Damn right she is, the sister of her friend Isabella and daughter of the proud Trastamara family.
The Grand Duchy of the West - A Valois-Burgundian TL
- Thread starter BlueFlowwer
- Start date
I can only hope Catalina's reproductive history is better this time around...
Since she's not gonna have the period of fastings and depressions as otl after Arthur's death, yeah, the Yorks are gonna have children for a long while after.
Trust me we do.
Doesn't stop us from hoping agaisnt hope for the best for best boys and girls.
I think Catherine will have around 4-5 living children in this tl. Richard and Beatriz will have around 7 or 8 children.
No update today I'm afraid. I want to finish a few more chapters before I post it.
Gosh, you are both so sweet.
Given we will be dealing with a marriage, Shakespearean dramatic love dialogue, Mad wars, chaos, babies, hostage negotiations on several fronts, France being bonked with a military mallet on the head, Philip being a shifty hypocritical bastard and the death of a king in 1490, I sure as hell hope it will be worth it. Also we're gonna check in with Austria and HRE and see what the heck Maximilian has been up to in the mean time. I kind of lost track of him somewhere.
It's midnight, so I'll be signing out for the night.
Can't Wait for it all!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!Gosh, you are both so sweet.
Given we will be dealing with a marriage, Shakespearean dramatic love dialogue, Mad wars, chaos, babies, hostage negotiations on several fronts, France being bonked with a military mallet on the head, Philip being a shifty hypocritical bastard and the death of a king in 1490, I sure as hell hope it will be worth it. Also we're gonna check in with Austria and HRE and see what the heck Maximilian has been up to in the mean time. I kind of lost track of him somewhere.
It's midnight, so I'll be signing out for the night.
So long as his hypocrisy works to the benefit of Burgundy, Philip can be as hypocritical as he likes!!
Philip will make a love marriage but then deny another the same choice.
Like Mary Tudor,Queen of France who went off and married Suffolk but then opposed the marriage of Henry VIII and Anee Boleyn.
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You probably won’t think I’m sweet when I next update my TL. 😬Gosh, you are both so sweet.
Chapter 12 - The Low Countries 1484-5
Chapter 12. A Duchy to the Northeast, a Duchy to the Southwest– The Low Countries 1484-5
You all, it seems like I got a amazing new job today! So here's a new chapter to celebrate!
Charles of Brabant’s funeral ceremony in Brussel were an elaborate one. A procession of people draped in black clothing wound their way through the streets of the city draped in black cloth. Lit torches and flambeaux illuminated it, while mourners tossing flowers at the small carriage. The duke walked at the head of the entourage with his eleven-year-old brother John at his side. Behind them rode Margaret of York and seven-year-old Anne of Burgundy. Charles and Philippa of Guelders walked after the ducal family as usual.
Baby Charles would be interred with his mother and in 1499, artist Pierre de Beckere of Brussels created a magnificent bronze monument for the tomb.
Tomb of Mary of York and Charles of Brabant
Philip of Burgundy had turned fifteen in spring of 1484 and in the autumn had six months before becoming sixteen. As his coming of age was nearing, his mother and the grand council has given him more authority from 1483 and onwards, but it would be in summer of 1485 he entirely grabbed the reins of government. Right now, the support of his mother provided vital. Her son had been both widowed and lost his firstborn in less of the span of a year, and Margaret made sure he was supported from all sides. While the marriage of Philip and Mary had neither been close or loving, she had none the less been his wife and mother of his heir. These losses at his young age marked even the sturdiest of dukes.
The matters of his second marriage occupied Margaret’s mind in the autumn of 1484. Her first consideration was to maintain the Anglo-Burgundian relationship as she had done and look at her own family. Joan of Gloucester had turned nine, but it would be at least five more years before she would be old enough to become a wife. And given Mary had just died in childbirth, an older bride could be useful. France and Scotland had no princesses to offer. A Portuguese marriage would have been a good alliance, as Philip’s grandmother had been Isabella of Portugal, but Beatriz of Viseu had been nabbed by her brother before the Burgundians could make a counteroffer. Juana of Aragon was six years old, and Philip could not afford to wait for close to a decade. Mary, Duchess of Lorraine had a four-year-old daughter, Margaret, but she was even younger than Juana.
