Karl Smelyi King Date of Birth: 10.11.1433 Country: France

1. Biography of Charles the Bold
2. Early Life and Character
3. Wars and Conquests
4. Ambitious Plans
5. Decline and Death

Biography of Charles the Bold

Charles the Bold, also known as Charles le Temeraire, was the Duke of Burgundy and the son of Philip the Good. He was born in 1433 and from a young age, he was passionate about knightly games and military exercises. He received a good school education and was able to read Latin authors without difficulty.

Early Life and Character

Even as a 19-year-old youth, Charles displayed a stubborn and reckless courage, which would become the defining trait of his character. He lived a simple life, avoiding luxury and extravagance that were prevalent at his father's court. At the age of 20, he married Isabella, a princess of Bourbon, to whom he remained faithful throughout his life.

Wars and Conquests

During his father's lifetime, Charles waged war against King Louis XI of France, who had antagonized all the vassal rulers. He emerged victorious over Louis and then turned his forces against the city of Liège, which had revolted against Burgundian rule. Charles crushed the insurgents, destroyed the city walls, and imposed heavy taxes on it.

Other cities such as Ghent, Mechelen, and Antwerp did not dare to resist his rule, and he became an autocratic ruler. However, Liège made a third attempt to regain its independence, taking advantage of Louis XI's opposition to Charles who sought to reclaim Burgundy. Charles found himself in a difficult position, but Louis XI's indecisiveness allowed him to achieve a final victory over Liège, marked by horrifying cruelties.

Ambitious Plans

Charles aimed to annex Alsace and Lorraine to Burgundy and elevate it to the status of a kingdom. He went even further in his ambitious plans, seeking to arrange a marriage between his only daughter, Marie, and the son of Emperor Frederick III. He made his consent to the marriage conditional on his own election as king of Rome, harboring dreams of an imperial crown in the future. However, mistrust from France, Switzerland, and northern Italy prevented the realization of this plan.

Decline and Death

In 1473, Archbishop Rupert of Cologne, limited in his power by the assembly, sought Charles' assistance, hoping to bring the Rhineland cities under his control. However, strong resistance from Neuchâtel and the approach of the imperial army forced Charles to retreat. Shortly thereafter, Sigismund, Archduke of Austria, pledged his Alsatian possessions to Charles, who appointed a ruthless bailiff over them.

Louis XI, who was now afraid to fight against Charles, arranged a "perpetual peace" between the Habsburgs and the Swiss, assuring the latter of Charles' intentions to suppress their freedom. He also provided Sigismund with money to redeem the pledged estates. Charles delayed their return, and the defiant Alsatians, confident in Swiss support, expelled the Burgundian garrison and executed the condemned bailiff through an extraordinary court.

Angered by this, Charles attacked Lorraine, capturing its capital, Nancy, and moved towards the Swiss. The fate of the treacherously captured garrison, some of whom were hanged and others drowned in Lake Neuchâtel, inspired the Swiss, whose army was half as strong, to deliver a crushing defeat to the Burgundians at the Battle of Grandson (1476). The victors acquired the entire superior artillery of Charles and his magnificent camp, filled with treasures whose fame spread throughout Europe.

This defeat did not deter Charles from his self-confidence, and in the battle with the Swiss at Murten (1476), he suffered an even more severe blow. Enraged, he rejected any mediation and for the third time, he confronted his battle-hardened enemy. In January 1477, his army suffered a terrible defeat on the frozen fields near Nancy, partly due to the betrayal of the Italian condottiero Campobasso. Charles himself was killed while fleeing.