i love your stuff SandRhoman! one thing i wonder though, even though i keep hearing heavy cavalry charges were a deadly and core part of medieval/renaissance warfare, it seems like a lot of the battles studied on YT show them being ineffective. i was woundering if you could make a video showing or just talk about when they were effectively applied, or if they’re utility is overstated or more effective in earlier forms of warfare.
The ironies of history: in 1736, the last heir of the Duke of Lorraine and the last heiress of the Duke of Burgundy would marry and join their houses into the House of Habsburg-Lorraine.
Maria Theresa wasn't the heiress of the Duke tho, Louis XIV had more of a claim to that than her (also the king of Spain since Philip de bourbon was chosen as heir by king Charles the second Habsburg)
Do not mix all concepts and rules of heredity. Maria Theresia was not heiress of the Duke of Burgundy but of the Emperor (a Habsburg in this case). There was never a Habsburg-Burgundy house. When the rest of the Burgundian possessions pass by marriage it is a kind of wedding gift, nothing else. This is the case for any marriage and not only within the framework of the Burgundian heritage transmitted by the daughter of Charles the Bold. The Habsburg princes did not marry only Burgundian heiresses during their history... On the other hand, not only were there already unions between Lorraine and Habsburg from the Middle Ages but also when the last Duke of Lorraine married Maria Theresia, he not only transmitted his possessions outside the duchy (Duchy of Teschen, Grand Duchy of Tuscany) but also his princely attributes (Inheritance by male lineage). Also their descendants are both heirs of the Habsburg possessions but also de facto only legitimate representatives of the house of Lorraine, therefore dukes of Lorraine. 😊😉
Honestly part of me kind of feels sorry for Charles, he had some good ideas it seems, had he been a little luckier Burgundy may have entered the 16th Century as at least a regional European Power, instead he's just remembered as a pompous jerk who got his comeuppance at the hands of plucky Swiss.
@@LuisAldamiz Catalan and Occitan are closer in speech than that of French and Occitan, yet France is a nation and not Catalonia or Aquitaine. Belgium for God's sake is a nation. It is fully possible that the Burgundians could have made a nation, if given enough time and luck. And the Habsburgs were not a continuation in any meaningful sense of Valois Burgundy, they never centered a realm on the area and their geopolitical outlook was dominated by other concerns, with the area being a profitable piece sure but not the center of its culture
Charles really couldn't deal with his enemies giving him surprises. All his battle plans were pretty good on paper but crumbled when faced with reality and he didn't have it in him to deal with that.
Sad but true. I think I would be a very similar commander. Make plans and logistics coming up to the battle, because I am not very good at responding quickly. Probably best to delegate that part. :D
He didn't expect the unexpected and that kinda sounds impossible but the problem is that he seemingly always placed too much trust in "they can't go through there" and in general in the history of warfare placing too much trust in the enemy not being able to get through somewhere is a surefire way to make them go through there. Like at every battle he trusted that they'd never go through the difficult terrain and as such didn't properly garrison those flanks, but difficult doesn't mean impossible and it meant that the reward for going through those areas outweighed the risks and as such his enemies always did it. He did things a bit too much by the book and that was the fatal flaw when fighting a foe like the Swiss who specifically gained their fame by not doing things by the book. It's an interesting kind of mistake that commanders continued to make all the way up through history and it's interesting that it keeps happening, I imagine it's because having commanders who do things by the book is very good when you're facing the enemy head on, in which case they'll act calmly and rationally in every situation but they just can't be trusted to command during the opening stages of an engagement.
He'd also been assured that going to war during winter would earn him a victory by a trustworthy soothsayer ;) Charles was quite superstitious. In Burgundian financial accounts, regular payments for soothsayers can be found.
Charles was an overconfident commander because of his early success in the 1450's and 1460's when he'd fight against rebellions and disorganized french armies. He expected something similar fighting the swiss, but probably didn't expect them to be THAT organized and strong. He also studied lots of military theory, but rarely had occasions to actually apply it and as such was overly confident about his plans and theory. I believe it's also worth noting that by the Battle of Nancy, half of his army was made of foreign mercenaries, mostly Italians and Englishmen. I think this may have caused some issues with orders in critical moments, which probably didn't help.
But now with the emperor patch I feel like it's safer to go as an ally of burundy because the event is gone where the burgundian nobles die like flies if you go to war with them.
honestly, given his track record at this point they should have just nicknamed him Charles the 'boldly assumes his foe will always do what he wants them to do and never anything else'.
When fighting this battle, Charles said: „I‘m fighting a spider, that is everywhere at once“ The guy really didn't have any luck, regarding his battles. Fought the Swiss three times, had to flee twice and the third time he didn't even manage to do that. I love our history.
Luck. Most of his problems were caused by his stupidity. The first war he got caught when moving his men so he was so paranoid about it happening again he caused it to happen by getting his men to arm up and get ready 3 times when it was pointless then did exactly the opposite and did nothing until it was far far to late. He basically caused his own problems every time and gave his army no chance.
Charles the Bold was obviously not military inclined. He must've been better at commerce or technology or whatever made him rich. To not know that the Swiss Commune would come to Bern's aid should he invade the land, is proof of his military ineptitude. The thing was that the nobles in the lands of what is now France, they were used to fighting peasants - the jacqueries.
@@criztu Honestly not sure about that. I think Burgundy defeated France and Holy Roman Empire in numerous battles before. Swiss were just ahead of others when it came to military tactics in this period. Remember the Swiss defeated Habsburgs as well when they tried to invade Switzerland.
Beautiful series, extremely interesting and well presented. Really enjoy it along with the theatrical mise-en-scene. Keep up the great work, looking forward to your next productions.