An imperial marriage was on Margaret’s mind right from the start. Emperor Frederick III has two children, Maximilian and Kunigunde of Austria, the latter being nineteen years old and unmarried. Maximilian had been Mary’s former suitor and relationships between the duchy and HRE needed to be improved upon. Margaret broached the idea to the Estates Generals in November and despite hesitation from several delegates, negotiations started shortly afterwards. The estates of Flanders disliked the idea of being connected to the Empire, as Charles the Bold’s dealing with the Hapsburgs regarding Alsace and Breisgau had led directly to the disasters in Zurich. Fear of imperial entanglements could lead to another conflict with the Swiss Confederacy, and it would require the levies of soldier and taxation once more. Another concern was the Fugger family, as the Hapsburgs had become more indebted to the banker family. The imperial family was always in need of money, so the question of Kunigunde’s dowry had to be considered. The Fugger’s should not be allowed to gain a foothold in the ducal trades or be granted any property there.
Negotiations with the Empire went slowly under winter and spring. But Philip had his own ideas of who his next bride should be. And so did the Guelders siblings. They weren’t alone in this regard, as more parts of the duchy considered Philippa of Guelders as a good candidate its next duchess. The match would solve the inheritance of the Duchy of Guelders, as Charles the Bold had brought the duchy, and imprisoned the rightful duke. Adolf had died in service to Burgundy at the battle of Dóle in 1479, leaving his son Charles as the new Duke, at the age of twelve. Charles had grown up with Philip in court since 1473 and they were inseparable. As Charles was seventeen years old, some voices in Guelders began to glamour for independence from the Low Countries, sparking worry about an impending war for the estates. Guelders could also provide Philip with the claims of Groningen and Frisia in the north-eastern provinces. It also could be a springboard to strengthen the influences in Drenthe and the diocese of Utrecht, as well as their neighbours in the County of Cleves and Mark.
The only problem was Charles himself. Philippa had no claim to her brother’s realms while Charles was duke. Fortunately, the wily siblings held a greater loyalty to Philip then estimated. And Charles had no intention of leaving his friend at all, also knowing the feelings between his twin and his best friend. Philippa was also extremely popular in many areas of Burgundy and the court itself. The relationship between Philip and Charles has been mischaracterised as a co-dependent and bordering on obsession from the latter by several historians. Charles has been called “slavishly devoted to Philip and forsaking his own duties to stay close to a man who used him to seize his inheritance”. Nothing could be further from the truth. Charles benefited from his sister’s marriage to Philip, becoming one of his most trusted lieutenants regarding diplomacy, and military affairs. Moreover, the young men shared a common goal regarding the provinces to the north of Brabant.
Charles von Egmont, Duke of Guelders
Negotiations between the HRE and Burgundy stalled completely by the beginning of summer, as the territories of Alsace and Kunigunde’s dowry provided the biggest stumbling blocks.
The Estates General would give their consent for Philip to marry Philippa of Guelders in late July of 1485.
It would come down to a chain of events taking place in Holland and Utrecht. The failures of the current steward of Holland in 1484 provided Philip with a good reason to visit the County. His intentions were many; shoring up his authority in Holland, as he has not been there much before, to make the Hauge a residence of the ducal court and to put the end to a very old conflict as well. The death of Charles the Bold had triggered a new phase of a century old conflict in the bishopric of Utrecht called the Hoekse en Kabeljauwse twisten, or the Hook and Cod Wars. The whole mess started in 1350 between the progressive cities of Holland and the nobility ruling there, the former being the Hooks and the latter the Cods.
The Burgundians had since long tried to control the bishopric, and in 1456 David of Burgundy, a bastard son of Philip the Good, had been appointed Prince-Bishop. He had been supported by the Cods and things had calmed down for a time. Charles’s death had led to the Hooks gaining grounds and causing troubles involving Cleves, as the Hooks needed an ally since they were still bound by oath to Philip. But the years of crisis from 1477 to 1480 had led to a lack of resources in the area, as the fighting had been in the duchy of Burgundy, Hainault, and Luxembourg.
