Grand Dukes of the West: A History of Valois Burgundy

Latest Episodes:

Episode 70: Fathers and Sons Sep 14, 2026

Show notes

The arrival of Dauphin Louis at the Burgundian Court has only caused the already heightened tensions between France and Burgundy to heighten further. As Philip plays host to the King's son, his own is finding himself ever more alienated, meanwhile the King is preparing to strike a blow against the power of the French magnates.

Time Period Covered: 1457-1458

Notable People: Philip the Good, Charles the Bold, Charles VII, Louis XI, Laudislaus the Posthumous, John II Duke of Alencon

Notable Events/Developments: Charles Count of Charolais in Holland, Dispute about the Somme Towns, French ambitions in Luxembourg, Charles VII's Anti-Burgundian Allies, Treason of the Duke of Alencon, Trial of the Duke of Alencon

Episode 69: Incroyable Aug 17, 2026

Show notes

The House of Croy had a dramatic rise over the course of the 15th Century. Beginning as Banneret Lords in Picardy, through their closeness with the Dukes of Burgundy, they gained immense riches, vast lands, and significant power. As Philip the Good aged, the Croy only grew more influential and more acquisitive, and the more they gained the more enemies they made.

Time Period Covered: 1400-1457

Notable People: Philip the Good, Jean I de Croy, Antoine de Croy, Jean II de Croy, Philippe de Croy Lord of Renty, Philippe de Croy Lord of Sempy, Louis of Luxembourg Count of Saint-Pol, Isabella of Portugal, Charles the Bold, Louis XI

Notable Events/Developments: Rise of the House of Croy, Excommunication of Jean II de Croy, Marriage of Jacqueline of Luxembourg and Philippe de Croy Lord of Renty, Fallout between Louis of Luxembourg and Philip the Good, Dispute over Charles the Bold's chamberlain, Philip the Good gets lost in the woods

Episode 68: England or France? Jul 20, 2026

Show notes

In the 1440s, the Burgundian Court began to be rocked by a question: should Burgundy align itself with England or France?

Time Period Covered: 1444-1454

Notable People: Philip the Good, Isabella of Portugal, Charles the Bold, King Charles VII, Isabella of Bourbon Countess of Charolais, Charles I Duke of Bourbon, Richard Duke of York, Edmund Beaufort Duke of Somerset, Margaret of Anjou Queen of France, King Henry VI

Notable Events/Developments: Factions at the Burgundian Court, Changing Relations with France, Madness of Henry VI, Beginning of the Wars of the Roses, Relations between the Burgundians and the Yorkists, Charles the Bold's Childhood, Marriage of Charles the Bold and Isabella of Bourbon

Episode 67: A Fox That Will Eat All His Chickens Jun 22, 2026

Show notes

Charles VII and his son Louis had a strained relationship to say the very least, and the Dauphin was eager to escape his father's court and head to Dauphine. Distance would not mend things between father and son, and before long, the Prince was fleeing to Burgundian territory, complicating the already complicated relationship between Philip the Good and Charles VII.

Time Period Covered: 1445-1456

Notable People: Philip the Good, Louis XI, Charles Duke of Orleans, Charles I Duke of Bourbon, Charles Count of Nevers, John of Nevers Count of Etampes, Louis of Luxembourg Count of Saint-Pol, Pierre de Breze, Agnes Sorel, Rene of Anjou, Charles of Anjou Count of Maine, Antoine de Chabannes Count of Dammartin, Francesco Sforza

Notable Events/Developments: Turmoil at Charles VII's Court, The Provocations of the Paris Parlement, Louis of Luxembourg's Dual Loyalties, Dauphin Louis' Exile in Dauphine, Dauphin Louis arrives at the Burgundian Court

Episode 66: Burgundifying the Bishoprics May 25, 2026

Show notes

Throughout the reigns of all the Burgundian Dukes so far, they have been constantly trying to expand their influence over the Church in the Low Countries. In the mid-1450s, Philip the Good would take that project as far as it had ever gone by placing Burgundians on the Episcopal thrones of Utrecht and Liege.

Time Period Covered: 1455-1460

Notable People: Philip the Good, David of Burgundy Bishop of Utrecht, Louis of Bourbon Bishop of Liege, Gijsbrecht van Brederode, Reinoud van Brederode, Duke Arnold of Guelders, Catherine of Cleves Duchess of Guelders, Jean de Lannoy Stadtholder of Holland, Rudolph von Diepholz Bishop of Utrecht, John of Heinsberg Bishop of Liege

Notable Events/Developments: Death of Rudolph von Diepholz, Election of Gijsbrecht van Brederode, Siege of Deventer (1456), David of Burgundy becomes Bishop of Utrecht, Louis of Bourbon becomes Bishop of Liege

Episode 65: The Almost Crusade Apr 27, 2026

Show notes

All his life, Philip the Good dreamed of going on Crusade, and all his life other things kept getting in the way. But even though the Duke of Burgundy never made it on Crusade, the Crusading Ideal still played a large part in the Duke's reign, image, and stature as a Prince.