This shade of red is originally called bordeaux in french just like the city but I admit that americans are highly based for calling it Burgundy despite all Fuck the rest of France long live Burgundy
I would never have learned about this chapter of history effectively if not for this series of videos. Something about the late medieval/early modern period, it is difficult to understand the big picture when reading this period because it was so chaotic, disorganized and dense with detail that dazzles but also befuddles a mind seeking a wider sense of meaning from disparate events. The individual story of Charles the Bold, his bold but naive ambition to unite his territories, the military advances of the Swiss and the prevailing bastard feudalism on the continent... that was the spirit of those times which explain the ruin of Burgundy
The demise of the Burgundian empire was also important for the Dutch independence movement. They had grown used to the liberal, de-centralized style of rule by the Burgundians, who had also been at home in the low lands. Their annexation into the Holy Roman empire soon grew to discontentment when the Spaniards acquired it and tried to exercise absolute control over the lowlands, ignoring the local nobility, 100 years later. Or at least, that is what my father taught me. He was very fond of the Burgundians.
Interesting how the Swiss defeated one of France's strongest enemies, and thereby helping France centralize faster and embroiling Spain in Low country politics and wars. And then the Swiss withdrew and did nothing ever again in history lol.
Not really. Switzerland will still do something until early 16th century against the Duchy of Milan, the Venice Republic, and France. Oh, and yeah, the Napoleonic Invasion of Switzerland in early 19th Century.
Well the problem with the swiss was always that they were a confederacy. They would hit hard if one of them was attacked, but they were mostly unable to commit to a united expansionist strategy. Usually one of them overextended and the others then had to jump in, or they were hired as mercenaries, first by the french, then by the pope, then by anyone who could afford them. But that short period of time, between the Battle of St. Jacob near Basel and the defeat at Marigniano, (plus their for mercenaries unusually strong loyalty and their heroic last stand as swiss guards at the Sacco the Roma) was enough to give them a reputation that would keep the powers of europe from messing with the Swiss until the french revolution. The last time they showed their persistence was when 1300 Swiss (the leftovers of 4 regiments) together with polish troops and some italians defended Napoleons retreat at the Beresina. Together they held the russians off for one day, the swiss charging into hand-to-hand combat seven or eight times after they ran out of ammunition. At the end of the day only 300 swiss were alive.
you made commendable efforts to pronounce the names of the towns and villages of my childhood region, very well done ! I lived close to the house where Charles body was taken, there is still a pavement commemorating it.
The dukes of Burgundy are often overlooked in history, while they laid the basis for modern countries like Belgium and the Netherlands. Without them, those countries wouldn't exist today. If one visits Brussels, you can visit some remains of Coudenberg palace (the enormous residence of the dukes) beneath the royal palace of Belgium.
you make great content please make a series on the creation of Old Swiss Confederacy and what we know about it as well as the Swiss involvement in the Italian wars. Hop schwiiz !
Charles was quite inspirational as a country builder. He was not a bad general. But war was like football, at some point the pressure got to you and even the best coaches/captains lost the touch when responding to new elements. He was perhaps a bit too authoritarian and self-dependent. I like martial kings and leaders, but at times one should take a backseat and let another do the job. And he was too attached to the knights' culture to accept necessary changes. The Burgundian nation was still lucky that Mary married Maximilian, instead of the Dauphin of France. Pity though that Mary also died so young. It was a wonder that Maximilian, perhaps even more reckless than the father-in-law he idolized, lived until 59.
Mary married a Habsburg only because of the hate of the Burgundians for Louis XI, they considered him as responsible for their misfortune. But Louis XI was indeed conspiring to bring him down and he succeeded without the need to send his army.
Love the animation in this episode. I must return the compliment as yours is improving each episode in leaps and bounds as well :) I love how you handle the animation of the soldiers!
The role of Louis XI in funding the Swiss/Lorraine/Alsacian league is not mentioned. It’s absolutely key. The hate between Louis XI and Charles the Bold was immense. They knew each other very well. Philippe the father of Charles the Bold welcomed Louis crown Prince of the Kingdom of France openly in disputes with his father Charles VII. For Philippe it was a way to weaken Charles VII. In reality they just let enter the wolf Louis XI in the sheepfold. Louis noted each weakness of the House of Burgundy during this period. And he exploited them later. The one nicknamed “the universel spider” never ended to conspire against Charles the Bold. At the end end he triumphed.
Okay... I have to say, your videos are clearly better than the ones from the reverred Kings & Generals channel. This concerns even the animations! And mostly, your script is conciser. Usgezeichneti Arbeit, erfrischend und erlüüchtend!
hehe, it's actually a Entlebucher Sennenhund (they pretty similar but a little smaller). The people from Entlebuch were present too at Nancy and we wanted to include them visually. :P
I've been studying and playing music(on organ) by musicians who also happened to have been knights, and I ain't talkin about "Sir" Paul McCartney or "Sir" Elton John(Gaaawd, my eyes are rolling so hard I'm about to have a seizure! They wouldn't even know what a sword was if one were to stab them right in the face)! One of these composers is the Fleming Hayne van Ghizeghem(born circa 1445). It is known that Hayne worked for Charles the Bold's court as both a composer and as a knight. For a long time, scholars thought that Hayne had died at the Battle of Nancy. However, more recent research has suggested that he survived into the 1490s, and possibly even defected to the French court. I have mastered his chanson "De tous biens plein", which is surely one of the most beautiful melodies ever conceived. th-cam.com/video/flT5Ws3dvIg/w-d-xo.html
It seems Charles suffered from what we know as bipolar disorder; periods of flamboyance followed by longer periods of despair and apathy. He did not stand a chance against the cold cunning machine Louis XI was.
