Burgundian State, Revolt & Republic

Timeline

Layers

Prince-Bishopric of Liège · French Burgundy (seized 1477) · French gains in Picardy, Artois and Flanders · Valois Burgundy (1363–1477) · Burgundian cadet lines, pledges & occupations · Habsburg Netherlands (1477–1556) · Spanish Netherlands (1556–1648) · Franche-Comté & Charolais (Habsburg, then Spanish) · States-General (Pacification of Ghent) · Dutch Revolt and Dutch Republic

Events

• 6 Sep 1363, Philip the Bold, Duke of Burgundy: King John II of France grants his youngest son Philip the Duchy of Burgundy as an appanage. Philip founds the Valois dynasty of Burgundy and the Charterhouse of Champmol at Dijon, where the dukes are buried.
• 19 Jun 1369, Marriage of Philip the Bold and Margaret of Male: Philip marries Margaret of Male, heiress of Flanders, Artois, Franche-Comté, Nevers and Rethel, in Ghent. To win the match Charles V of France hands Lille, Douai and Orchies back to Flanders.
• 30 Jan 1384, Flanders, Artois and Franche-Comté inherited: Louis of Male dies at Saint-Omer and Philip the Bold rules his wife's inheritance: Flanders, Artois, the Free County of Burgundy, Nevers, Rethel, Mechelen and Antwerp. The Burgundian state now has a northern and a southern bloc.
• 11 May 1390, Charolais bought from Armagnac: John III of Armagnac sells the County of Charolais to Philip the Bold for 60,000 gold francs. Its title becomes the style of the Burgundian heir, like Charles 'count of Charolais'.
• 27 Apr 1404, John the Fearless, Duke of Burgundy: John succeeds Philip the Bold; his brothers Anthony (Brabant) and Philip (Nevers, Rethel) found cadet lines. His struggle with the Armagnacs for control of France dominates the reign.
• 10 Sep 1419, Assassination of John the Fearless: John the Fearless is killed during a parley with the Dauphin on the bridge at Montereau. His son Philip allies with England against the Dauphin.
• 10 Sep 1419, Philip the Good, Duke of Burgundy: Philip the Good gathers most of the Low Countries by purchase, inheritance and force. His court at Brussels, Bruges and Lille is the most splendid in Europe.
• 3 Jul 1428, Treaty of Delft: After years of war Jacqueline of Bavaria recognises Philip the Good as ruwaard and heir of Hainaut, Holland and Zeeland. She abdicates in 1433.
• 1 Mar 1429, Namur taken over: Philip the Good had bought the County of Namur from its last count, John III, in 1421. On John's death in 1429 the county passes to Burgundy.
• 10 Jan 1430, Order of the Golden Fleece founded: At his wedding to Isabella of Portugal in Bruges, Philip the Good founds the Order of the Golden Fleece, binding the great nobles of his lands to the dynasty.
• 4 Aug 1430, Brabant and Limburg inherited: Philip of Saint-Pol, the last duke of the Burgundian cadet line of Brabant, dies childless. Philip the Good inherits Brabant, Limburg and the Lands of Overmaas.
• 6 May 1432, Ghent Altarpiece completed: Jan van Eyck, court painter of Philip the Good, completes the Adoration of the Mystic Lamb begun by his brother Hubert, in St Bavo's in Ghent.
• 21 Sep 1435, Treaty of Arras (1435): Philip the Good makes peace with Charles VII and leaves the English alliance. He gains the Mâconnais, Auxerrois, Bar-sur-Seine, Ponthieu, Boulogne and the Somme towns, and is released from homage for life.
• 22 Nov 1443, Philip the Good takes Luxembourg: Having bought the claims of Elisabeth of Görlitz, Burgundian troops take Luxembourg by night on 21–22 November 1443. The duchy links the northern lands with the Burgundies.
• 8 Oct 1463, Louis XI redeems the Somme towns: Louis XI pays the 400,000 écus agreed at Arras and takes back Amiens, Abbeville, Saint-Quentin and the other Somme towns. The heir, Charles, never forgives it.
• 5 Oct 1465, Treaty of Conflans: Louis XI returns the Somme towns and Ponthieu to Burgundy, redeemable only after Charles's death, and makes concessions to the other league princes.
