Chapter 51 - The Grand Duchy of Brabant - 1505- 1512
Chapter 51 –The Grand Duchy of Brabant -1505-1512
The vast agglomeration of lordships and counties inherited and conquered by the previous Dukes of Burgundy encompassed the various realms gathered from the time of Philip the Bold’s marriage to heiress Margaret of Flanders, to Philip the Good, who acquired several countries from 1429 to 43.
In 1505 the domains of Philip the Prudent included Brabant, Flanders, Hainault, Artois, Holland, Zeeland, Picardy, Veluwe, Zutphen, Guelders, Limburg and Luxembourg. The Treaty of Arras in 1479 had left the Duchy and Palatinate of Burgundy in French hands as well as Charolais and Macon. The Treaty of Aumale in 1506 had added both the independence of the Low Countries and the county of Rethel to his nephew as well.
Duke Philip the Good. The grandfather of Philip the Prudent
But true to his ducal ancestors, Philip had other ambitions to enlarge his domains. His second son needed an heiress, and he found the perfect bride for Ferdinand of Burgundy a month after the marriage of his son and heir Philip to Isabella of York.
Events in Cleves provided a perfect springboard in early summer of 1508. John II of Cleves had one legitimate child, John who had been engaged to the daughter of Wilhelm IV, Duke of Julich-Berg, Maria. She was the sole heiress to the estates of Julich, Berg and Ravensberg and thus an important heiress. An unfortunate riding accident on the 9th outside of city of Cleves brought the end to the union between the duchies. John had been out riding during the early morning when a large boar attacked him out of the mist. While John was an accomplished horseman, the muddy terrain from the rainy days past proved slippery for his temperamental stallion and John ended up crushed beneath the horse in the end. When his attendants found him, he had already perished.
The crisis of the succession of Cleves and Mark left Philip with the opportunity and the prudent duke leapt to action. He immediately offered ducal protection to Cleves and Mark to protect them from turmoil and half a dozen ducal officials left for Cleves headed by Charles of Egmont, Philip’s most trusted friend (and possible life-long lover) and nominally ruler of Guelders. The proximity of Guelders to Cleves had benefited for Charles, as the ever-loyal man to his liege served as excellent example as too the benefits of the Grand Duke of the West had to offer.
Philip had maintained strong friendship with John II during his lifetime and thus gave the estates of Cleves an opportunity, similarly to the one Philip the Good had offered Jacqueline of Hainault in 1428. The Duke of Cleves would retain his duchy but would become a vassal of The Duke of Burgundy and the succession would go to Ferdinand. Philip did not hesitate to press his own claim to Cleves as a relative of the ducal family and those parts of Cleves laid across Limburg and northern Brabant, both the duke’s realms. The implied threat of military force laid clear in the air if John rejected the offer. Philip also urged John to remember that the Burgundian army had just beaten the mighty French army and protected the Duchy of Brittany and the House of Orléans who had refused to bow down to the monarch.
John got the message loud and clear. The greatest Duke in Europe could either be his liege or his destroyer.
The deal was sweetened with the promise that Ferdinand would be sent to be raised by John as his new son and the merchants of Cleves and Mark could enjoy special benefits and trade agreements.
Charles also had instructions to Wilhelm IV to press hard for Ferdinand’s hand in marriage to Maria and to push for the marriage in the estates too. Promises of abiding by the laws and customs were given and benefits for the officials too if the match happened.
Ferdinand of Burgundy in 1517
Since Cleves and Mark were part of the territories of the Holy Roman Empire, Philip sent another delegation to Maximilian, and as equally important, his older half-sister Mary of Burgundy. The envoys travelled with heavy loads to Austria and a large entourage. Philip knew how to deal with his brother-in law Maximilian by now. The solution laid in money. Emperor Frederick III had died in 1493, but Maximilian had not been crowned Holy Roman Emperor due to his misadventures in Italy. A very large bribe could strengthen his authority and enrich the Austrian coffers.