In 1480, the Hooks had allied with John I, Duke of Cleves, as the duchy laid nearby. Cleves had been cautious in encroaching of Philip’s duchy, but as the boy was just eleven years old, he sent his brother, Engelbert, with a large army to oust David. The goal was to make him the new Bishop. The resulted in the Second Utrecht Civil War breaking out in 1481. Philip and Margaret had not been able to help much for the first two years, as the ducal armies had been exhausted after the Battle of Dóle and the estates were unwilling to levy more men for at least for three years unless a foreign army invaded the duchy. Dowager duchess Margaret attempted to send men to Utrecht, but she was meet with limits, given the demands of peace from the cities around the low countries who wanted no more needless ducal fighting. Margaret had been able to use some of Mary of York’s dowry to send relief forces to David under the command of Frederick von Egmont, Count of Buren and Leerdam. They meet with some success, relieving the pressured forces of Jan van Schaffelaar as well as cutting off supply lines to the city. More importantly, they were able to capture Engelbert in summer of 1484, halting much of the momentum. The leader of the anti-Burgundians, viscount Jan van Montfoort had also been captured after a while, leading to peace and order being restored. David of Burgundy had been restored to power afterwards, returning to the episcopal palace in June. However, as the ducal family was preoccupied with the death of Mary of York and the breaking of the alliance with England afterwards and the Hooks had become emboldened. In October a night raid had captured the Prince-Bishop David, who was taken to Amersfoort and imprisoned.
That act forced the Estates to give in Philip’s demand to crush the rebellious nobles and this time he had support from the cities of Flanders, who saw a common cause with the cities of Holland. It was a testament to how popular their young duke had become in Flanders, who had been far more hostile to his father. It also proved to be the core of Philip’s governmental policy for the rest of his reign. A large army of 8,000 men were levied under the winter and marched on Utrecht in February. The city surrendered in early May of 1485 and the bishop was released.
Philip and his entire court arrived in Holland in early June to receive a Blijde Intrede, or a Joyous Entry from the city of Hauge. With him came another force of 800 knights on horseback and a bodyguard of 300 english archers, proving a sight of both splendour and security. The fighting in Holland was over.
Both Philippa and Charles were with him when the Estates gathered in the city of Haag in Holland on the 12th of June. The Binnenhof was the former residence of the Counts of Holland, and it consisted of a complex of different buildings gathered in the city centre. Binnenhof was the residence of the stadtholder or the steward, who governed Holland in the duke’s absence. Right now, the palace was occupied by the entire ducal court, refurbished, cleaned, and draped in Philip’s heraldry to await the Estates General.
The Hall of Knights in the Hauge
1485 would be watershed year in the history of the Low Countries for those studying renaissance Europe. It signified the full independence of the realm from both the Kingdom of France and The Holy Roman Empire. It was also the last time the title Duke of Burgundy was used for their ruler, as the Estates General granted the seventeen-year-old Philip the new title of Grand Duke of Brabant in lieu of their lost duchy. Philip also came fully of age and the regency council was disbanded. He was sworn in as Count of Holland and Zeeland before the estates of the provinces and general estates of the Low Countries in the Ridderzaal, or the Hall of the Knights, the main building in the inner square of the palace complex. He reaffirmed the Great Privilege given by his mother in 1477, replacing the regency council with a Grand Council made up by twenty-four members, all from different region of the duchy. Their formation would govern with the duke in all matters of state. All of this was warmly received by the estates, as they had feared potential conflict now that Philip had come of age, given how combative his father had been at times. Philip’s maturity and desire to govern in according with concord with the Estates General won him great favour.
It was also now where Philip and the Guelders siblings played out their grand scheme. Charles approached the dais where Philip sat enthroned under a canopy of gold embroidered red velvet and kneeled before him. According to witnesses in the hall the scene played out something like this.
Charles: I must implore mine sovereign lord’s pardon, for an unspoken offense against your Grace.
Philip: My Lord of Guelders, what offenses could thee possible have committed against the realm that remains unbeknownst to us?
Charles: I have been receiving messengers from my late lord father’s realm, of dissent against your Grace, as its rightful liege lord.