• 15 Jun 1467, Charles the Bold, Duke of Burgundy: Charles the Bold tries to turn his lands into a kingdom from the North Sea to the Alps. His wars against Liège, France, Lorraine and the Swiss end in his death at Nancy.
• 30 Oct 1468, Sack of Liège: Charles the Bold storms rebellious Liège and has it burned and plundered for weeks. The prince-bishopric becomes a Burgundian protectorate.
• 9 May 1469, Upper Alsace pledged to Charles the Bold: By the Treaty of Saint-Omer, Duke Sigismund of Austria pledges Upper Alsace, the Sundgau, Breisach and the Forest Towns to Charles for 50,000 florins. Peter von Hagenbach governs them harshly.
• 17 Jul 1473, Charles the Bold conquers Guelders: Duke Arnold of Egmond had sold his duchy to Charles, against the will of its towns. After Arnold's death Charles takes Nijmegen and occupies Guelders and Zutphen.
• 29 Jul 1474, Siege of Neuss: Charles besieges Neuss for eleven months in a quarrel over the Archbishopric of Cologne and gives up when an imperial army approaches.
• 30 Nov 1475, Charles the Bold takes Nancy: Charles conquers the Duchy of Lorraine, the gap between his northern and southern lands, and makes Nancy the intended capital of his realm.
• 2 Mar 1476, Battle of Grandson: The Swiss rout Charles the Bold at Grandson and seize his camp, his treasury and his artillery.
• 22 Jun 1476, Battle of Morat: At Morat (Murten) the Swiss and their allies destroy Charles's second army. René II retakes Nancy in October.
• 5 Jan 1477, Battle of Nancy: death of Charles the Bold: Charles the Bold is killed trying to retake Nancy from René II and his Swiss mercenaries. Louis XI at once occupies Burgundy, Picardy and Artois.
• 5 Jan 1477, Mary of Burgundy: Charles's only child must grant her lands the Great Privilege (February 1477). She marries Maximilian of Habsburg in Ghent in August, bringing the Netherlands to the House of Habsburg.
• 7 Aug 1479, Battle of Guinegate: Maximilian defeats the French near Thérouanne, saving the remaining Burgundian lands in the Low Countries.
• 27 Mar 1482, Philip the Fair: Mary dies after a riding accident near Bruges; her son Philip inherits under the contested regency of his father Maximilian. Through his marriage to Joanna of Castile the Netherlands become part of a Spanish-Habsburg inheritance.
• 23 Dec 1482, Treaty of Arras (1482): Maximilian and Louis XI agree that Margaret of Austria will marry the Dauphin, bringing Artois, Franche-Comté, the Mâconnais, Auxerrois and Charolais to France as her dowry.
• 1 Mar 1492, Charles of Egmond recovers Guelders: Ransomed by the Guelders towns, Charles of Egmond is recognised as duke and with French help keeps Guelders independent of the Habsburgs for fifty years.
• 23 May 1493, Treaty of Senlis: Charles VIII marries Anne of Brittany instead of Margaret and returns her dowry: Artois, Franche-Comté and Charolais go back to Philip the Fair. France keeps the Duchy of Burgundy and Picardy.
• 25 Sep 1506, Charles V, lord of the Netherlands: Born in Ghent in 1500, Charles inherits the Netherlands at six (declared of age 1515), then Spain (1516) and the Empire (1519). He completes the Seventeen Provinces.
• 1 Dec 1521, Charles V takes Tournai: Imperial troops take the French enclave of Tournai (English 1513–19). France renounces it at Madrid (1526) and it becomes one of the Seventeen Provinces.
• 1524, Friesland comes under Habsburg rule: Charles V bought the Saxon rights to Friesland in 1515; after Guelders' troops are driven out, the Frisians accept his rule.
• 15 Oct 1528, Utrecht and Overijssel to Charles V: Hard pressed by Guelders, Bishop Henry of Bavaria transfers his temporal rule over the Nedersticht and the Oversticht (Overijssel) to Charles V.
• 3 Aug 1529, Ladies' Peace of Cambrai: Margaret of Austria and Louise of Savoy make peace: Francis I renounces his suzerainty over Flanders and Artois, which leave the French crown for good.
