Burgundian State

States of the Duke of Burgundy
1384–1482
Above: Ducal banner Below: Cross of Burgundy Coat of arms
The Burgundian State at its greatest extent, under Charles the Bold
Status	Personal union
Common languages	Latin, Middle French, Middle Dutch
Religion	Roman Catholicism
Government	Monarchy
Duke of Burgundy
• 1363–1404	Philip the Bold
• 1404–1419	John the Fearless
• 1419–1467	Philip the Good
• 1467–1477	Charles the Bold
• 1477–1482	Mary of Burgundy
Legislature	States General of the Netherlands and Estates of Burgundy
Historical era	Late Middle Ages
• Accession to County of Flanders	30 January 1384
• First Treaty of Arras	21 September 1435
• Battle of Nancy	5 January 1477
• Mary's death	27 March 1482
• Second Treaty of Arras	23 December 1482
Succeeded by Habsburg Monarchy Kingdom of France Holy Roman Empire Habsburg Netherlands

The Burgundian State^[1] (French: État bourguignon [eta buʁɡiɲɔ̃]; Dutch: Bourgondische Rijk [burˈɣɔndisə ˈrɛik]) was a polity ruled by the Dukes of Burgundy from the late 14th to the late 15th centuries, and which ultimately comprised not only the Duchy and County of Burgundy but also the Burgundian Netherlands. The latter, acquired piecemeal over time and largely through inheritance, was, in fact, their principal source of wealth and prestige. The Dukes were members of the House of Valois-Burgundy, a cadet branch of the French royal House of Valois, and the complex of territories they ruled is sometimes referred to as Valois Burgundy.^[2] The term "Burgundian State" was coined by historians and was not in contemporary use; the polity remained a collection of separate duchies and counties in personal union under the Duke of Burgundy.

It is regarded as one of the major powers in Europe of the 15th century. The Dukes of Burgundy were among the wealthiest and the most powerful princes in Europe and were sometimes called "Grand Dukes of the West".^[3] Including the thriving regions of Flanders and Brabant, the Burgundian State was a major centre of trade and commerce and a focal point of courtly culture that set the fashion for European royal houses and their courts.^[4] It nearly turned into a kingdom in its own right, but Charles the Bold's early death at the Battle of Nancy put an end to his Lotharingian dream and his legacy passed to the House of Habsburg through the marriage of his daughter Mary to Maximilian of Austria. Meanwhile Picardy and the Duchy of Burgundy were conquered by the King of France.

The partition of the Burgundian heritage marked the beginning of the centuries-long French–Habsburg rivalry and played a pivotal role in European politics long after Burgundy had lost its role as an independent political identity. With the abdication of Emperor Charles V in 1555, the Burgundian Netherlands passed to the Spanish Empire of King Philip II. During the Dutch Revolt, or the Eighty Years' War (1568–1648), the northern provinces of the Low Countries gained their independence from Spanish rule and formed the Dutch Republic (now the Netherlands). The southern provinces remained under Spanish rule until the 18th century and became known as the Spanish Netherlands, or Southern Netherlands (corresponding roughly to present day Belgium, Luxembourg and northern Hauts-de-France).