Time Period Covered: 1421-1456

Notable People: Philip the Good, Gilbert de Lannoy, Bertrandon de la Broquiere, Geoffroy de Thoisy, Waleran de Wavrin, Olivier de la Marche, Pope Pius II, Alphonso V of Aragon and Naples, Louis the Rich Duke of Bavaria

Notable Events/Developments: Travels of Gilbert de Lannoy, Travels of Bertrandon de la Broquiere, Crusade of Varna, Fall of Constantinople, The Feast of the Pheasant, The Diet of Regensburg (1454)

Episode 64: Jan van Eyck and the Northern Renaissance Mar 30, 2026

Show notes

The Dukes of Burgundy presided over one of the great flowerings of Art and Culture in the Later Middle Ages. While the Northern Renaissance was not a purely Burgundian phenomenon, the Burgundian Court and the Cities of the Burgundian Low Countries were at the Center of advances in Painting, Music, Building and more.

The Duke of Burgundy, the Burgundian Nobility, and the rising Bourgeoisie, all commissioned art at a greater scale than ever before and they cultivated some of the best artists of the age in the process.

Time Period Covered: 1400s

Painters: Jan van Eyck, Rogier van Der Weyden, Robert Campin

Composers: Guillaume Dufay, Gilles Binchois, Antoine Busnois

Writers: Georges Chastellain, Michaut Taillevent, Jean Molinet, Antoine de la Salle, Olivier de la Marche, Philippe de Commynes

Artistic Movements: Early Netherlandish Painting, Brabantine Gothic Architecture, Burgundian/Franco-Flemish School of Music, Grands Rhetoriquers

Episode 63: Jacques de Lalaing and the Tournament Mar 02, 2026

Show notes

Tournaments were more than an excuse for knights to whack each other with sticks, they were elaborate court events filled with splendor, ritual, and the careful exercise of violence. Perhaps nobody in Burgundy exemplified the Tournament as much as Jacques de Lalaing; through his skill in the lists, Jacques won fame on par with modern star athletes.

Time Period Covered: 1430-1453

Notable People: Jacques de Lalaing, Philip the Good, Rene of Anjou, Pierre de Bauffremont Count of Charny, Philippe de Ternant, Jean de Boniface, Juan de Merlo, Galeotto Balthazar

Notable Events/Developments: Rise of Pas d'Armes, Pas of Charlemagne's Tree (1443), Tournament of Nancy (1444), Pas of the Fountain of Tears (1449-1450)

Bonus Episode: The Formidable Women Who Shaped Medieval Europe with Susan Abernethy Feb 07, 2026

Show notes

Susan Abernethy, who you might also know as the Freelance History Writer, has recently put out her second book, The Formidable Women Who Shaped Medieval Europe, which dives into the biographies of over 40 women whose lives intersected with Burgundy in some way or another and adds rich context to the Burgundian Story.

The Formidable Women Who Shaped Medieval Europe is out now, and I highly recommend checking it out. It is available through the publisher, Pen and Sword, and is also on Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Blackwell's and more.

Supplemental 13: Stories from the Burgundian Court Feb 02, 2026

Show notes

The Cent Nouvelles Nouvelles is a collection of 100 Stories told at the Burgundian Court compiled around 1450. In this episode some of my fellow History Podcasters will relate 10 of these stories (see timestamps below). An English Translation of the Cent Nouvelles Nouvelles by Robert B. Douglas can be found on Project Guteburg if you would like to follow along or read the rest of the stories.

3:36 - Story 1 - The Reverse of the Medal - Read By Jerry from Presidencies of the United States

19:51 - Story 5 - The Duel with the Buckle Strap - Read by David from The Siecle

28:09 - Story 6 - The Drunkard in Paradise - Read by Fry from Pontifacts

35:08 - Story 15 - The Clever Nun - Read by Bry from Pontifacts

41:26 - Story 21 - The Abbess Cured - Read by Ethan from The History of How We Play

51:15 - Story 46 - How the Nun Paid for the Pears - Read by Theresa from Attack of the Final Girls and No Time To Bleed

57:11 - Story 58 - Scorn for Scorn - Read by David from Tudoriferous

1:01:32 - Story 71 — The Considerate Cuckold - Read by Jane (My Fiance)

1:05:38 - Story 96 - A Good Dog - Read by Joe from Prime Factors

1:09:37 - Story 99 - The Metamorphosis - Read by Roberto from Tsar Power and A History of Saqartvelo Georgia

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