• 10 Dec 1536, Groningen and Drenthe to Charles V: Groningen submits to Charles V in June 1536; by the Treaty of Grave Charles of Egmond gives up Groningen, the Ommelanden and Drenthe.
• 7 Sep 1543, Treaty of Venlo: William of Jülich-Cleves surrenders Guelders and Zutphen to Charles V. The Seventeen Provinces are complete; Cambrai receives an imperial citadel the same year.
• 4 Nov 1549, Pragmatic Sanction: After the Burgundian Treaty (1548), Charles V decrees that the Seventeen Provinces shall always pass undivided to one heir.
• 25 Oct 1555, Philip II: Charles V abdicates in the great hall of the Coudenberg palace in Brussels. His son Philip II, king of Spain from January 1556, leaves the Netherlands for good in 1559.
• 10 Aug 1557, Battle of Saint-Quentin: The Spanish-Netherlandish army under Emmanuel Philibert of Savoy and the Count of Egmont crushes a French relief army and takes Saint-Quentin.
• 3 Apr 1559, Peace of Cateau-Cambrésis: France and Spain end sixty years of Italian wars. France returns Thionville, Marienbourg, Montmédy, Damvillers and Ivoy; Spain returns Saint-Quentin.
• 5 Apr 1566, Petition of the Nobles: Some 200 nobles present the Compromise to the governor Margaret of Parma asking to soften the heresy laws; a courtier calls them 'beggars' (gueux).
• 10 Aug 1566, Iconoclastic Fury: After a hedge sermon at Steenvoorde, Calvinists storm the monastery of Saint-Laurent; within weeks images are smashed in churches from Flanders to Groningen.
• 23 May 1568, Battle of Heiligerlee: Louis of Nassau defeats a royal army in Groningen, traditionally the start of the Eighty Years' War; his brother Adolf is killed.
• 5 Jun 1568, Execution of Egmont and Horn: Alba has the Counts of Egmont and Horn beheaded on the Grand-Place of Brussels, turning the moderate nobility against Spain.
• 1 Apr 1572, Capture of Brielle: The Sea Beggars seize the undefended port of Brielle; Vlissingen and most Holland and Zeeland towns follow in the next months. 'Op 1 april verloor Alva zijn bril.'
• 19 Jul 1572, William of Orange, stadtholder: At the first free assembly in Dordrecht the States of Holland recognise William of Orange as stadtholder. He leads the Revolt until his murder in Delft.
• 11 Dec 1572, Siege of Haarlem: After sacking Mechelen, Zutphen and Naarden, Alba's son Don Fadrique besieges Haarlem for seven months; the garrison is massacred after the surrender.
• 3 Oct 1574, Relief of Leiden: The Sea Beggars sail over the inundated polders to relieve starving Leiden. William of Orange founds its university in 1575.
• 4 Nov 1576, Spanish Fury at Antwerp: Unpaid Spanish troops sack Antwerp and kill thousands. Four days later the provinces unite against the Spanish soldiers.
• 8 Nov 1576, Pacification of Ghent: The States-General and Holland and Zeeland agree to expel the Spanish troops and suspend the heresy edicts; almost all provinces now oppose Spanish rule.
• 31 Jan 1578, Battle of Gembloux: Don John of Austria and Alexander Farnese rout the army of the States-General and begin the royal reconquest of the south.
• 6 Jan 1579, Union of Arras: Artois, Hainaut and Walloon Flanders form a Catholic union and reconcile with Philip II in May 1579, splitting the Low Countries.
• 23 Jan 1579, Union of Utrecht: Holland, Zeeland, Utrecht, Guelders and the Ommelanden conclude a defensive union, later joined by Friesland, Overijssel and many Flemish and Brabant towns; it becomes the basis of the Dutch Republic.
• 12 Mar 1579, Siege of Maastricht: Alexander Farnese, Duke of Parma, takes Maastricht after a siege of almost four months; much of the population is killed in the sack.
• 26 Jul 1581, Act of Abjuration: The States-General declare that Philip II has forfeited his rule over the Netherlands, the first formal deposition of a monarch by his subjects in Europe.
• 10 Jul 1584, Assassination of William of Orange: Balthasar Gérard shoots William of Orange in the Prinsenhof at Delft; Ghent surrenders to Parma two months later.