Philip: Have you betrayed us? Betrayed our confidence in thou, our faith as your brother in all but the covenant of blood?
Charles: I have never betrayed thee. Nor would any force on earth compel me to leave thee side, not for all the realms of this word. But nonetheless, I fear that I shall be used as a figurehead for those who seek to sow dissent in my late father’s dominions, against thee. My brother and my liege. I fear I will be weakened by mortal sin and fall into greed. To lose my mortal soul and damn my own self as an oat breaker. To be cursed into purgatory, along with betrayers such as Cain and Judas, buried within a frozen lake to spend eternity bereft of the ever-pervasive grace of Our Lord Jesus.
Philip: My Lord of Guelders, it is not within mine power to salvage the soul of men. In that only Jesus can save thee from an eternity of torment. Thou must remember that our shield against the horrors of the night are our faith in Him, who Our Lord sent to the world to redeem all of humanity from sin.
Charles: Right thou are, your Grace. I therefore request that I will be given lieu to swear mine own self to the Church, and thus forswear all earthly inheritance of my late father’s dominions, so their rightful liege shall remain thee and thine heirs solely. I shall find the strength I find myself lacking within the solace of Holy Orders and pledge all the days of mine own life to thine service.
Upon saying the last part, Charles drew his sword from the scabbard in one swift move and laid it at Philip’s feet in a scene of devotion. Philip then offered Charles his hand and he kissed the signet ring.
Philip: My Lord of Guelders, We cannot gainsay thee the consolation of Holy Orders, if thou fear for thine soul. But we fear that we shall have no heirs as our late lady wife, Princess Mary, good and gracious as she was for the short duration of our marriage, left us with a son who followed his mother into heaven a fingerful of weeks after. The Emperor will not give us his daughter to wed without drawing our realm into strife. Above all else, we shall need a bride who shall bring peace to mine lands. There seems to be none woman to be found who can fulfill those requirements so far.
Charles: May I give mine sovereign lord a solution to all this grief from the past years? That thou taketh mine own sister, the most noble Lady Philippa to wed. The pledge of Holy Orders prohibits the inheritance of earthly dominions and lacking legitimate heirs of my body, mine claim to our lord father’s lands would fall to mine sister. Should thee not taketh Philippa to marry, thou risk another rival for Guelders in a greedy husband who shall invite fracas and tumult, as he would claim the lands in her name against thee. Wed my sister, and none in Guelders shall raise their hand towards thee. If thou desire the prospects of peace and prosperity in these blessed realms, in this blessed plot, in this realm of happy men, in this river-veined second Eden, then by God almighty, I besiege thee. Marry the Lady Philippa and all of thine subjects shall know their gracious Lord desire nothing more than for peace to reign besides order in thee hands.
Philip: My Lord of Guelders, thee makes a good offer for peace. Our late ancestor Philippe le hardi married the most gracious lady Margarete and acquired a realm beyond all compare, the envy of all other dukes of Christendom. Shall we not be his inheritors and thus secure our realm through the bonds of holy wedlock as well? My lady Philippa, what is thine wishes in this matter? For we much desires to hear them.
Lady Philippa: My Lord, I have naught but the desire to become a good and gracious wife to thee. These lands I arrived to as a child has for the past years become my home as I have grown into the flower of womanhood, and I shall become as good a duchess as it is in my power to be. And if mine hand and heart can be bringing peace and good fortune to your Grace, then I shall be the most happy of all women on Christendom!
The throne of Grand Duke Philip of Brabant, in the Ridderzaal (modern restoration)
So started the marriage between Philip and Philippa according to historians. The Estates General consented to the match on the 30th of June after a few days of discussion. The mythology of the marriage was focused heavily on Philippa’s role as a so-called peace-weaver, an aspect commonly found in the medieval values of queenships. For Philippa, born in the fading twilight of the medieval area as Europe fully ushered in the renaissance age from the shores of the glamorous Republic of Venice to the brackish waters in the city of Stockholm where the old Kalmar Union would breathe its last in 1523, the irony is that she had more in common with the rulers of her own time then her medieval predecessors of a past age.
