nobles, and the townspeople, assembled before him at Saint-Bénigne. These Estates, convened in principle to provide financial assistance to the new Duke, presented him with petitions, requests, and memoranda concerning the government of the Duchy. King John responded to their requests by granting a Grand Charter of Privileges to the Burgundians....This document, the full text of which has survived, precisely describes the circumstances of the accession of the Valois to Burgundy, the king's desire, as the new duke, to gain the sympathy of his Burgundian subjects, and the new law and institutions established on this occasion.
King John at once laid claim to and took possession of this important fief which, if it could have been incorporated into the royal domain, would have greatly increased the power and the income of the crown. But the local particularism of the inhabitants, coupled with King John's generous feelings towards his youngest son, made this impossible.
he had appointed Henri de Bar, Lord of Pierrefort, as governor. Working with him would be a team of trusted men of John the Good who had already served him in Burgundy
the duchy of Burgundy, the counties of Champagne, Brie, and Forez, as well as the seigneury of Beaujeu, the bailiwicks of Sens, Saint-Pierre-le-Moûtier, Mâcon, and Lyonnais. From now on, it was thus the entire eastern part of the kingdom which was placed under the authority of the Count of Tancarville.