• 17 Aug 1585, Fall of Antwerp: Parma blockades the Scheldt with a bridge of ships and forces Antwerp to surrender. Protestants must leave; many merchants and craftsmen move to Amsterdam.
• 1 Nov 1585, Maurice of Nassau, stadtholder: William's son Maurice becomes stadtholder of Holland and Zeeland and captain-general; his reformed army wins back the north and east in 1590–1597.
• 12 Apr 1588, The Republic of the Seven United Netherlands: After the failure of Anjou and Leicester, the States-General take sovereignty themselves: the Republic of the Seven United Provinces is born.
• 4 Mar 1590, Breda taken with a turf ship: Seventy soldiers hidden under peat in a barge surprise the Spanish garrison of Breda, opening Maurice's ten years of victories.
• 23 Jul 1594, Reduction of Groningen: Maurice and William Louis take Groningen after a two-month siege; city and Ommelanden become the seventh province of the Union.
• 24 Jan 1597, Battle of Turnhout: Maurice's cavalry destroys a Spanish force at Turnhout; that summer he takes Rheinberg, Groenlo, Bredevoort, Enschede, Oldenzaal and Lingen.
• 6 May 1598, The Archdukes Albert and Isabella: Philip II cedes the Netherlands to his daughter Isabella and her husband Archduke Albert. Their reign brings recovery and the Catholic Baroque of Rubens to the south.
• 2 Jul 1600, Battle of Nieuwpoort: Maurice beats Archduke Albert on the dunes near Nieuwpoort, but his march on Dunkirk fails.
• 5 Jul 1601, Siege of Ostend: For more than three years the States-held port of Ostend resists the Archdukes; Spinola finally takes the ruins, after the Dutch have taken Sluis.
• 20 Mar 1602, Dutch East India Company founded: The States-General charter the VOC, the first great joint-stock company, with a monopoly on Asian trade; Amsterdam becomes the entrepôt of the world.
• 9 Apr 1609, Twelve Years' Truce: Signed in Antwerp: Spain treats with the United Provinces 'as free lands' and the front freezes along the lines held in 1609.
• 13 Jul 1621, King Philip IV: On Archduke Albert's death the southern Netherlands return to the Spanish crown; Isabella governs for Philip IV until 1633. The war with the Republic resumes.
• 28 Aug 1624, Siege of Breda: Ambrogio Spinola starves Breda into surrender after nine months, the scene of Velázquez's Surrender of Breda.
• 23 Apr 1625, Frederick Henry, stadtholder: Maurice's half-brother, 'the stormer of cities', conquers 's-Hertogenbosch, Maastricht and Breda and turns the tide of the war.
• 30 Apr 1629, Siege of 's-Hertogenbosch: Frederick Henry encloses the fortress-city in a ring of dikes and pumps and takes it; the Meierij becomes Dutch-controlled Generality land.
• 22 Aug 1632, Capture of Maastricht: Frederick Henry's Meuse campaign takes Venlo, Roermond and Sittard, then Maastricht; Venlo and Roermond are lost again in 1637.
• 20 May 1635, France enters the war: Les Avins: France declares war on Spain and defeats a Spanish army at Les Avins near Huy, beginning 24 years of war for the Spanish Netherlands and Franche-Comté.
• 10 Oct 1637, Breda retaken: Frederick Henry recaptures Breda for good after a three-month siege, while the Cardinal-Infante takes Venlo and Roermond.
• 9 Aug 1640, Fall of Arras: A French army takes Arras, capital of Artois: 'Quand les Français prendront Arras, les souris mangeront les chats.'
• 19 May 1643, Battle of Rocroi: The young Duke of Enghien destroys the Spanish tercios invading France at Rocroi; Thionville falls to him in August.
• 11 Oct 1646, Dunkirk taken by France: Enghien takes Dunkirk, the base of the Spanish privateers; Courtrai, Bergues and Furnes had fallen earlier that year.
• 30 Jan 1648, Peace of Münster: Spain recognises the independence of the United Provinces and their conquests in Brabant, Flanders and Limburg (the Generality Lands); ratified 15 May 1648. The Franco-Spanish war goes on until 1659.