The role of the Duchesses of Burgundy changed from generations, but they had all played a part in the growth of the duchy as it had come in unison with the Flemish counties with Margaret of Flanders’s marriage with Philip the Bold. Philip the Good in his turn acquired several counties, while his wife, Isabella of Portugal had served as regent and supported a Yorkist wedding for her son. Margaret of York’s tenure had saved the duchy from fears of Mary’s marriage and protected the realm during the tenuous turmoil after her husband’s death. Philippa would remake the image of a Grand Duchess of the renaissance age, mixing humanism and chivalry with piety, influence, and splendour. While Philippa served as a representative of the duke, she was also a keen administrator of her own lands, particularly Guelders and the north-eastern counties above the Duchy of Brabant, who would become crucially important to the futures of her and Philip. In this regard the marriage of Philip and Philippa in 1485 were both a passionate love match and an efficient partnership.
Engelbert of Cleves, still in captivity, proved the springboard for the duke and duchess to take the first steps in fulfilling their common goal after 1485.
Philippa of Guelders, Grand Duchess of Brabant in 1490
Philip of Valois-Burgundy, Grand Duke of Brabant in 1490
Author's Note: A new and fresh chapter! Meet the new duchess of Brabant!
You all, it seems like I got a amazing new job today! So here's a new chapter to celebrate!
Charles of Brabant’s funeral ceremony in Brussel were an elaborate one. A procession of people draped in black clothing wound their way through the streets of the city draped in black cloth. Lit torches and flambeaux illuminated it, while mourners tossing flowers at the small carriage. The duke walked at the head of the entourage with his eleven-year-old brother John at his side. Behind them rode Margaret of York and seven-year-old Anne of Burgundy. Charles and Philippa of Guelders walked after the ducal family as usual.
Baby Charles would be interred with his mother and in 1499, artist Pierre de Beckere of Brussels created a magnificent bronze monument for the tomb.
Tomb of Mary of York and Charles of Brabant
Philip of Burgundy had turned fifteen in spring of 1484 and in the autumn had six months before becoming sixteen. As his coming of age was nearing, his mother and the grand council has given him more authority from 1483 and onwards, but it would be in summer of 1485 he entirely grabbed the reins of government. Right now, the support of his mother provided vital. Her son had been both widowed and lost his firstborn in less of the span of a year, and Margaret made sure he was supported from all sides. While the marriage of Philip and Mary had neither been close or loving, she had none the less been his wife and mother of his heir. These losses at his young age marked even the sturdiest of dukes.
The matters of his second marriage occupied Margaret’s mind in the autumn of 1484. Her first consideration was to maintain the Anglo-Burgundian relationship as she had done and look at her own family. Joan of Gloucester had turned nine, but it would be at least five more years before she would be old enough to become a wife. And given Mary had just died in childbirth, an older bride could be useful. France and Scotland had no princesses to offer. A Portuguese marriage would have been a good alliance, as Philip’s grandmother had been Isabella of Portugal, but Beatriz of Viseu had been nabbed by her brother before the Burgundians could make a counteroffer. Juana of Aragon was six years old, and Philip could not afford to wait for close to a decade. Mary, Duchess of Lorraine had a four-year-old daughter, Margaret, but she was even younger than Juana.
An imperial marriage was on Margaret’s mind right from the start. Emperor Frederick III has two children, Maximilian and Kunigunde of Austria, the latter being nineteen years old and unmarried. Maximilian had been Mary’s former suitor and relationships between the duchy and HRE needed to be improved upon. Margaret broached the idea to the Estates Generals in November and despite hesitation from several delegates, negotiations started shortly afterwards. The estates of Flanders disliked the idea of being connected to the Empire, as Charles the Bold’s dealing with the Hapsburgs regarding Alsace and Breisgau had led directly to the disasters in Zurich. Fear of imperial entanglements could lead to another conflict with the Swiss Confederacy, and it would require the levies of soldier and taxation once more. Another concern was the Fugger family, as the Hapsburgs had become more indebted to the banker family. The imperial family was always in need of money, so the question of Kunigunde’s dowry had to be considered. The Fugger’s should not be allowed to gain a foothold in the ducal trades or be granted any property there.