Two years previously Maximilian had let go of the promise to make Philip King of Lotharingia when his daughter Margaret had married the king of France. Maximilian had felt rather ashamed due to the financial contribution Burgundy had given him for several years. Moreover, Mary had been outraged by the betrayal of her brother, leaving the marriage cold for a long time. Margaret’s dowry had also been costly for the empire, as France had driven a hard bargain. Burgundian money and riches provide a tempting offer, as always for Maximilian. Furthermore, the money would also finance his son Frederick’s election as King of the Romans and Maximilian’s election as Holy Roman Emperor
Adriaan Florensz, a theologian who served as emissary were dispatched to Rome as well, to build support with the Pope Julius II. The so-called “Warrior Pope” needed funds for his fighting with the republic of Venice and the construction of the St Peter’s Basilica. Adriaan promised Julius that his lord would always support the papal cause and “glory of the new basilica” planned since 1506 if the papacy obliged the duke in “this grave matter most important” to him. The Pope would give his blessing and support for Philip’s claim regarding Cleves, sending words to the Prince Bishop of Munster to encourage John to agree to Philip’s terms. While the Pope claimed his support had been out of concern for “the legal succession of the duchy of Cleves and the genuine support of papal causes by the most christian Duke of Burgundy.” most historians agreed that Julius had most likely been swayed by the large coffins of gold and riches Philip had offered him.
Pope Julius II and the making of the St Peter’s Basilica
Philip also held a triumph card in the case France objected to his move. His nephew, Jean of France, Duke of Berry had not been released as a hostage. And with Charles IX still licking his wounds from his losses two years previously, he could not risk his heir being harmed. Charles had a daughter in 1508, but Jean remained first in line to the throne. And with the French money given as part of the treaty and the dowry of Isabella of York in his grasp, Philip could afford bribes to achieve his goals.
Three months later Philip’s plan came to fruition. Maximilian had taken the bait and blessed the adoption of Ferdinand as heir to Cleves and Maria’s husband. Historians said that the emperor had sold Cleves and the territories to the Grand Duchy of Brabant to acquire the future election of Frederick as king of the Romans and future Holy Roman Emperor. John agreed to the terms offered and pledged his duchy to Philip as his liege and in a blink of an eye, Ferdinand had gone from a second son, to heir and future lord of the United Duchies of Julich-Cleves-Berg, an area that controlled most of the north-Rhine Westphalia apart from the ecclesiastical areas of Cologne and Munster.
The United Duchies of Julich-Cleves-Berg, all under the Grand Duchy of Brabant’s control after 1508
Philip had successfully added a huge territory to his realms without fighting a single battle. Lotharingia had become a reality at last.
And more was to come.
Philip laid his eyes on the County of Boulogne in the summer of 1510. When the previous Count of Auvergne and Boulogne had died in 1501, his son Jean had been a boy of seven and been given to the wardship of Louis II of Orléans, who married him to his eldest daughter Marie. With Auvergne so far away from Boulogne, a regent had to be considered for the latter, as the dowager countess Catherine of Vendome had no interest in government and opted to retire to a nunnery due to fragile health. An agreement had been made between Louis and Philip for the Duke to act as protector of Boulogne during until Jean came of age. Louis decision was most likely a concession for Burgundy’s help during the Mad War of 1487 between Brittany, Orléans, and the crown of France. Unfortunately, Louis, who nearly always had an excellent sense of judgement, fatally underestimated Philip’s true intentions for Boulogne, which came back to bit him in 1510.
Jean V and Marie had a daughter in 1509, named Anne, for Anne of Brittany, Duchess of Orléans and Saint Anne, often invoked by pregnant women. The birth had been long drawn and complicated for Marie, as she came very close to dying during labour. Her health crashed completely, and she would suffer from high blood pressure and heart problems after labour. Marie’s hair also fell out in the following months, leaving her looking rather skeletal.
Not helped in the slightest was her husband as the fifteen-year-old Count had several problems of his own. An unfortunate fall down a staircase in 1503 had left Jean severely impaired physically, with a twisted leg, damages to his spine and shoulders that had never fully healed. The head trauma had been causing headaches, episodes and problems with speech and memory. Well-meaning physicians plied Jean with doses of opium for his pains, but that also led to him becoming an addict at the young age of thirteen.