Amazing series! Coming from a new Bernese historical swordfighting club called the Reisläufer - when can we expect a video focused on the original Reisläufer?
I imagine that scouts often had difficulty to make good results because even though a few thousand enemies can be hard to miss, if one is invading, one will fight an enemy with more familiarity with the terrain and especially in winter, a scout was only as good as their horse. We also know that campaigning in winter was very unusual so maybe Charles had hoped to gain an advantage by beating the Swiss at their own game by hiring so many additional mercenaries. I think these small mysteries of not knowing exactly why things went wrong make one want to look into these affairs even more.
This series is great. Very comprehensive and well written and also the graphics are really cool and different. They seem ‘homemade’ or artisanal in the best way-very artistic. Ol’ Chuck the B was his own worst enemy. My favorite biography available in English for e-book (I can only find one) is by Ruth Putnam. It’s good and probably written late 1800s. A (probably even written earlier) bio of CtB by ? Foster Kirk is really great with lots of the history and an ‘old school’ popular historian abundance of detail and anecdotal info plus a zillion original source references. Anyway, great series. Are there books from y’all?
Interesting how the names change in translations. In French, Charles the Bold is called "Charles le Téméraire", which is best translated as "Charles the Reckless". Whereas his great-grandfather was called "Philippe le Hardi", which translates into "Philip the Bold".
When the Tagsatzung denied René's request for aid, after he had sendt aid for the Battle of Morat, did they violate their treaty - be it in letter or spirit - or were they justified to do so?
Réveillez-vous Picards, Picards et Bourguignons, Apprenez la manière d'avoir de bons bâtons, Car voici le printemps et aussi la saison, Pour aller à la guerre donner des horions. 2. Tel parle de la guerre, Mais ne sait pas que c'est, Je vous jure mon âme que c'est un piteux fait, Et que maints hommes d'armes et gentils compagnons, Y ont perdu la vie, et robe et chaperon. 3. Où est ce duc d'Autriche ? Il est en Pays-Bas, Il est en Basse Flandre avec ses Picards, Qui nuit et jour le prient qu'il les veuille mener, En la Haute Bourgogne pour la lui subjuguer.
As an amateur historian, I did enjoy your works but I has had questions throughout the series that it'd be kind of you if you answer: 1. Why at the first place did the Swiss join the war against Burgundy as auxiliaries, not a full belligerent? 2. Could joining the war as auxiliaries help the Swiss avoid the significant cost to completely wage war, in your opinion? 3. Why did the Bernese have so much prejudice against the Burgundian? 4. Why did Charles the Bold make light of scouting enemies, the mistake which led to his triple humiliating defeats? Thank you in advance.
I'm no historian but to answer your 1st question, I think it's because the war was mostly between Charles and the Lower League, and more specifically the cities he wanted to hold to consolidate his possessions. As such, the Swiss weren't really "in the way" or a target to Charles, which would explain why they weren't full belligerent, unlike the Duchy of Lorraine who were the direct target that Charles aimed for. They still fought for the Lower League because they were worried about Charles' expansionist policies and feared he'd become too strong eventually.
Whenever I hear of belligerents going toe to toe, I always imagine two guys, or units of guys, in a field, trying to stamp on each others toes! "I'm gonna stomp those piggies..." "Ah, no! No you don't, I'm going to stub your little pinky toe with my boot heel..." Then the cavalry comes charging in, with the horses going "neigh, I'm going to hoof your hooves, Binky..." The infantry carrying little foot sized shields that they hold in front of their toes, "form the shield wall!" and they line up like river dance, elite units of tap dancers, but what's this?! "Oh no, run! Spanish special forces!" and a load of cancan dancers enter the fray! The army flees, in a desperate, disordered Conga line...
For me, as a Belgian historian, this is the point where we ( the low countries) lost out best chance for a united country. Once the habsburgs took over, our fate was sealed, the desastrous spanish occupation and 80 years war destroyed the low countries as a unified state. If we would have stayed under a Burgundian reign, the unified netherlands or low countries would have been a titan in Europe and the world.
It could go both ways, i am sure they would loose Burgundy at a certain time. But the 17 provincies or the low countries could have been a powerhouse to resist french aggression.
It was the ambition of Charles. Create a new kingdom. Sure the territory would have been immensely rich. But Louis XI conspired too well. And Charles was naive and imprudent.
To be honest, we do not know exactly what went wrong because his army was very diverse which made communication difficult, also, while the Swiss were unconventional, it’s not uncommon for even good generals to loose battles due to the most random stuff nobody can account for.
I watched all 4 episodes and many more from this channel. Excellent work and great French and German pronunciation. The only thing I think could be better are the graphics (soldiers are too robotic) and it seems the history sources are quite one-sided (either Swiss, Austrian, etc.). Another comment for viewers: it is easy to see in a video like this what one side or the other is doing or plans to do, especially having a bird's-eye view. But in the real battlefield the view is limited, the information is fragmentary at best, definitely no bird's-eye views, the weather is terrible which affects men, machines and animals, you are tired and cold as shit, not to mention afraid and hungry, etc. Served in the Army for 28 years. I can imagine what those poor soldiers, on both sides, went through.
It's interesting to see how close Charles the bold came to reuniting "Middle Francia", the central and oddly shaped country left behind by Charlemagne, the other two parts ofcourse being West Francia (France) and East Francia (Germany/The Holy Roman Empire).
