Magnanimous Dukes and Rising States: The Unification of the Burgundian Netherlands, 1380-1480 (Oxford Studies in Medieval European History)

In the late fourteenth and the fifteenth centuries, the Dukes of Valois-Burgundy created a composite monarchy in the Netherlands, an area that had been dominated for centuries by several regional dynasties. In this way they laid the foundation for the modern states of the Netherlands, Belgium, and Luxemburg. The rise of the House of Burgundy can be read as the success story of a dynasty that in little over a century managed to assemble a great number of principalities, thus creating a new state. The Burgundian takeover, however, resulted in a modernization of administration, jurisdiction, and finances. The process of unification and the character of the union are the central topics of __Magnanimous Dukes and Rising States__. Robert Stein mirrors continuity and modernization in Burgundian times with the bankruptcy of the former dynasties and the decline of feudal government. The powerful towns played an important background role; it was only with their support that a unification of the Netherlands was possible, but this support was not unselfish. This study is about the development of power relations and institutions in the field of tension between ruler and subject, between centralization and particularism. Cover 1 Magnanimous Dukes and Rising States: The Unification of the Burgundian Netherlands, 1380–1480 4 Copyright 5 Acknowledgements 6 Contents 8 List of Figures 10 List of Maps 12 List of Tables 14 List of Abbreviations 16 1: The Burgundian Union: By Way of Introduction 18 1.1 LIMITS 18 1.2 STATE FORMATION IN THE BURGUNDIAN NETHERLANDS 24 2: The Titles 32 2.1 INTRODUCTION 32 2.2 THE BORDER AREAS OF THE EMPIRE AND FRANCE 36 2.3 THE REIGN OF PHILIP THE BOLD 39 2.3.1 The Duchy of Burgundy and the Flemish Inheritance 39 The Brabant Inheritance 44 2.3.2 The Succession of Philip the Bold 49 2.4 EXPANSION IN THE FIFTEENTH CENTURY 52 2.4.1 The Namur Inheritance 53 2.4.2 The Bavarian Inheritance 53 2.4.3 The Definitive Acquisition of the Brabant Heritage 57 2.4.4 The Succession in Luxemburg 60 2.4.5 The Reign of Charles the Bold and the Acquisition of Guelders and Zutphen 63 2.5 PATTERNS 65 2.6 CONCLUSION 68 3: The Representative Institutions 70 3.1 INTRODUCTION 70 3.2 STATES AND ORDERS 71 3.2.1 The States 71 3.2.2 The Third Order 76 3.2.3 The Second Order 84 3.2.4 The First Order 86 3.3 POLITICAL ROLE 88 3.4 CONCLUSION 95 4: The Attraction of a Union 96 4.1 INTRODUCTION 96 4.2 BANKRUPT DYNASTIES 98 4.2.1 Expenditures 98 Strategy 103 Debts 107 4.3 FINANCIAL AND SOCIAL REPERCUSSIONS 114 4.4 THE BURGUNDIAN ALTERNATIVE 120 4.4.1 Burgundy 120 4.4.2 Flanders 127 4.5 CONCLUSION 131 5: Towards a New Structure of Government 132 5.1 INTRODUCTION 132 5.2 THE NUCLEUS OF POWER 134 5.2.1 The Court 134 5.2.2 Chancellor and Privy Council 139 5.3 THE PROVINCES 144 5.3.1 Stadtholders and presidents 144 5.3.2 Regional Councils 149 5.3.3 Appointment Strategies 154 5.3.4 Officers and Scholars 158 5.4 THE INTEGRATION OF THE ADMINISTRATION 163 5.5 CONCLUSION 167 6: The Jurisdiction 169 6.1 INTRODUCTION 169 6.2 THE BAILIWICKS 171 6.3 THE PROVINCIAL COUNCIL CHAMBERS 178 6.3.1 Ministry of Public Affairs 181 6.3.2 The Keeping of Records and the Clerk of Court’s Office 184 6.3.3 Regulations 187 6.3.4 Influences 190 6.4 THE GREAT COUNCIL AND PARLIAMENT OF MECHELEN 194 6.5 CONCLUSION 199 7: The Financial Organization 202 7.1 INTRODUCTION 202 7.2 RECEIVERS 203 7.3 AUDITING THE ACCOUNTS 214 7.3.1 The Mint Office 232 7.4 THE RESULTS 233 7.5 FOR THE COMMON GOOD? 237 7.6 CONCLUSION 241 8: The Taxes 243 8.1 INTRODUCTION 243 8.2 ARGUMENTATION 244 8.3 THE FINANCIAL IMPORTANCE 249 8.4 THE DISTRIBUTION OF THE FISCAL BURDEN 256 8.5 CONCESSIONS 261 8.6 CLERGY AND NOBILITY 266 8.7 CONCLUSION 270 9: Summa summarum 272 Epilogue 279 Bibliography 282 Index 324 In the late fourteenth and the fifteenth centuries, the Dukes of Valois-Burgundy created a composite monarchy in the Netherlands, an area that had been dominated for centuries by several regional dynasties. In this way they laid the foundation for the modern states of the Netherlands, Belgium, and Luxemburg. The rise of the House of Burgundy can be read as the success story of a dynasty that in little over a century managed to assemble a great number of principalities, thus creating a new state. The Burgundian takeover, however, resulted in a modernization of administration, jurisdiction, and finances. The process of unification and the character of the union are the central topics of Magnanimous Dukes and Rising States. Robert Stein mirrors continuity and modernisation in Burgundian times with the bankruptcy of the former dynasties and the decline of feudal government. The powerful towns played an important background role; it was only with their support that a unification of the Netherlands was possible, but this support was not unselfish. This study is about the development of power relations and institutions in the field of tension between ruler and subject, between centralisation and particularism. This work tells the story of the formation of a new state in north-western Europe and the rise of the Burgundian house in the fifteenth century, and how a power-hungry dynasty was able to reach a new equilibrium with the elites. The outcome had the lasting effect of laying the foundation for the modern states of Belgium, the Netherlands, and Luxemburg