Charles the Bold, Last Duke of Burgundy, 1433-1477Putnam, Ruth
History
Charles the Bold, Last Duke of Burgundy, 1433-1477
Putnam, Ruth
Burgundy (France) -- History; Charles, Duke of Burgundy, 1433-1477; Switzerland -- History -- 1032-1499
"As for tydings ther was a truce taken at Brusslys about the xxvi
day off March last, betwyn the Duke of Burgoyn and the Frense
Kings inbassators and Master William Atclyff ffor the king heer,
whiche is a pese be londe and be water tyll the ffyrst daye off
Apryll nowe next comyng betweyn Fraunce and Ingeland, and also the
Dukys londes. God holde it ffor ever."
The writer had recently been in Charles's court. Writing from Calais
in February, he says:
"As ffor tydyngs heer ther bee but few saff that the Duke of
Burgoyen and my Lady hys wyffe fareth well. I was with them on
Thorysdaye last past at Gaunt."[4]
The Duke of Burgundy was not the only pretender to the vacated
sovereignty of Guelders. The Duke of Juliers was also inclined to
urge his cause, were Adolf's family to be set aside. At the sight
of Burgundian puissance, however, he was ready to be convinced, and
accepted 24,000 florins for his acquiescence in the righteousness of
the accession. Several of the cities manifested opposition to Charles,
but yielded one after another. In Nimwegen--long hostile to Duke
Arnold--there was a determined effort to support little Charles of
Guelders who, with his sister, was in that city. The child made a
pretty show on his little pony, and there were many declarations of
devotion to his cause as he was put forward to excite sympathy. For
three weeks, the town held out in his name. The resistance to the
Burgundian troops was sturdy. When the gates gave way before their
attacks the burghers defended the broken walls. Six hundred English
archers were repulsed from an assault with such sudden energy that
they left their banners sticking in the very breaches they thought
they had won, fine prizes for the triumphant citizens. But the game
was unequal, and the combatants, convinced that discretion was the
better part of valour, at last accepted the Duke of Cleves as a
mediator with their would-be sovereign.
On July 19th, a long civic procession headed by the burgomasters,
wearing neither hats nor shoes, marched to the Duke of Burgundy with a
prayer for pardon on their lips. The leaders of the opposition to his
accession were delivered over to the mercy of the victor. The garrison
were accorded their lives and a tax was imposed on the city to
indemnify the duke for his needless trouble, and Guelders was added
_de facto_ to the list of Burgundian ducal titles. In the various
state papers presently issued by the new ruler, the mention of the
circumstance of his accession to the sovereignty was simple and
straightforward, as in a certain document appointing Olivier de la
Marche to be treasurer. The patent bears the date of August 18th and
was one of the earliest issued by Charles in this new capacity.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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