Charles was also almost crowned King of Middle Francia I think but the Pope and Holy Roman Emperor got into a hissy fit during his supposed coronation so oof
Loved the four videos, maps and insight in politics are spot on! Too bad the gold and influence of Louis XI of France (aka the universal spider) in favor of the Swiss is a bit overlooked.
His big mistake was attacking Switzerland, that triggered the response. He should have just ignored them and focused all his efforts on holding Lorain and delay the Old Confederacy with politics. Buy them off, distract them and so on.
Me, looking at map and noticing forest to Burgundian right: Oh, come, Swiss are probably going to get through there, right? Me, some 2 minutes later: Honestly, how I could see that and Charles couldn't?
@Joakim von Anka I don't say that Burgundian forces should go into forest. But Charles should had known at this time that Swiss can go through forest. Leaving a screening force would be a wise precaution. On the other hand, all Charles's battle plans IMO assume a LOT of cooperation from the enemy.
Burgundy would have controlled the most populous and economically productive lands of Europe along the Rhine into the low countries and would have been a rich and powerful kingdom but would have enemies on all sides. It would also give France and any future German state a common enemy. It’s crazy to think about how different European history would have been if Charles had been successful
@@LiterallyWho1917 They would have been destroyed, because of the reason you just stated. Even England would have an interest in attacking them for their coastal lands. The Dutch would probably still revolt especially if they are encouraged by a foreign power. Especially if this happend Burgundy's colonial potential would be greatly hindered and give then yet another enemy. The only way they would have survived is if they allied with a great power who is interested in having them as an ally against a common enemy, of which Burgundy has many. France and Austria desperately want to conquer them, dispite disliking each other they would still would'nt ally with them. Due to its geography Burgundy's position was simply to disadvantages to really achieve anything lasting.
For a pretty simple saying about a war that saying was surprisingly accurate. It's not really wrong especially if we think of bravery as his willingness to go on the offensive.
The approach will not be easy. Your entire army are required to maneuver straight down this valley and run the gauntlet. to this point. The target area is only 400 meters wide.
This is the last one in the series. We hope you enjoyed it. Also happy 1st of August (a bit late I know) to the Swiss crowd.
i love your stuff SandRhoman!
one thing i wonder though, even though i keep hearing heavy cavalry charges were a deadly and core part of medieval/renaissance warfare, it seems like a lot of the battles studied on YT show them being ineffective. i was woundering if you could make a video showing or just talk about when they were effectively applied, or if they’re utility is overstated or more effective in earlier forms of warfare.
This has been an incredible adventure! Thank you for covering the Swiss! I look forward to one on the Landsknecht now :D
Well, but maybe a new series, about the rise of the Habbsurgs, beginning with the battle of Guinegate?
Thanks and cheers from Switzerland 🇨🇭. Hopefully, you'll cover Sempach, Näfels and Marignano.
@@WarlordFlanker Hi, they've done some on the Landsknecnt's. They're good.
The ironies of history: in 1736, the last heir of the Duke of Lorraine and the last heiress of the Duke of Burgundy would marry and join their houses into the House of Habsburg-Lorraine.
Litteraly "no hard feelings" .... lmao
It was only nominal titles though
Maria Theresa wasn't the heiress of the Duke tho, Louis XIV had more of a claim to that than her (also the king of Spain since Philip de bourbon was chosen as heir by king Charles the second Habsburg)
@@miracleyang3048 Well, tough luck for them, as she inherited what remained of the Burgundian territory (the Habsburg Netherlands).
Do not mix all concepts and rules of heredity. Maria Theresia was not heiress of the Duke of Burgundy but of the Emperor (a Habsburg in this case). There was never a Habsburg-Burgundy house. When the rest of the Burgundian possessions pass by marriage it is a kind of wedding gift, nothing else. This is the case for any marriage and not only within the framework of the Burgundian heritage transmitted by the daughter of Charles the Bold. The Habsburg princes did not marry only Burgundian heiresses during their history... On the other hand, not only were there already unions between Lorraine and Habsburg from the Middle Ages but also when the last Duke of Lorraine married Maria Theresia, he not only transmitted his possessions outside the duchy (Duchy of Teschen, Grand Duchy of Tuscany) but also his princely attributes (Inheritance by male lineage). Also their descendants are both heirs of the Habsburg possessions but also de facto only legitimate representatives of the house of Lorraine, therefore dukes of Lorraine. 😊😉
Honestly part of me kind of feels sorry for Charles, he had some good ideas it seems, had he been a little luckier Burgundy may have entered the 16th Century as at least a regional European Power, instead he's just remembered as a pompous jerk who got his comeuppance at the hands of plucky Swiss.
But it did... it's known as the Habsburg Empire!
there could have been an interesting scenario where we have a Middle Francia reborn
@@adarheim1013 - Middle Francia was not a nation: it could never exist for long.
@@LuisAldamiz i mean, he could have made a decent shot,at making it one or making something similar at the very least
@@LuisAldamiz Catalan and Occitan are closer in speech than that of French and Occitan, yet France is a nation and not Catalonia or Aquitaine. Belgium for God's sake is a nation. It is fully possible that the Burgundians could have made a nation, if given enough time and luck. And the Habsburgs were not a continuation in any meaningful sense of Valois Burgundy, they never centered a realm on the area and their geopolitical outlook was dominated by other concerns, with the area being a profitable piece sure but not the center of its culture
Charles really couldn't deal with his enemies giving him surprises. All his battle plans were pretty good on paper but crumbled when faced with reality and he didn't have it in him to deal with that.