Jean V of Auvergne 1510
It was in this state the Count and Countess of Auvergne arrived in Boulogne in early summer of 1510 to be received as rulers of a place neither of them had ever been to before.
To the citizens the shock of seeing their lord and lady reverberated like wildfire and caused massive upheaval. Jean made a pitiful figure and in his speech to the estates seemed unable to remember where he was or even finishing his sentences. Marie seemed like a pale ghost, balding and barely speaking to anyone. Baby Anne had been left with a doting nursemaid as her poor parents were unable to care for her properly.
As Boulogne had for long been contested area between France and the Dukes of Burgundy, having been part of the County of Artois next to the County of Vermandois, also parts of Philip’s realm, the area had for years seen a strong presence of ducal administration. The French invasion of 1505 had left a poor taste in many citizens mouth as their forces had ransacked several villages as well as churches around the borders, while Philip had provided both aid and security afterwards. During the next three months of summer the opinion of their lieges became even lower as neither Jean nor Marie seemed to care much as to the wellbeing of the county. Several administrators had to leave their posts as Jean appointed new people to important posts in government, revoked the merchants’ privileges granted by Philip and meddled in church affairs. The new advisers took advantage of Jean to act on greed and plunder the coffers as well as other petty business, making things even worse. Marie retired completely from the world, mostly staying in her apartment, nursed by several maids.
Marie of Orléans, Countess of Auvergne and Boulogne
Jean’s act in early august triggered a large-scale revolt as he sought to raise taxes, to in his fractured mind, “discipline the commoners that had forgotten their place”. Riots broke all over Boulogne as burgers, merchants and commoners all had enough of the chaos the summer had brought. Naturally Philip of Burgundy had observed the rising tensions for months and strengthened the ducal armies to prepare to intercede at the right time. Another 1000 men arrived from England, 500 of them archers, funnelled from Calais. Philip had sent messengers to England and the court of Richard IV during the summer when to warn Richard that the increased tension in the region could lead to attacks on the english fortification of Calais, as the sole foothold in France laid in Boulogne. Naturally the king had a strong interest in preserving it. Thus, english soldiers had been sent to Calais under the command of Thomas Howard, 3rd Duke of Norfolk, a capable military leader and the Duke of York. Several newly build warships had been prepared to patrol the English Channel and the coast outside Boulogne.
On the 24th of August, roughly three weeks of the riots broke out, a large force of 4000 soldiers entered Boulogne from Flanders, with Philip and the Duke of York at the helm. Norfolk and Duke of Guelders joined forces at Calais and marched from there. The forces moved swiftly, putting down rioters and imprisoning the few of Jean’s officials that had not yet fled or meet their fate at the hands of angry mobs. The army quickly surrounded the Chateau de Boulogne-Sur-Mer after a week and the few guards remaining loyal to Jean simply surrendered the castle and opened the gates when Charles of Egmont rode up surrounded by soldiers. Charles took possession of both palace and their inhabitants in Philip’s name, and the duke entered the day afterwards on the third of September with a splendid entourage to greet the officials who kneeled before him as their new lord.
Jean and Marie were both put under house arrest and baby Anne taken away to the Calais with her devoted nursemaid and a collection of Philip’s people. The weeks that followed consisted of trials for both officials and rioters, meetings with important citizens and aid given to strategic areas afflicted by the chaos. Philip also ordered several physicians to examine the count and countess and their diagnosis did not bring much hope. Jean’s addiction to opium had left him bedridden and in a state of confusion that seemed to persist. Marie had fallen into a severe depression and suffered from malnourishment due to neglecting food, as well a religious fervour that bordered on hysteria.
To prevent any rescue attempts of the pair, Philip had them removed in secrecy to Ypres during the night under heavy guard. His nephew Charles IX of France had at that point sent a large delegation to Boulogne to inquire about Philip seizing the County. Not to mention imprisoning the lord of Auvergne, his vassal. And why there were company of English tropes roaming around. The situation would take a deft hand in negotiations now.
