Grand Dukes of the West: A History of Valois Burgundy

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

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

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

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

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