Sad but true. I think I would be a very similar commander. Make plans and logistics coming up to the battle, because I am not very good at responding quickly. Probably best to delegate that part. :D
He didn't expect the unexpected and that kinda sounds impossible but the problem is that he seemingly always placed too much trust in "they can't go through there" and in general in the history of warfare placing too much trust in the enemy not being able to get through somewhere is a surefire way to make them go through there. Like at every battle he trusted that they'd never go through the difficult terrain and as such didn't properly garrison those flanks, but difficult doesn't mean impossible and it meant that the reward for going through those areas outweighed the risks and as such his enemies always did it. He did things a bit too much by the book and that was the fatal flaw when fighting a foe like the Swiss who specifically gained their fame by not doing things by the book.
It's an interesting kind of mistake that commanders continued to make all the way up through history and it's interesting that it keeps happening, I imagine it's because having commanders who do things by the book is very good when you're facing the enemy head on, in which case they'll act calmly and rationally in every situation but they just can't be trusted to command during the opening stages of an engagement.
He'd also been assured that going to war during winter would earn him a victory by a trustworthy soothsayer ;) Charles was quite superstitious. In Burgundian financial accounts, regular payments for soothsayers can be found.
Charles was an overconfident commander because of his early success in the 1450's and 1460's when he'd fight against rebellions and disorganized french armies. He expected something similar fighting the swiss, but probably didn't expect them to be THAT organized and strong. He also studied lots of military theory, but rarely had occasions to actually apply it and as such was overly confident about his plans and theory.
I believe it's also worth noting that by the Battle of Nancy, half of his army was made of foreign mercenaries, mostly Italians and Englishmen. I think this may have caused some issues with orders in critical moments, which probably didn't help.
@@bonesapart8210 I was always thinking throughout the video why did this man decide to wage a war in the bitter winter, so this is the reason
The reason why u want royal marriage with burgundy.
I see you're a man of culture as well
I guess only paradox gamers understand that remark 😄👍
But now with the emperor patch I feel like it's safer to go as an ally of burundy because the event is gone where the burgundian nobles die like flies if you go to war with them.
EU4 player spotted.
And kiss a horse
honestly, given his track record at this point they should have just nicknamed him Charles the 'boldly assumes his foe will always do what he wants them to do and never anything else'.
Yea but that's too many syllables.
Bold also means "rash" or "foolhardy", and is meant to mean that in his case.
Accurate
More like Charles the Blind
When fighting this battle, Charles said: „I‘m fighting a spider, that is everywhere at once“
The guy really didn't have any luck, regarding his battles. Fought the Swiss three times, had to flee twice and the third time he didn't even manage to do that.
I love our history.
@Joakim von Anka Yeah, he made a lot of mistakes, that almost guaranteed his defeat.
Luck. Most of his problems were caused by his stupidity. The first war he got caught when moving his men so he was so paranoid about it happening again he caused it to happen by getting his men to arm up and get ready 3 times when it was pointless then did exactly the opposite and did nothing until it was far far to late. He basically caused his own problems every time and gave his army no chance.
Charles the Bold was obviously not military inclined. He must've been better at commerce or technology or whatever made him rich.
To not know that the Swiss Commune would come to Bern's aid should he invade the land, is proof of his military ineptitude.
The thing was that the nobles in the lands of what is now France, they were used to fighting peasants - the jacqueries.
@@criztu Honestly not sure about that. I think Burgundy defeated France and Holy Roman Empire in numerous battles before. Swiss were just ahead of others when it came to military tactics in this period. Remember the Swiss defeated Habsburgs as well when they tried to invade Switzerland.
The spider Charles was referring to was Louis XI knwn as the Universal spider. The Swiss were just following their leader and provider : Louis XI
The Last Duke of Burgundy dies event!!!
Beautiful series, extremely interesting and well presented.
Really enjoy it along with the theatrical mise-en-scene.
Keep up the great work, looking forward to your next productions.
I almost feel bad for Charles
You could say he was a bit bold to assume he could beat the Swiss
tbf he was dealing with swiss land pirates
He was an idiot. Foolish. Naive. He literally ended his direct dynasty.
Charles was the boy who studies all the time but fails the day of the exam.
Loved the series! These videos are such a great way to learn about Swiss history.
You know the Swiss are badass when they pick a fight with a color and kick its ass
This shade of red is originally called bordeaux in french just like the city but I admit that americans are highly based for calling it Burgundy despite all
Fuck the rest of France long live Burgundy
I really liked this Burgundian/Swiss series ! Thanks you for such a serious and interesting work :)
Brilliant series of videos!!!
Charles le Téméraire 🇯🇪, REQUIESCAT IN PACE.
I would never have learned about this chapter of history effectively if not for this series of videos. Something about the late medieval/early modern period, it is difficult to understand the big picture when reading this period because it was so chaotic, disorganized and dense with detail that dazzles but also befuddles a mind seeking a wider sense of meaning from disparate events. The individual story of Charles the Bold, his bold but naive ambition to unite his territories, the military advances of the Swiss and the prevailing bastard feudalism on the continent... that was the spirit of those times which explain the ruin of Burgundy
The demise of the Burgundian empire was also important for the Dutch independence movement. They had grown used to the liberal, de-centralized style of rule by the Burgundians, who had also been at home in the low lands. Their annexation into the Holy Roman empire soon grew to discontentment when the Spaniards acquired it and tried to exercise absolute control over the lowlands, ignoring the local nobility, 100 years later.
Or at least, that is what my father taught me. He was very fond of the Burgundians.
Interesting how the Swiss defeated one of France's strongest enemies, and thereby helping France centralize faster and embroiling Spain in Low country politics and wars. And then the Swiss withdrew and did nothing ever again in history lol.
Not really. Switzerland will still do something until early 16th century against the Duchy of Milan, the Venice Republic, and France. Oh, and yeah, the Napoleonic Invasion of Switzerland in early 19th Century.