Thomas Howard, 3rd Duke of Norfolk
Fortunately, Philip had a triumph card in this situation. He still held the heir to the throne of France in his possession. Charles’s wife, Margaret of Austria had born another daughter the year before and he was desperate to have his little brother Jean back. Another detail Philip knew was that Charles still smarted over the losses France had taken almost five years ago and hungered to increase the royal territories. And the Duke of York’s presence was a large boon.
The French delegation’s entry was greeted with jeers, angry shouts and half-rotten produce flung in their direction on 18th September. Guelders and Norfolk greeted them at the near the chateau with eight hundred horsemen glittering in armour and fine cloth bearing the standards of Burgundy and the white and red rose of Richard IV. The House of York had added the red rose of Lancaster a few years earlier, in recognition of the Lancastrian blood that Richard’s mother, Joanna of Portugal and his wife, Catherine of Aragon, had brought back to England. It also served as a symbolic end to the war of the roses, even if the last claimant had died when Henry and Jasper Tudor met their end in the hangman’s noose in Ypres in 1483.
The Rose of York and Lancaster
Burgundy and England had both agreed on the terms to offer the French when they arrived. Now it was only a question if it would go off without a hitch. The man in charge of the delegation was none other than the Marshal of France, Jacques de La Palice. Upon entering the chateau, he was shown to the banquet hall where Philip and John waited. The walls had been clad with tapestries and heraldic cloth and courtiers lined the sides dressed in their finest garments. Guards stood against the walls and door openings in polished armour.
The negotiations went off just as planned when France accepted the terms of treaty.
-Burgundy would keep Count Jean in custody while Marie would be returned to her family.
-France swore to respect England’s right to Calais for another 50 years and pay 50,000 livres to Richard IV in return.
-The County of Auvergne would become part of the French royal lands, as both England and Burgundy had little prospect of holding it in the long term. France would pay another 100,000 livres as price for receiving it. It would be split in half between Burgundy and England.
-Anne of Boulogne would become Philip’s ward as sovereign Countess and wed Edmund, the second son of Richard IV when she became twelve. The county would be her dowry. If the marriage produced no children or if Anne died before the marriage, it would go to Philip and his heirs.
-Jean, Duke of Berry would be released as soon as all the money arrived.
Marie of Orléans arrived back home to her parents in 1511, where she spent the rest of her life until her death in 1522. After coming home, she became a nun and managed to recover enough to be able to do charity work to a degree. Jean V was moved to Ten Waele in Ghent and ended up comfortable imprisoned in the same chambers the duke of Berry had occupied. During the remaining seven years of his life, he received diligent care on both Philip the elder and younger’s orders. His remains returned to Auvergne to be laid to rest next to his parents.
Philip would release his nephew Jean back to France from his captivity in Ghent in the summer of 1511, the latter spending nearly six years as his uncle’s hostage.
Jean of Valois, Duke of Berry
The aftermath of the treaty left the english very pleased as the prospect of inheriting Boulogne. However, Philip and his successor had no true intention to ever let the County go and Anne would instead be married to Peter of Burgundy, his third son instead of Edmund in in 1521. She would be raised at the ducal court, being educated with the youngest ducal ladies, Anne, and Isabelle of Bazel and in becoming a lifelong friend of another Anne, Thomas Boleyn’s daughter in 1517.
The betrayal left the english stinging, but as it happened, they would instead find themselves in need of a Princess of Wales the same year. And Duke Philip readily provided one two years afterward to heal the mend. Thus, the Anglo-Burgundian alliance remained intact for another generation to come.
Anne, Countess of Boulogne
Yes, I know John II, Duke of Cleves had three children in reality, but in this one he just has one son.