Negotiations with the Empire went slowly under winter and spring. But Philip had his own ideas of who his next bride should be. And so did the Guelders siblings. They weren’t alone in this regard, as more parts of the duchy considered Philippa of Guelders as a good candidate its next duchess. The match would solve the inheritance of the Duchy of Guelders, as Charles the Bold had brought the duchy, and imprisoned the rightful duke. Adolf had died in service to Burgundy at the battle of Dóle in 1479, leaving his son Charles as the new Duke, at the age of twelve. Charles had grown up with Philip in court since 1473 and they were inseparable. As Charles was seventeen years old, some voices in Guelders began to glamour for independence from the Low Countries, sparking worry about an impending war for the estates. Guelders could also provide Philip with the claims of Groningen and Frisia in the north-eastern provinces. It also could be a springboard to strengthen the influences in Drenthe and the diocese of Utrecht, as well as their neighbours in the County of Cleves and Mark.
The only problem was Charles himself. Philippa had no claim to her brother’s realms while Charles was duke. Fortunately, the wily siblings held a greater loyalty to Philip then estimated. And Charles had no intention of leaving his friend at all, also knowing the feelings between his twin and his best friend. Philippa was also extremely popular in many areas of Burgundy and the court itself. The relationship between Philip and Charles has been mischaracterised as a co-dependent and bordering on obsession from the latter by several historians. Charles has been called “slavishly devoted to Philip and forsaking his own duties to stay close to a man who used him to seize his inheritance”. Nothing could be further from the truth. Charles benefited from his sister’s marriage to Philip, becoming one of his most trusted lieutenants regarding diplomacy, and military affairs. Moreover, the young men shared a common goal regarding the provinces to the north of Brabant.
Charles von Egmont, Duke of Guelders
Negotiations between the HRE and Burgundy stalled completely by the beginning of summer, as the territories of Alsace and Kunigunde’s dowry provided the biggest stumbling blocks.
The Estates General would give their consent for Philip to marry Philippa of Guelders in late July of 1485.
It would come down to a chain of events taking place in Holland and Utrecht. The failures of the current steward of Holland in 1484 provided Philip with a good reason to visit the County. His intentions were many; shoring up his authority in Holland, as he has not been there much before, to make the Hauge a residence of the ducal court and to put the end to a very old conflict as well. The death of Charles the Bold had triggered a new phase of a century old conflict in the bishopric of Utrecht called the Hoekse en Kabeljauwse twisten, or the Hook and Cod Wars. The whole mess started in 1350 between the progressive cities of Holland and the nobility ruling there, the former being the Hooks and the latter the Cods.
The Burgundians had since long tried to control the bishopric, and in 1456 David of Burgundy, a bastard son of Philip the Good, had been appointed Prince-Bishop. He had been supported by the Cods and things had calmed down for a time. Charles’s death had led to the Hooks gaining grounds and causing troubles involving Cleves, as the Hooks needed an ally since they were still bound by oath to Philip. But the years of crisis from 1477 to 1480 had led to a lack of resources in the area, as the fighting had been in the duchy of Burgundy, Hainault, and Luxembourg.
In 1480, the Hooks had allied with John I, Duke of Cleves, as the duchy laid nearby. Cleves had been cautious in encroaching of Philip’s duchy, but as the boy was just eleven years old, he sent his brother, Engelbert, with a large army to oust David. The goal was to make him the new Bishop. The resulted in the Second Utrecht Civil War breaking out in 1481. Philip and Margaret had not been able to help much for the first two years, as the ducal armies had been exhausted after the Battle of Dóle and the estates were unwilling to levy more men for at least for three years unless a foreign army invaded the duchy. Dowager duchess Margaret attempted to send men to Utrecht, but she was meet with limits, given the demands of peace from the cities around the low countries who wanted no more needless ducal fighting. Margaret had been able to use some of Mary of York’s dowry to send relief forces to David under the command of Frederick von Egmont, Count of Buren and Leerdam. They meet with some success, relieving the pressured forces of Jan van Schaffelaar as well as cutting off supply lines to the city. More importantly, they were able to capture Engelbert in summer of 1484, halting much of the momentum. The leader of the anti-Burgundians, viscount Jan van Montfoort had also been captured after a while, leading to peace and order being restored. David of Burgundy had been restored to power afterwards, returning to the episcopal palace in June. However, as the ducal family was preoccupied with the death of Mary of York and the breaking of the alliance with England afterwards and the Hooks had become emboldened. In October a night raid had captured the Prince-Bishop David, who was taken to Amersfoort and imprisoned.