After the french beat them down at marignano
Well the problem with the swiss was always that they were a confederacy. They would hit hard if one of them was attacked, but they were mostly unable to commit to a united expansionist strategy. Usually one of them overextended and the others then had to jump in, or they were hired as mercenaries, first by the french, then by the pope, then by anyone who could afford them. But that short period of time, between the Battle of St. Jacob near Basel and the defeat at Marigniano, (plus their for mercenaries unusually strong loyalty and their heroic last stand as swiss guards at the Sacco the Roma) was enough to give them a reputation that would keep the powers of europe from messing with the Swiss until the french revolution. The last time they showed their persistence was when 1300 Swiss (the leftovers of 4 regiments) together with polish troops and some italians defended Napoleons retreat at the Beresina. Together they held the russians off for one day, the swiss charging into hand-to-hand combat seven or eight times after they ran out of ammunition. At the end of the day only 300 swiss were alive.
@Peter D In geopolitical terms, no
Swiss gave 2 millions mercenaries in Europe through history
Excellent video. Thank you.
And thats the end of the serie, thank you, that was very good !
you made commendable efforts to pronounce the names of the towns and villages of my childhood region, very well done !
I lived close to the house where Charles body was taken, there is still a pavement commemorating it.
Great video guys. As always awesome job. Nice touch with the poem 👍👍👍
Thank you for this very good little series.
thanks man this series is a good fix for my early modern Warfare curiosity.
Charles just didn't knew how to play the scouting game
The story of the Duke who thought he could be King...
And he he would have gotten away with it, if it weren't for those darn cross boys!
Given burgundy’s history, these dukes put many kings to shame before their fall.
He was not far from creating a Kingdom and immensely rich.
Just when I thought my day can't get any better..boom you post another great video
halberd to the skull, what a fitting way to die for an enemy to the swiss
The dukes of Burgundy are often overlooked in history, while they laid the basis for modern countries like Belgium and the Netherlands. Without them, those countries wouldn't exist today. If one visits Brussels, you can visit some remains of Coudenberg palace (the enormous residence of the dukes) beneath the royal palace of Belgium.
you make great content please make a series on the creation of Old Swiss Confederacy and what we know about it as well as the Swiss involvement in the Italian wars. Hop schwiiz !
Its amazing
I love your videos
This period is so overrated and all your videos are incredible
Thank you, this has been a fantastic series!
Charles was quite inspirational as a country builder. He was not a bad general. But war was like football, at some point the pressure got to you and even the best coaches/captains lost the touch when responding to new elements. He was perhaps a bit too authoritarian and self-dependent. I like martial kings and leaders, but at times one should take a backseat and let another do the job. And he was too attached to the knights' culture to accept necessary changes. The Burgundian nation was still lucky that Mary married Maximilian, instead of the Dauphin of France. Pity though that Mary also died so young. It was a wonder that Maximilian, perhaps even more reckless than the father-in-law he idolized, lived until 59.
Mary married a Habsburg only because of the hate of the Burgundians for Louis XI, they considered him as responsible for their misfortune.
But Louis XI was indeed conspiring to bring him down and he succeeded without the need to send his army.
Love the animation in this episode. I must return the compliment as yours is improving each episode in leaps and bounds as well :) I love how you handle the animation of the soldiers!
Last time I was this early, Chalres the Bold was still Duke of Burgundy
Yeeeees I was aching for this video
Watching this from the Lake of Murten
an excellent series...all in all ..thank you for the videos ..much appreciated :)
There truly is something epic about the end of Burgundy
Keep up the great work!
The role of Louis XI in funding the Swiss/Lorraine/Alsacian league is not mentioned. It’s absolutely key. The hate between Louis XI and Charles the Bold was immense. They knew each other very well. Philippe the father of Charles the Bold welcomed Louis crown Prince of the Kingdom of France openly in disputes with his father Charles VII. For Philippe it was a way to weaken Charles VII. In reality they just let enter the wolf Louis XI in the sheepfold. Louis noted each weakness of the House of Burgundy during this period. And he exploited them later.
The one nicknamed “the universel spider” never ended to conspire against Charles the Bold. At the end end he triumphed.
Okay... I have to say, your videos are clearly better than the ones from the reverred Kings & Generals channel. This concerns even the animations! And mostly, your script is conciser. Usgezeichneti Arbeit, erfrischend und erlüüchtend!
If Charles won, they wouldn't have named him bold, yet I admire him for being bold.
Hello from Dijon, Burgundy. ;)
Congrats. Very Nice vídeo👏👏
Oh wow, perfect Sunday morning video!
Great stuff
Me: Mom can I get pike phalanx warfare?
Mom: we have that at home
Pike phalanx warfare at home:
Man, if he didn't massacre the surrendered garrison a lot of things could've played out differently.
4:52 Appenzeller Sennenhund - very nice and accurate touch! :-)
hehe, it's actually a Entlebucher Sennenhund (they pretty similar but a little smaller). The people from Entlebuch were present too at Nancy and we wanted to include them visually. :P
@@SandRhomanHistory altough the race and fur pattern of today was established after 1800 but yeah nice anectode
HUGE fan of your accent. Above all wenn you pronounce the Holland names of the cities.
I like how Grandson sounded super french-y.
Charles is an excellent example of a man who's competent at building an army (if he did so by himself) but should never ever lead one in the field.
He's defeated France and the HRE in numerous battles. The Swiss were the only ones who gave him this much trouble.
