Duchy of Burgundy forged by Philip the Bold (r.1364–1404) was a cluster of
principalities with one center at Dijon (the traditional Burgundy) and another at Lille,
in the north (the traditional Flanders). The only unity in these disparate regions was
provided by the dukes themselves, who traveled tirelessly from one end of their
duchy to the other, participating in elaborate ceremonies—lavish entry processions
into cities, wedding and birth festivities, funerals—and commissioning art and music
that both celebrated and justified their power. (See Map 8.4.)
Like the kings of France, Philip the Bold was a Valois, but his grandson, Philip
the Good (r.1419–1467), decided to link his destiny with England, long the major
trading partner of Flanders. Thus, with the support of the Burgundians, the English
easily marched into Paris, inadvertently helped by the French king, Charles VI
(r.1380–1422), whose frequent bouts of insanity created a vacuum at the top of
France’s leadership. The Treaty of Troyes (1420) made Henry V the heir to the
throne of France.
