Duchy of Burgundy

The Duchy of Burgundy began in the 9th century as part of the Frankish Empire. It was created from the remains of the Kingdom of the Burgundians, which had been conquered in 532. In 1004, King Robert II of France reduced Burgundy to a duchy. His son, King Henry I, gave the duchy to his brother Robert in 1032, starting the House of Burgundy, a branch of the Capetian dynasty.

The duchy covered lands similar to modern Burgundy. When Duke Philip I died in 1361, the duchy returned to the French crown. In 1363, King John II gave it to his son Philip the Bold, who married Margaret III of Flanders. This marriage helped create the Burgundian State, which expanded into the Burgundian Netherlands.

The Burgundian State became one of the largest territories in early modern Europe. However, after Duke Charles the Bold died in 1477, the duchy was absorbed into France. Most of the Burgundian lands in the Netherlands went to Charles’ daughter, Mary, and her Habsburg descendants.