I've been studying and playing music(on organ) by musicians who also happened to have been knights, and I ain't talkin about "Sir" Paul McCartney or "Sir" Elton John(Gaaawd, my eyes are rolling so hard I'm about to have a seizure! They wouldn't even know what a sword was if one were to stab them right in the face)! One of these composers is the Fleming Hayne van Ghizeghem(born circa 1445). It is known that Hayne worked for Charles the Bold's court as both a composer and as a knight. For a long time, scholars thought that Hayne had died at the Battle of Nancy. However, more recent research has suggested that he survived into the 1490s, and possibly even defected to the French court. I have mastered his chanson "De tous biens plein", which is surely one of the most beautiful melodies ever conceived.
th-cam.com/video/flT5Ws3dvIg/w-d-xo.html
Amazing series!!!
Charles, a man with vast amounts of wealth. But even too incompetent to hire a proper general
There were competent generals in Morat, but he ignored them.
The Swiss were the only ones to defeat him. He defeated France and the HRE in battle but not the Swiss.
Series was awesome. I love all your content though. So might be biased.
Any chance of covering the Swabian wars in the future?
Love your channel
thanks! we're glad that people seem to enjoy it!
It seems Charles suffered from what we know as bipolar disorder; periods of flamboyance followed by longer periods of despair and apathy. He did not stand a chance against the cold cunning machine Louis XI was.
I live in Nancy ! 🇲🇫🙋
Amazing series! Coming from a new Bernese historical swordfighting club called the Reisläufer - when can we expect a video focused on the original Reisläufer?
We have one in which we cover their impact on 14 and 15th century warfare. We might do one on the origins at some point but not anytime soon.
@@SandRhomanHistory Alright, thanks! Keep up the great content!
3:06 that man needs to hydrate more.
Gimme, gimme more
Gimme more
Love this series. It really comes apparent that Charles scouting and intelligence gathering kinda sucks unless i'm missing something.
I imagine that scouts often had difficulty to make good results because even though a few thousand enemies can be hard to miss, if one is invading, one will fight an enemy with more familiarity with the terrain and especially in winter, a scout was only as good as their horse.
We also know that campaigning in winter was very unusual so maybe Charles had hoped to gain an advantage by beating the Swiss at their own game by hiring so many additional mercenaries.
I think these small mysteries of not knowing exactly why things went wrong make one want to look into these affairs even more.
Now this is fucking quality content
This series is great. Very comprehensive and well written and also the graphics are really cool and different. They seem ‘homemade’ or artisanal in the best way-very artistic. Ol’ Chuck the B was his own worst enemy. My favorite biography available in English for e-book (I can only find one) is by Ruth Putnam. It’s good and probably written late 1800s. A (probably even written earlier) bio of CtB by ? Foster Kirk is really great with lots of the history and an ‘old school’ popular historian abundance of detail and anecdotal info plus a zillion original source references.
Anyway, great series. Are there books from y’all?
Great stuff man,too bad about the writing right in the middle.I will let you off this time,next time it's war.
Charles's greatest flaw is probably his naive behavior despite being in his 40s
Interesting how the names change in translations. In French, Charles the Bold is called "Charles le Téméraire", which is best translated as "Charles the Reckless". Whereas his great-grandfather was called "Philippe le Hardi", which translates into "Philip the Bold".
When the Tagsatzung denied René's request for aid, after he had sendt aid for the Battle of Morat, did they violate their treaty - be it in letter or spirit - or were they justified to do so?
Now you have to make an episode about Battle of Guinegate!
Réveillez-vous Picards,
Picards et Bourguignons,
Apprenez la manière d'avoir de bons bâtons,
Car voici le printemps et aussi la saison,
Pour aller à la guerre donner des horions.
2. Tel parle de la guerre,
Mais ne sait pas que c'est,
Je vous jure mon âme que c'est un piteux fait,
Et que maints hommes d'armes et gentils compagnons,
Y ont perdu la vie, et robe et chaperon.
3. Où est ce duc d'Autriche ?
Il est en Pays-Bas,
Il est en Basse Flandre avec ses Picards,
Qui nuit et jour le prient qu'il les veuille mener,
En la Haute Bourgogne pour la lui subjuguer.
As an amateur historian, I did enjoy your works but I has had questions throughout the series that it'd be kind of you if you answer:
1. Why at the first place did the Swiss join the war against Burgundy as auxiliaries, not a full belligerent?
2. Could joining the war as auxiliaries help the Swiss avoid the significant cost to completely wage war, in your opinion?
3. Why did the Bernese have so much prejudice against the Burgundian?
4. Why did Charles the Bold make light of scouting enemies, the mistake which led to his triple humiliating defeats?
Thank you in advance.
I'm no historian but to answer your 1st question, I think it's because the war was mostly between Charles and the Lower League, and more specifically the cities he wanted to hold to consolidate his possessions. As such, the Swiss weren't really "in the way" or a target to Charles, which would explain why they weren't full belligerent, unlike the Duchy of Lorraine who were the direct target that Charles aimed for.
They still fought for the Lower League because they were worried about Charles' expansionist policies and feared he'd become too strong eventually.
great job
"Two pikes in his body, and a halberd cracked his head. The Charles of Burgundy was dead..." - 1477
Ah thats the famous poem we should watch out for. Nice indeed
Whenever I hear of belligerents going toe to toe, I always imagine two guys, or units of guys, in a field, trying to stamp on each others toes! "I'm gonna stomp those piggies..." "Ah, no! No you don't, I'm going to stub your little pinky toe with my boot heel..."
Then the cavalry comes charging in, with the horses going "neigh, I'm going to hoof your hooves, Binky..."