That act forced the Estates to give in Philip’s demand to crush the rebellious nobles and this time he had support from the cities of Flanders, who saw a common cause with the cities of Holland. It was a testament to how popular their young duke had become in Flanders, who had been far more hostile to his father. It also proved to be the core of Philip’s governmental policy for the rest of his reign. A large army of 8,000 men were levied under the winter and marched on Utrecht in February. The city surrendered in early May of 1485 and the bishop was released.
Philip and his entire court arrived in Holland in early June to receive a Blijde Intrede, or a Joyous Entry from the city of Hauge. With him came another force of 800 knights on horseback and a bodyguard of 300 english archers, proving a sight of both splendour and security. The fighting in Holland was over.
Both Philippa and Charles were with him when the Estates gathered in the city of Haag in Holland on the 12th of June. The Binnenhof was the former residence of the Counts of Holland, and it consisted of a complex of different buildings gathered in the city centre. Binnenhof was the residence of the stadtholder or the steward, who governed Holland in the duke’s absence. Right now, the palace was occupied by the entire ducal court, refurbished, cleaned, and draped in Philip’s heraldry to await the Estates General.
The Hall of Knights in the Hauge
1485 would be watershed year in the history of the Low Countries for those studying renaissance Europe. It signified the full independence of the realm from both the Kingdom of France and The Holy Roman Empire. It was also the last time the title Duke of Burgundy was used for their ruler, as the Estates General granted the seventeen-year-old Philip the new title of Grand Duke of Brabant in lieu of their lost duchy. Philip also came fully of age and the regency council was disbanded. He was sworn in as Count of Holland and Zeeland before the estates of the provinces and general estates of the Low Countries in the Ridderzaal, or the Hall of the Knights, the main building in the inner square of the palace complex. He reaffirmed the Great Privilege given by his mother in 1477, replacing the regency council with a Grand Council made up by twenty-four members, all from different region of the duchy. Their formation would govern with the duke in all matters of state. All of this was warmly received by the estates, as they had feared potential conflict now that Philip had come of age, given how combative his father had been at times. Philip’s maturity and desire to govern in according with concord with the Estates General won him great favour.
It was also now where Philip and the Guelders siblings played out their grand scheme. Charles approached the dais where Philip sat enthroned under a canopy of gold embroidered red velvet and kneeled before him. According to witnesses in the hall the scene played out something like this.
Charles: I must implore mine sovereign lord’s pardon, for an unspoken offense against your Grace.
Philip: My Lord of Guelders, what offenses could thee possible have committed against the realm that remains unbeknownst to us?
Charles: I have been receiving messengers from my late lord father’s realm, of dissent against your Grace, as its rightful liege lord.
Philip: Have you betrayed us? Betrayed our confidence in thou, our faith as your brother in all but the covenant of blood?
Charles: I have never betrayed thee. Nor would any force on earth compel me to leave thee side, not for all the realms of this word. But nonetheless, I fear that I shall be used as a figurehead for those who seek to sow dissent in my late father’s dominions, against thee. My brother and my liege. I fear I will be weakened by mortal sin and fall into greed. To lose my mortal soul and damn my own self as an oat breaker. To be cursed into purgatory, along with betrayers such as Cain and Judas, buried within a frozen lake to spend eternity bereft of the ever-pervasive grace of Our Lord Jesus.
Philip: My Lord of Guelders, it is not within mine power to salvage the soul of men. In that only Jesus can save thee from an eternity of torment. Thou must remember that our shield against the horrors of the night are our faith in Him, who Our Lord sent to the world to redeem all of humanity from sin.
Charles: Right thou are, your Grace. I therefore request that I will be given lieu to swear mine own self to the Church, and thus forswear all earthly inheritance of my late father’s dominions, so their rightful liege shall remain thee and thine heirs solely. I shall find the strength I find myself lacking within the solace of Holy Orders and pledge all the days of mine own life to thine service.
Upon saying the last part, Charles drew his sword from the scabbard in one swift move and laid it at Philip’s feet in a scene of devotion. Philip then offered Charles his hand and he kissed the signet ring.
Philip: My Lord of Guelders, We cannot gainsay thee the consolation of Holy Orders, if thou fear for thine soul. But we fear that we shall have no heirs as our late lady wife, Princess Mary, good and gracious as she was for the short duration of our marriage, left us with a son who followed his mother into heaven a fingerful of weeks after. The Emperor will not give us his daughter to wed without drawing our realm into strife. Above all else, we shall need a bride who shall bring peace to mine lands. There seems to be none woman to be found who can fulfill those requirements so far.
Charles: May I give mine sovereign lord a solution to all this grief from the past years? That thou taketh mine own sister, the most noble Lady Philippa to wed. The pledge of Holy Orders prohibits the inheritance of earthly dominions and lacking legitimate heirs of my body, mine claim to our lord father’s lands would fall to mine sister. Should thee not taketh Philippa to marry, thou risk another rival for Guelders in a greedy husband who shall invite fracas and tumult, as he would claim the lands in her name against thee. Wed my sister, and none in Guelders shall raise their hand towards thee. If thou desire the prospects of peace and prosperity in these blessed realms, in this blessed plot, in this realm of happy men, in this river-veined second Eden, then by God almighty, I besiege thee. Marry the Lady Philippa and all of thine subjects shall know their gracious Lord desire nothing more than for peace to reign besides order in thee hands.
Philip: My Lord of Guelders, thee makes a good offer for peace. Our late ancestor Philippe le hardi married the most gracious lady Margarete and acquired a realm beyond all compare, the envy of all other dukes of Christendom. Shall we not be his inheritors and thus secure our realm through the bonds of holy wedlock as well? My lady Philippa, what is thine wishes in this matter? For we much desires to hear them.
Lady Philippa: My Lord, I have naught but the desire to become a good and gracious wife to thee. These lands I arrived to as a child has for the past years become my home as I have grown into the flower of womanhood, and I shall become as good a duchess as it is in my power to be. And if mine hand and heart can be bringing peace and good fortune to your Grace, then I shall be the most happy of all women on Christendom!
The throne of Grand Duke Philip of Brabant, in the Ridderzaal (modern restoration)
So started the marriage between Philip and Philippa according to historians. The Estates General consented to the match on the 30th of June after a few days of discussion. The mythology of the marriage was focused heavily on Philippa’s role as a so-called peace-weaver, an aspect commonly found in the medieval values of queenships. For Philippa, born in the fading twilight of the medieval area as Europe fully ushered in the renaissance age from the shores of the glamorous Republic of Venice to the brackish waters in the city of Stockholm where the old Kalmar Union would breathe its last in 1523, the irony is that she had more in common with the rulers of her own time then her medieval predecessors of a past age.
The role of the Duchesses of Burgundy changed from generations, but they had all played a part in the growth of the duchy as it had come in unison with the Flemish counties with Margaret of Flanders’s marriage with Philip the Bold. Philip the Good in his turn acquired several counties, while his wife, Isabella of Portugal had served as regent and supported a Yorkist wedding for her son. Margaret of York’s tenure had saved the duchy from fears of Mary’s marriage and protected the realm during the tenuous turmoil after her husband’s death. Philippa would remake the image of a Grand Duchess of the renaissance age, mixing humanism and chivalry with piety, influence, and splendour. While Philippa served as a representative of the duke, she was also a keen administrator of her own lands, particularly Guelders and the north-eastern counties above the Duchy of Brabant, who would become crucially important to the futures of her and Philip. In this regard the marriage of Philip and Philippa in 1485 were both a passionate love match and an efficient partnership.
Engelbert of Cleves, still in captivity, proved the springboard for the duke and duchess to take the first steps in fulfilling their common goal after 1485.
Philippa of Guelders, Grand Duchess of Brabant in 1490
Philip of Valois-Burgundy, Grand Duke of Brabant in 1490
Author's Note: A new and fresh chapter! Meet the new duchess of Brabant!
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