Voila! This chapter is dedicated to @Quinkana who prodded me regarding Frisia and the Rhinelands in the previous chapter. Don't worry, Frisia will come later as well. Also to @Tudorfan I'm sorry for killing everyone so frequently, please accept this chapter as an appology. @ike225, thanks for setting this idea in my head as well. @VVD0D95, Lemmy, thanks for your never ending help as always. ❤️
The vast agglomeration of lordships and counties inherited and conquered by the previous Dukes of Burgundy encompassed the various realms gathered from the time of Philip the Bold’s marriage to heiress Margaret of Flanders, to Philip the Good, who acquired several countries from 1429 to 43.
In 1505 the domains of Philip the Prudent included Brabant, Flanders, Hainault, Artois, Holland, Zeeland, Picardy, Veluwe, Zutphen, Guelders, Limburg and Luxembourg. The Treaty of Arras in 1479 had left the Duchy and Palatinate of Burgundy in French hands as well as Charolais and Macon. The Treaty of Aumale in 1506 had added both the independence of the Low Countries and the county of Rethel to his nephew as well.
Duke Philip the Good. The grandfather of Philip the Prudent
But true to his ducal ancestors, Philip had other ambitions to enlarge his domains. His second son needed an heiress, and he found the perfect bride for Ferdinand of Burgundy a month after the marriage of his son and heir Philip to Isabella of York.
Events in Cleves provided a perfect springboard in early summer of 1508. John II of Cleves had one legitimate child, John who had been engaged to the daughter of Wilhelm IV, Duke of Julich-Berg, Maria. She was the sole heiress to the estates of Julich, Berg and Ravensberg and thus an important heiress. An unfortunate riding accident on the 9th outside of city of Cleves brought the end to the union between the duchies. John had been out riding during the early morning when a large boar attacked him out of the mist. While John was an accomplished horseman, the muddy terrain from the rainy days past proved slippery for his temperamental stallion and John ended up crushed beneath the horse in the end. When his attendants found him, he had already perished.
The crisis of the succession of Cleves and Mark left Philip with the opportunity and the prudent duke leapt to action. He immediately offered ducal protection to Cleves and Mark to protect them from turmoil and half a dozen ducal officials left for Cleves headed by Charles of Egmont, Philip’s most trusted friend (and possible life-long lover) and nominally ruler of Guelders. The proximity of Guelders to Cleves had benefited for Charles, as the ever-loyal man to his liege served as excellent example as too the benefits of the Grand Duke of the West had to offer.
Philip had maintained strong friendship with John II during his lifetime and thus gave the estates of Cleves an opportunity, similarly to the one Philip the Good had offered Jacqueline of Hainault in 1428. The Duke of Cleves would retain his duchy but would become a vassal of The Duke of Burgundy and the succession would go to Ferdinand. Philip did not hesitate to press his own claim to Cleves as a relative of the ducal family and those parts of Cleves laid across Limburg and northern Brabant, both the duke’s realms. The implied threat of military force laid clear in the air if John rejected the offer. Philip also urged John to remember that the Burgundian army had just beaten the mighty French army and protected the Duchy of Brittany and the House of Orléans who had refused to bow down to the monarch.
John got the message loud and clear. The greatest Duke in Europe could either be his liege or his destroyer.
The deal was sweetened with the promise that Ferdinand would be sent to be raised by John as his new son and the merchants of Cleves and Mark could enjoy special benefits and trade agreements.
Charles also had instructions to Wilhelm IV to press hard for Ferdinand’s hand in marriage to Maria and to push for the marriage in the estates too. Promises of abiding by the laws and customs were given and benefits for the officials too if the match happened.
Ferdinand of Burgundy in 1517
Since Cleves and Mark were part of the territories of the Holy Roman Empire, Philip sent another delegation to Maximilian, and as equally important, his older half-sister Mary of Burgundy. The envoys travelled with heavy loads to Austria and a large entourage. Philip knew how to deal with his brother-in law Maximilian by now. The solution laid in money. Emperor Frederick III had died in 1493, but Maximilian had not been crowned Holy Roman Emperor due to his misadventures in Italy. A very large bribe could strengthen his authority and enrich the Austrian coffers.