The infantry carrying little foot sized shields that they hold in front of their toes, "form the shield wall!" and they line up like river dance, elite units of tap dancers, but what's this?! "Oh no, run! Spanish special forces!" and a load of cancan dancers enter the fray! The army flees, in a desperate, disordered Conga line...
Rule #1: Never assume terrain is 'impassable' or 'unapproachable'. Dozens of defeats are attributed to this assumption.
Love the artwork. Who's the scowling bearded gent wearing a pot bellied stove, sans chimney, that pops up in these videos?
For me, as a Belgian historian, this is the point where we ( the low countries) lost out best chance for a united country. Once the habsburgs took over, our fate was sealed, the desastrous spanish occupation and 80 years war destroyed the low countries as a unified state. If we would have stayed under a Burgundian reign, the unified netherlands or low countries would have been a titan in Europe and the world.
French influence would probably have proven to be too strong for a long lasting distinct Burgundy.
It could go both ways, i am sure they would loose Burgundy at a certain time. But the 17 provincies or the low countries could have been a powerhouse to resist french aggression.
It was the ambition of Charles.
Create a new kingdom. Sure the territory would have been immensely rich. But Louis XI conspired too well. And Charles was naive and imprudent.
what software is used for the mapping of battles?
so is Marignano next?
Not anytime soon. But at some point for sure.
charles does seem to be a one plan man...and when his plans are bypassed doesnt have another :)
A plan that expects a docile and inactive enemy isn't a plan, it's a prayer
To be honest, we do not know exactly what went wrong because his army was very diverse which made communication difficult, also, while the Swiss were unconventional, it’s not uncommon for even good generals to loose battles due to the most random stuff nobody can account for.
I watched all 4 episodes and many more from this channel. Excellent work and great French and German pronunciation. The only thing I think could be better are the graphics (soldiers are too robotic) and it seems the history sources are quite one-sided (either Swiss, Austrian, etc.). Another comment for viewers: it is easy to see in a video like this what one side or the other is doing or plans to do, especially having a bird's-eye view. But in the real battlefield the view is limited, the information is fragmentary at best, definitely no bird's-eye views, the weather is terrible which affects men, machines and animals, you are tired and cold as shit, not to mention afraid and hungry, etc. Served in the Army for 28 years. I can imagine what those poor soldiers, on both sides, went through.
Seems to me that Charles was too stubborn for his own good
@4:43: Swiss pocket knife cameo :D
:P
Charles lacked adequate(or really any) reconnaissance. The Swiss were not afraid to find the enemy army and work out the position of his troops.
Charles is that guy that do his best to make plausible and good decisions, but still doesn't succeed.
It's interesting to see how close Charles the bold came to reuniting "Middle Francia", the central and oddly shaped country left behind by Charlemagne, the other two parts ofcourse being West Francia (France) and East Francia (Germany/The Holy Roman Empire).
Charles was also almost crowned King of Middle Francia I think but the Pope and Holy Roman Emperor got into a hissy fit during his supposed coronation so oof
@@PanzerIVAE no its simple the HRE who said no as only bohemai was allowed to hold a royal title in the HRE
Before they had army knives they had long sticks
long sticks with built-in fork, file, and a toothpick :-)
Press F to pay respects
Loved the four videos, maps and insight in politics are spot on! Too bad the gold and influence of Louis XI of France (aka the universal spider) in favor of the Swiss is a bit overlooked.
In the age of empires game, the Joan of Arc campaign, Burgundy is always purple, just as the burgundy wine!
I give Charles the Bold credit for trying near the end. But it just wasn't enough. RIP Charles. Great job.
Now - Italian wars!
His big mistake was attacking Switzerland, that triggered the response. He should have just ignored them and focused all his efforts on holding Lorain and delay the Old Confederacy with politics. Buy them off, distract them and so on.
Me, looking at map and noticing forest to Burgundian right: Oh, come, Swiss are probably going to get through there, right?
Me, some 2 minutes later: Honestly, how I could see that and Charles couldn't?
@Joakim von Anka I don't say that Burgundian forces should go into forest. But Charles should had known at this time that Swiss can go through forest. Leaving a screening force would be a wise precaution.
On the other hand, all Charles's battle plans IMO assume a LOT of cooperation from the enemy.
@Joakim von Anka Thanks for making me laugh today!
STRENG GEHEIM
Of fucking course
*sigh* What could have been...
The only thing it would have been is a buffer state between France and Austria
Burgundy would have controlled the most populous and economically productive lands of Europe along the Rhine into the low countries and would have been a rich and powerful kingdom but would have enemies on all sides. It would also give France and any future German state a common enemy. It’s crazy to think about how different European history would have been if Charles had been successful
@@LiterallyWho1917 They would have been destroyed, because of the reason you just stated. Even England would have an interest in attacking them for their coastal lands. The Dutch would probably still revolt especially if they are encouraged by a foreign power. Especially if this happend Burgundy's colonial potential would be greatly hindered and give then yet another enemy. The only way they would have survived is if they allied with a great power who is interested in having them as an ally against a common enemy, of which Burgundy has many. France and Austria desperately want to conquer them, dispite disliking each other they would still would'nt ally with them. Due to its geography Burgundy's position was simply to disadvantages to really achieve anything lasting.
For a pretty simple saying about a war that saying was surprisingly accurate. It's not really wrong especially if we think of bravery as his willingness to go on the offensive.
Can you do french war religions.
What a sad story.
The Battle might have been a second Agincourt, but Charles' enemies were better organised than the French had been then.
That does seem to be the hallmark of French generals throughout history though.
@@cgavin1 ?
The approach will not be easy. Your entire army
are required to maneuver straight
down this valley and run the gauntlet.
to this point. The target area is
only 400 meters wide.
Stay on target...