Duke Phillip the Good
Philip was born in Dijon on 31st July 1396, son of the duke of Burgundy Jan the Fearless and Margaretha of Bavaria. On the10th of September 1419 his father was assassinated on instigation of the French Crown Prince Charles (later King Charles VII). In response to the assassination the new Duke closed an alliance with the United Kingdom against France (Treaty of Troyes, 1420). This Burgundy-English alliance caused major difficulties for France. This lasted until 1435 when Philip reconciled himself (by force of circumstance) with Charles VII at the Treaty of Atrecht.
From the beginning Philip the Good tried to extend his influence in the Dutch districts, for this purpose he hoped to be able to appeal to his cousin Jan IV, duke of Brabant who was married to Jacoba of Bavaria, duchess of Holland-Zeeland-Henegouwen. These family relations were nevertheless no guarantee for a Burgundian control. The states of Brabant tried out fear for a loss in independence to thwart the plans of Philip, and Jacoba of Bavaria ran out on her spouse Jan IV in 1420 and married an English prince who himself hoped be earl of Holland-Zeeland-Henegouwen. After an all but successful invasion in 1425 he gave up on this idea and disappeared back to England. Philip forced Jacoba, in 1428, to appoint him as her successor. At the ' Kiss of Delft' he gained influence in the Netherlands, Zeeland and Henegouwen. In 1433 these areas came totally under his control.
In the meantime Jan IV of Brabant had deceased in 1427 and was succeeded by his brother Philip van Sint-Pol had who died in 1430 without offspring. There were several candidates who succeeded him, but the "States of Brabant" gave now the preference to Philip the Good, after he pleaded his case before them.
Already in 1420 the childless earl of Namur, Jan III, had sold his succession to Philip the Good. After the death of the earl in 1429 Philip could join the rich districts to his reign. In 1441 Elisabeth of Grlitz, duchess of Luxembourg appointed Philip the Good as her successor. After her death in 1451 he incorporated this area.
The Dutch districts had been in the first place linked by means of an "independent union". They had therefore the same sovereign, the duke of Burgundy, but they preserved their own institutions. Particularly two central governing bodies developed under Philip. From his court Council originated in 1445 a High Council which looked after the central jurisdiction, and as from 1464 a House of Lords ("Staten-Generaal"). The ducal court Council had as their task to create a common conduct towards the several sovereign states. The Council was led by Chancellor Nicolas Rolin. Unification of the jurisprudence was also of great importance. Local verdicts could be appealed at the ducal High Council, as a result of which the power of the urban courts was limited.
The most important sounder of the power of Philip the Good was the control concerning income. Philip the Good succeeded in a great extent to have a large part of urban income end up into the treasury. He achieved also a currency union between the different districts. The attempt of the duke to introduce a salt tax in all his districts failed however. Salt was a necessary preservative in this time. A general consumption tax on this product would insure him of permanent financial resources. The resistance against this was so severe that he had to abandon this plan. To increase his power in the cities and districts the duke tried to lobby as many loyalists as possible in the local and regional governing boards. He tried to talk these persons around with presents or noble titles. However the Flemish cities Bruges and Gent offered continued resistance against the infestation of their autonomy. Bruges revolted in the period 1436-38 and Gent in 1453, however unsuccessful against the Monarch, who could be no longer threatened by some cities thanks to his rule over several districts.
Unlike his father, Jan the Fearless, there was for Philip no hope in ever attaining the French throne.
To show his equivalence with the kings he set up the order of the "Golden fleece". The order became a type of Counterpart of the English order of the Garter. It existed of thirty knights (fifty as from 1516) and four officers: a treasurer, a guild master, a chancellor and a clerk. The order was a select club to honour the best employees and foreign allies of the duke. The crest, a ram, referred to the Greek legend of the Argonauts and it suggested that the Burgundy dynasty were descendants of the Trojans. Court life experienced an unprecedented flourishing under his government. The sumptuous festivals and tournaments had been boasted all over Europe. Music, paintings - and miniature art and literature (especially French-speaking) were promoted strongly.
His increasing power agitated his French and German neighbours however. Additionally his rule coincided with the hundred-year war between the United Kingdom and France. Philip advocated peace loving politics and hoped to reconcile both parties, however without success. Taken in a grip between France and Germany, he was forced support France against the English, in the 1435 'Peace of Atrecht'. In return Philip was dismissed of all obligations as a henchman of the French king. This meant recognition of his position as a powerful European dominator. As from 1440 their peace with the foreign Country dominated. The position of Philip the Good was recognised commonly. The king title, a beautiful reward for his efforts was however opposed by the German emperor who feared his power.
Philip married three times: with Michelle of France (from 1409 to 1422), Bonne van Artesia (of 1424 to 1425) and Isabella of Portugal (of 1430 until his death). With his son Charles, the later duke Charles the Bold, the duke had, in his last government years, continuous disagreements concerning politics with respect to France. Charles had been absolutely against the sale of "Somme-cities", acquired on France at the Treaty of Troyes (1463). In 1465 father and son reconciled their disputes and Charles was recognized as successor by the Staten-Generaal. Moreover Philip had dozens of bastard children, of whom many held high administrative positions there. Philip died in Bruges on 15 June 1467. He was succeeded by his son Charles the Bold