List of territories of the Valois dukes of Burgundy

From 1363 to 1477, the Valois dukes of Burgundy, a cadet branch of the French royal House of Valois, ruled over a domain that ultimately encompassed much of eastern France and the Low Countries effectively as independent princes. Although sometimes referred to as the Burgundian state, it was in fact a composite monarchy, comprising an array of duchies, counties and lordships acquired by the dukes over time by a number of means and joined in personal union.

Development The Duchy of Burgundy itself was granted to the dynasty's founder Philip the Bold in 1363 by his father the French king, John II. The dynasty's domains were then substantially added to, mainly by Philip himself and his grandson, Philip the Good.

Philip the Bold married Margaret of Flanders, and when her father died in 1384, he acquired through her inheritance not only the adjacent County of Burgundy and other lands in eastern France, but also Flanders in the Low Countries, with its concentration of wealthy urban areas. The next period of major expansion was in the 1420s and 1430s when Philip the Good added further extensive domains by purchase, diplomacy and inheritance. These were in eastern and north eastern France, but more significantly, in the Low Countries as well. The Brabantine inheritance of 1430 and the cession of Jacqueline of Hainaut's lands in 1433, when added to Flanders, meant that Philip's territories would include a powerful contiguous domain covering most of the Low Countries and referred to as the Burgundian Netherlands.

Finally, the last Valois duke, Charles the Bold, through almost continuous warfare after his accession in 1467, briefly extended the domains further but was killed in battle in 1477 without a male heir, the last of the dynasty being his daughter Mary of Burgundy. The Duchy of Burgundy itself was then absorbed back into France and most of the remaining territories, as a result of Mary's marriage to Maximilian of Habsburg, passed to the House of Habsburg, forming part of a much larger empire.

Territories of the Valois dukes of Burgundy The dukes' lands straddled the border areas between the Kingdom of France and the Holy Roman Empire and were divided into two groups of possessions. In the south was the Duchy of Burgundy itself, and the neighbouring County of Burgundy (the modern Franche-Comté), a fief of the Empire. These possessions were separated from the Burgundian Netherlands in the north, where the dukes derived most of their wealth, power and prestige. Charles the Bold briefly united the southern and northern domains through conquest but these gains were lost with his death in 1477.

The following is a list of territories held, at any time, by a Valois duke of Burgundy, either in their own right or jure uxoris.

+TerritoryAcquired byDate acquiredMeans of acquisitionSubsequent historyDuchy of BurgundyPhilip the Bold1363Granted to Philip as an appanage by his father John II of France.Following the death of the last Valois duke, Charles the Bold at the Battle of Nancy, 1477, the Duchy returned to the French crown.Lordship of Jaucourt1367Purchased by Philip from Jeanne .On Philip's death, passed to Philip of Nevers and his descendants.Castellanies in Champagne1382Beaufort, Nogent-l'Artaud, Lassicourt, and Soulaines granted to Philip by Charles VI.On Philip's death in 1404, returned to the French crown.County of Burgundy1384The territories were inherited by Philip's wife, Margaret of Flanders, from her father Louis of Male, Count of Flanders who died in 1384.: for the inheritance other than Isle, Chaource, Villemaur and Donzy: for Isle, Chaource and Villemaur: for Donzy Philip then took control of the territories and assumed the various comital and other titles. Margaret died in 1405, a year after Philip, and the territories were inherited by the next duke, John the Fearless, except Nevers, Rethel, Isle, Chaource, Villemaur and Donzy.Seized by Louis XI after Charles the Bold's death but returned to Charles's heirs, the House of Habsburg, by the Treaty of Senlis, 1493.Lordship of SalinsCounty of ArtoisLordship of MechelenFollowing Charles the Bold's death in 1477, Flanders passed to the House of Habsburg through marriage to Charles's daughter and heir, Mary, as did Mechelen.Walloon FlandersCounty of FlandersIsle, Chaource and VillemaurBy 1407, Nevers, Rethel, Isle, Chaource, Villemaur and Donzy had been vested in Philip's youngest son, Philip of Nevers and his descendants.Barony of DonzyCounty of RethelCounty of NeversCounty of Charolais1390Purchased by Philip for 60,000 francs from John III, Count of Armagnac.Seized by France in 1477, but returned to Charles the Bold's Habsburg heirs in 1493.Bailiwick of MâconJohn the Fearless1417Seized by force from the French crown, confirmed by Treaty of Arras 1435.Annexed by Louis XI in 1477.County of Tonnerre1419Conquest from Louis de Chalons confirmed by royal grant in 1419.Confirmed by Treaty of Arras 1435 as a royal enclave with the duke having administration rights.Péronne, Roye and MontdidierPhilip the Good1420Ceded by Charles VII and confirmed by the Treaty of Arras 1435.In 1477, Louis XI of France annexed Boulogne, Auxerre, Bar-sur-Seine, Péronne, Roye and Montdidier.County of Boulogne1423Seized in 1423 and confirmed by the Treaty of Arras 1435.County of Auxerre1424Transferred by Henry VI, confirmed by Treaty of Arras 1435.Castellany of Bar-sur-SeineCounty of Namur1429Bequeathed by John of Namur who had been paid 132,000 crowns.Following Charles the Bold's death in 1477, the territories passed to the House of Habsburg through marriage to Charles's daughter and heir, Mary.Duchy of Limburg1430Philip's uncle, Anthony, inherited Brabant from his great aunt in 1406. Anthony's son, Philip of St. Pol, bequeathed it to Philip on his death in 1430. Antwerp was a dependency of Brabant, as was Limburg and the Lands of Overmaas.Lands of OvermaasMargraviate of AntwerpDuchy of BrabantCounty of Holland1433In personal union since the 13th century. Philip increased his influence over the counties leading the ruler, Jacqueline of Hainaut, to cede her rights to him in 1433.County of ZeelandCounty of HainautCounty of Ponthieu1435Transferred to Philip by the Treaty of Arras, 1435In 1477, Louis XI of France annexed the Somme towns, Ponthieu and Vermandois.County of VermandoisThe Somme townsDuchy of Luxembourg1443Seized in 1443. Philip paid the ruler, Elizabeth of Görlitz, a pension of 7,000 florins per year for inheritance rights. Succeeded on her death in 1451.Following Charles the Bold's death in 1477, the duchy passed to the House of Habsburg through marriage to Charles's daughter and heir, Mary.Lordship of Château-ChinonCharles the Bold1454Through Charles's marriage with Isabella of BourbonPassed to Charles's Habsburg heirs by Treaty of Senlis 1493County of Ferrette1469Acquired by Treaty of Saint-Omer from Sigismund of Habsburg as security for a loan of 50,000 Rhenish florins.Lost in 1474 as a result of rebellion in Alsace.BreisgauLandgraviate of Upper AlsaceCounty of Zutphen1473Charles seized the Duchy by force in 1473. Shortly before Charles's invasion Arnold, Duke of Guelders died and left the Duchy to him in his will. The County of Zutphen was a dependency.Guelders re-asserted its independence on Charles's death 1477. His Habsburg heirs attempted to recover the Duchy. Achieved by his great-grandson, Charles V, in 1543.Duchy of GueldersDuchy of Bar1475In 1475, Charles seized Lorraine by force from René II, Duke of Lorraine and had himself installed as Duke in December of that year. Bar, a dependency of Lorraine, was occupied as well.With Charles's defeat and death at the Battle of Nancy, January 1477, René II recovered the Duchies.Duchy of Lorraine

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