Two years previously Maximilian had let go of the promise to make Philip King of Lotharingia when his daughter Margaret had married the king of France. Maximilian had felt rather ashamed due to the financial contribution Burgundy had given him for several years. Moreover, Mary had been outraged by the betrayal of her brother, leaving the marriage cold for a long time. Margaret’s dowry had also been costly for the empire, as France had driven a hard bargain. Burgundian money and riches provide a tempting offer, as always for Maximilian. Furthermore, the money would also finance his son Frederick’s election as King of the Romans and Maximilian’s election as Holy Roman Emperor
Adriaan Florensz, a theologian who served as emissary were dispatched to Rome as well, to build support with the Pope Julius II. The so-called “Warrior Pope” needed funds for his fighting with the republic of Venice and the construction of the St Peter’s Basilica. Adriaan promised Julius that his lord would always support the papal cause and “glory of the new basilica” planned since 1506 if the papacy obliged the duke in “this grave matter most important” to him. The Pope would give his blessing and support for Philip’s claim regarding Cleves, sending words to the Prince Bishop of Munster to encourage John to agree to Philip’s terms. While the Pope claimed his support had been out of concern for “the legal succession of the duchy of Cleves and the genuine support of papal causes by the most christian Duke of Burgundy.” most historians agreed that Julius had most likely been swayed by the large coffins of gold and riches Philip had offered him.
Pope Julius II and the making of the St Peter’s Basilica
Philip also held a triumph card in the case France objected to his move. His nephew, Jean of France, Duke of Berry had not been released as a hostage. And with Charles IX still licking his wounds from his losses two years previously, he could not risk his heir being harmed. Charles had a daughter in 1508, but Jean remained first in line to the throne. And with the French money given as part of the treaty and the dowry of Isabella of York in his grasp, Philip could afford bribes to achieve his goals.
Three months later Philip’s plan came to fruition. Maximilian had taken the bait and blessed the adoption of Ferdinand as heir to Cleves and Maria’s husband. Historians said that the emperor had sold Cleves and the territories to the Grand Duchy of Brabant to acquire the future election of Frederick as king of the Romans and future Holy Roman Emperor. John agreed to the terms offered and pledged his duchy to Philip as his liege and in a blink of an eye, Ferdinand had gone from a second son, to heir and future lord of the United Duchies of Julich-Cleves-Berg, an area that controlled most of the north-Rhine Westphalia apart from the ecclesiastical areas of Cologne and Munster.
The United Duchies of Julich-Cleves-Berg, all under the Grand Duchy of Brabant’s control after 1508
Philip had successfully added a huge territory to his realms without fighting a single battle. Lotharingia had become a reality at last.
And more was to come.
Philip laid his eyes on the County of Boulogne in the summer of 1510. When the previous Count of Auvergne and Boulogne had died in 1501, his son Jean had been a boy of seven and been given to the wardship of Louis II of Orléans, who married him to his eldest daughter Marie. With Auvergne so far away from Boulogne, a regent had to be considered for the latter, as the dowager countess Catherine of Vendome had no interest in government and opted to retire to a nunnery due to fragile health. An agreement had been made between Louis and Philip for the Duke to act as protector of Boulogne during until Jean came of age. Louis decision was most likely a concession for Burgundy’s help during the Mad War of 1487 between Brittany, Orléans, and the crown of France. Unfortunately, Louis, who nearly always had an excellent sense of judgement, fatally underestimated Philip’s true intentions for Boulogne, which came back to bit him in 1510.
Jean V and Marie had a daughter in 1509, named Anne, for Anne of Brittany, Duchess of Orléans and Saint Anne, often invoked by pregnant women. The birth had been long drawn and complicated for Marie, as she came very close to dying during labour. Her health crashed completely, and she would suffer from high blood pressure and heart problems after labour. Marie’s hair also fell out in the following months, leaving her looking rather skeletal.
Not helped in the slightest was her husband as the fifteen-year-old Count had several problems of his own. An unfortunate fall down a staircase in 1503 had left Jean severely impaired physically, with a twisted leg, damages to his spine and shoulders that had never fully healed. The head trauma had been causing headaches, episodes and problems with speech and memory. Well-meaning physicians plied Jean with doses of opium for his pains, but that also led to him becoming an addict at the young age of thirteen.
Jean V of Auvergne 1510
It was in this state the Count and Countess of Auvergne arrived in Boulogne in early summer of 1510 to be received as rulers of a place neither of them had ever been to before.
To the citizens the shock of seeing their lord and lady reverberated like wildfire and caused massive upheaval. Jean made a pitiful figure and in his speech to the estates seemed unable to remember where he was or even finishing his sentences. Marie seemed like a pale ghost, balding and barely speaking to anyone. Baby Anne had been left with a doting nursemaid as her poor parents were unable to care for her properly.
As Boulogne had for long been contested area between France and the Dukes of Burgundy, having been part of the County of Artois next to the County of Vermandois, also parts of Philip’s realm, the area had for years seen a strong presence of ducal administration. The French invasion of 1505 had left a poor taste in many citizens mouth as their forces had ransacked several villages as well as churches around the borders, while Philip had provided both aid and security afterwards. During the next three months of summer the opinion of their lieges became even lower as neither Jean nor Marie seemed to care much as to the wellbeing of the county. Several administrators had to leave their posts as Jean appointed new people to important posts in government, revoked the merchants’ privileges granted by Philip and meddled in church affairs. The new advisers took advantage of Jean to act on greed and plunder the coffers as well as other petty business, making things even worse. Marie retired completely from the world, mostly staying in her apartment, nursed by several maids.
Marie of Orléans, Countess of Auvergne and Boulogne
Jean’s act in early august triggered a large-scale revolt as he sought to raise taxes, to in his fractured mind, “discipline the commoners that had forgotten their place”. Riots broke all over Boulogne as burgers, merchants and commoners all had enough of the chaos the summer had brought. Naturally Philip of Burgundy had observed the rising tensions for months and strengthened the ducal armies to prepare to intercede at the right time. Another 1000 men arrived from England, 500 of them archers, funnelled from Calais. Philip had sent messengers to England and the court of Richard IV during the summer when to warn Richard that the increased tension in the region could lead to attacks on the english fortification of Calais, as the sole foothold in France laid in Boulogne. Naturally the king had a strong interest in preserving it. Thus, english soldiers had been sent to Calais under the command of Thomas Howard, 3rd Duke of Norfolk, a capable military leader and the Duke of York. Several newly build warships had been prepared to patrol the English Channel and the coast outside Boulogne.
On the 24th of August, roughly three weeks of the riots broke out, a large force of 4000 soldiers entered Boulogne from Flanders, with Philip and the Duke of York at the helm. Norfolk and Duke of Guelders joined forces at Calais and marched from there. The forces moved swiftly, putting down rioters and imprisoning the few of Jean’s officials that had not yet fled or meet their fate at the hands of angry mobs. The army quickly surrounded the Chateau de Boulogne-Sur-Mer after a week and the few guards remaining loyal to Jean simply surrendered the castle and opened the gates when Charles of Egmont rode up surrounded by soldiers. Charles took possession of both palace and their inhabitants in Philip’s name, and the duke entered the day afterwards on the third of September with a splendid entourage to greet the officials who kneeled before him as their new lord.
Jean and Marie were both put under house arrest and baby Anne taken away to the Calais with her devoted nursemaid and a collection of Philip’s people. The weeks that followed consisted of trials for both officials and rioters, meetings with important citizens and aid given to strategic areas afflicted by the chaos. Philip also ordered several physicians to examine the count and countess and their diagnosis did not bring much hope. Jean’s addiction to opium had left him bedridden and in a state of confusion that seemed to persist. Marie had fallen into a severe depression and suffered from malnourishment due to neglecting food, as well a religious fervour that bordered on hysteria.
To prevent any rescue attempts of the pair, Philip had them removed in secrecy to Ypres during the night under heavy guard. His nephew Charles IX of France had at that point sent a large delegation to Boulogne to inquire about Philip seizing the County. Not to mention imprisoning the lord of Auvergne, his vassal. And why there were company of English tropes roaming around. The situation would take a deft hand in negotiations now.
Thomas Howard, 3rd Duke of Norfolk
Fortunately, Philip had a triumph card in this situation. He still held the heir to the throne of France in his possession. Charles’s wife, Margaret of Austria had born another daughter the year before and he was desperate to have his little brother Jean back. Another detail Philip knew was that Charles still smarted over the losses France had taken almost five years ago and hungered to increase the royal territories. And the Duke of York’s presence was a large boon.
The French delegation’s entry was greeted with jeers, angry shouts and half-rotten produce flung in their direction on 18th September. Guelders and Norfolk greeted them at the near the chateau with eight hundred horsemen glittering in armour and fine cloth bearing the standards of Burgundy and the white and red rose of Richard IV. The House of York had added the red rose of Lancaster a few years earlier, in recognition of the Lancastrian blood that Richard’s mother, Joanna of Portugal and his wife, Catherine of Aragon, had brought back to England. It also served as a symbolic end to the war of the roses, even if the last claimant had died when Henry and Jasper Tudor met their end in the hangman’s noose in Ypres in 1483.
The Rose of York and Lancaster
Burgundy and England had both agreed on the terms to offer the French when they arrived. Now it was only a question if it would go off without a hitch. The man in charge of the delegation was none other than the Marshal of France, Jacques de La Palice. Upon entering the chateau, he was shown to the banquet hall where Philip and John waited. The walls had been clad with tapestries and heraldic cloth and courtiers lined the sides dressed in their finest garments. Guards stood against the walls and door openings in polished armour.
The negotiations went off just as planned when France accepted the terms of treaty.
-Burgundy would keep Count Jean in custody while Marie would be returned to her family.
-France swore to respect England’s right to Calais for another 50 years and pay 50,000 livres to Richard IV in return.
-The County of Auvergne would become part of the French royal lands, as both England and Burgundy had little prospect of holding it in the long term. France would pay another 100,000 livres as price for receiving it. It would be split in half between Burgundy and England.
-Anne of Boulogne would become Philip’s ward as sovereign Countess and wed Edmund, the second son of Richard IV when she became twelve. The county would be her dowry. If the marriage produced no children or if Anne died before the marriage, it would go to Philip and his heirs.
-Jean, Duke of Berry would be released as soon as all the money arrived.
Marie of Orléans arrived back home to her parents in 1511, where she spent the rest of her life until her death in 1522. After coming home, she became a nun and managed to recover enough to be able to do charity work to a degree. Jean V was moved to Ten Waele in Ghent and ended up comfortable imprisoned in the same chambers the duke of Berry had occupied. During the remaining seven years of his life, he received diligent care on both Philip the elder and younger’s orders. His remains returned to Auvergne to be laid to rest next to his parents.
Philip would release his nephew Jean back to France from his captivity in Ghent in the summer of 1511, the latter spending nearly six years as his uncle’s hostage.
Jean of Valois, Duke of Berry
The aftermath of the treaty left the english very pleased as the prospect of inheriting Boulogne. However, Philip and his successor had no true intention to ever let the County go and Anne would instead be married to Peter of Burgundy, his third son instead of Edmund in in 1521. She would be raised at the ducal court, being educated with the youngest ducal ladies, Anne, and Isabelle of Bazel and in becoming a lifelong friend of another Anne, Thomas Boleyn’s daughter in 1517.
The betrayal left the english stinging, but as it happened, they would instead find themselves in need of a Princess of Wales the same year. And Duke Philip readily provided one two years afterward to heal the mend. Thus, the Anglo-Burgundian alliance remained intact for another generation to come.
Anne, Countess of Boulogne
Yes, I know John II, Duke of Cleves had three children in reality, but in this one he just has one son.
Voila! This chapter is dedicated to @Quinkana who prodded me regarding Frisia and the Rhinelands in the previous chapter. Don't worry, Frisia will come later as well. Also to @Tudorfan I'm sorry for killing everyone so frequently, please accept this chapter as an appology. @ike225, thanks for setting this idea in my head as well. @VVD0D95, Lemmy, thanks for your never ending help as always. ❤️
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