Chapter V - War is a Many-Splendoured Thing
Previously, we learnt about the first twelve years of the personal rule of Philippe III, Duke of Burgundy, and how he was elected somewhat unexpectedly to become Holy Roman Emperor after the failure of the Habsburg line. His French cousins had been defeated at Maine, he now had two daughters, Margaret and Marie, and all was quiet in the Empire for now.
The first of many gifted artists, scholars and advisers to gain patronage during Burgundy's cultural renaissance.
Previously, we learnt about the first twelve years of the personal rule of Philippe III, Duke of Burgundy, and how he was elected somewhat unexpectedly to become Holy Roman Emperor after the failure of the Habsburg line. His French cousins had been defeated at Maine, he now had two daughters, Margaret and Marie, and all was quiet in the Empire for now.
The first of many gifted artists, scholars and advisers to gain patronage during Burgundy's cultural renaissance.
The previous Christmas (AD 1429), Jean, Bishop of Utrecht, had come to the Duke, asking that the fiercely independent burghers of Friesland be brought under Burgundian control. The city of Groningen had long prided itself above Utrecht, Arnhem or Amsterdam, and it was the Bishop's opinion that God had brought Philippe to the point where the Fryslanders would obey his rule.
Philippe spent the following year recovering after the peace agreement at Maine and in the early spring of 1431, he declared his desire for Burgund-Dutch hegemony. The neighbouring powers Brunswick, Oldenburg and Hesse joined Friesland in the brief war with Burgundy, but by the next spring, all four powers had either conceded defeat or agreed a mutual cessation of hostilities. The lands of Friesland would now pay homage to Burgundy and a portion of Groningen's not inconsiderable revenues now flowed into Philippe's coffers in Dijon.
Almost immediately after the subjugation of Friesland, a group of nobles who were not happy to see the thinly concealed hand of the Church directing Burgundian policy suggested to the Duke that the Archbishop of Trier be next to pay homage to Philippe. After all, if the Church meddled in Burgundian politics, so should Burgundy meddle in Church politics.
Philippe, on the other hand, had other matters to attend to, namely concluding peace agreements with the other parties in the Battle of Friesland and dealing with reports that townsfolk living nearby the Abbey of St. Benignus in Dijon had been cured by the power of St. Agnes of Arles, despite the city of Arles being located in Provence, rather than Burgundy. It kept the people happy though and that was what mattered in a time of war.
That summer, a young but talented theologian came to the attention of Abbot Hugo de Saint-Benigne and soon Brother Thomas à Kempis entered Philippe's service with all manner of theories on modern religious practice, one of which was later passed into law as the 1432 Advancement of Religion Act, which ensured that the holy majesty of God's word, enshrined in each copy of the Bible, would not be contaminated or corrupted by granting mere commoners access to its inspired texts.
Barely a week later, news came that Felipe, King of Castille-Leon and Aragon, had declared the Kingdom of Iberia. After the death of his father Enrique III in 1417, King Felipe had completed his father's work, finally annexing the remaining provinces of Portugal in February 1431, and had now just decreed the unification of the five kingdoms of Iberia under one throne and one name. King Felipe had two sons, Alfonso and Fernando, and a formal betrothal was arranged between Fernando and his elder daughter Margaret (named in honour of his grandmother).
Brittany renews its long-standing alliance with Burgundy against the mutual Anglo-French threat.
Just after Christmas 1433, young Philippe de Bourgogne came of age and was presented to the Yule Court as Philippe III, Count of Charolais and heir-apparent to the Duchy of Burgundy. Celebrations were held throughout Dijon to commemorate this momentous occasion, made all the happier by occurring during the Festival of Christ.
In the new year, Philippe made clear to his lords that he had no interest in overtly meddling in Church politics and indicated his desire to complete the unification of the Duchies of Burgundy and Lorraine and thus absolutely ensure his sole right to the ancient Carolingian country of Lotharingia.
Unfortunately, whilst he was formalising the roles of the various noble families and their responsibility within Greater Burgundy, in preparation for a successful integration of the Lorrainian lands and titles, a group of disgruntled Flemish merchants in the city of Ghent rose up in armed protest against the reforms. Due to a quick response from forces loyal to Duchess Jacqueline in the nearby province of Zeeland, the 7,000 Flemish mercenaries were defeated and the merchants either hanged or forced to pay crippling damages to the Crown.
Just four weeks later, a further blow struck deep at the heart of the House of Valois-Burgundy. Like his great-uncle before him, Philippe III, Count of Charolais, died of a strange fever, despite the best efforts of the Burgundian physicians to halt his swift decline. A national day of mourning was declared and Philippe was later to write, "April is the cruellest month. Its weather is fickle, the people expect great things for the milder times ahead and yet God has cursed my family most severely and most often at this time. All malice and evil can be attributed to this most meretricious of months, as no doubt the Great Serpent planned his most devious and successful of deceptions at this time."
Anton Leijonhufvud, the new Archduke of Austria, was a Dutch cousin of the extensive Habsburg dynasty and a mere boy of six to boot, so various allied lords and relatives had been called to serve as his regents. One of them, Franz Stefan, Landgrave of Sundgau (born François Stéphane de Bourgogne, bastard child of Philippe II), arranged for the Austrian lords to offer a military alliance to his nephew, which was readily accepted.
Shortly thereafter, Philippe was called to defend the island of Gotland against the armies of Frederick of Burgundy, King of Denmark and Norway and successor to the late King, Christian Gryf. The war had been going for four years already, but Danish naval superiority had been taking its toll with the Imperial defenders and the Emperor's help was requested. Once again, as elected King of the Germans, Philippe felt compelled to do his Imperial duty and take up arms against his relatives in defence of the Empire.
After the birth of his third daughter, Agnes, and the death of his only son, he and Jacqueline were blessed with another son in the new year of 1436 and they agreed immediately to name their child Philippe in memory of the baby's late brother.
That March, it became clear that the long-term emphasis on military prowess had inspired many young wealthy young men to sign up as junior officers, all the better during a climate of protracted military activity, and one of the great philosophical minds in Flanders took up service in Philippe's court, eager to serve in the cultural heart of Europe.
By summoer of that year, after several telling land battles, notably at Flensburg, Slesvig, Utrecht and Breda, Frederick Bourgogne ceded his claim on Gotland and returned the city and environs of Hamburg to the Empire, winning Philippe much acclaim for this victory.
Three months later, whilst Charles VII of France was on campaign in Aquitaine against England and the Western Isles, Philippe declared war on his cousin once more, this time to reclaim the Duchy of Savoy from French control.
Philippe the Good
Anno Domini 1436
III Duke of Burgundy, II Duke of Brabant & Lothier, II Duke of Limburg
V Count Palatine of Burgundy, V Count of Artois, III Count of Flanders
II Count of Charolais, I Count of Hainaut
Jure uxoris: I Count of Holland and Zeeland
Jure bellum: I Duke of Luxembourg
Jure suffragium: Philip I, Holy Roman Emperor
Last edited: