Karl the Bold: biography. Why was Charles the Bold called the last knight?

One of the most striking and colorful figures of the European Middle Ages, no doubt, is Karl the Brave, who ruled Burgundy in the middle of the XV century. In history, he is often referred to as the "last knight" for the qualities that he possessed or which he was accustomed to attribute. He lived in a cruel age, and it is hardly possible to reproach him for those deeds whose descriptions make a modern person shudder.

The son and heir of Philip the Good

Karl got a very good heredity. His father, Philip the Good, despite the fact that he had spoiled his reputation by giving the English to Joan of Arc, managed to give Burgundy the power by which she gained high authority in Europe. In the ducal court, the development of art was encouraged, and the ruler himself was an ardent supporter of the knightly code and the founder of the Order of the Golden Fleece, which has survived to this day.

Philip's favorite entertainment was knight tournaments and minnesinger competitions. It is understandable that the heir, born on November 10, 1433, whom he called Carl, he tried to instill the features inherent in this knight. Philip's works were not in vain, and the son completely inherited his love for fights, hunting and military campaigns.

Youth of the future Duke of Burgundy

Guided by political considerations, his father hastened to betroth his son to Catherine, daughter of the French King Charles VII, and that someone did not intercept the vacant bride did so when the heir was barely five years old. By the way, the lucky woman was only four years older than her fiancé. Subsequently, Carl was married twice more - on the French Isabel de Bourbon and Englishwoman Margarita of York. Both were royal blood.

In his early youth, Karl the Bold met and even made friends with his future sworn enemy, the heir to the French throne, Louis, when he was hiding from the wrath of his father in the Burgundy duchy. Almost the same age, they differed strikingly from each other. Karl the Bold - "the last knight" - was a tall and strong young man, ready with a sword in his hands to prove his case. Louis, however, short and thin, with a small growth was distinguished by cunning and cunning.

A military campaign against a former friend

Their friendship came to an end when, on July 22, 1461, Louis changed on the throne of his father, becoming king of France Louis XI. From the first days of the government, he led the policy of annexing the lands belonging to the feudal lords under his control. This caused their extreme discontent, as a result of which the ruling barons and dukes united against their overlord, having concluded an agreement called the "League of the Common Good." This alliance was joined by Karl the Bold, forced to join the new king in a conflict over the county of Charolais, to which they both claimed.

Very soon the political confrontation developed into a military clash. By this time, Philip the Good died, and Karl inherited not only his father's vast possessions, but also the title of Duke of Burgundy. Now at the head of the army, assembled by the "League of the Common Good," he fully had the opportunity to shine with his courage and courage.

The beginning of the bloodshed

The first brilliant victory, Karl the Brave, won in 1465, after defeating his former friend's army at the battle of Montlery. This forced the king to abandon the claims to the disputed Charolais County. Encouraged by success, the duke rushed to new feats. He remembered that a couple of years ago in the city of Liege, which was under his control, there were unrest caused by excessive taxes. But the worst thing is that among rioters there was a rumor that he - Karl the Bold, the Duke of Burgundy - was not born from Philip the Good, his official father, but from the local bishop with whom his mother Duchess Isabella retired for confession.

A true knight, and this is how Karl respected himself, could not forgive the insult inflicted on the lady, especially the mother. He acted in the spirit of his time - the brutal and dark Middle Ages. Having seized Liege, whose inhabitants did not even try to resist, he destroyed them all, including women and children. Proudly raising his head, Carl left the smoking ruins still yesterday blooming the city. He visited this way and several other areas of his duchy.

On the eve of the Burgundian Wars

Finally firmly established in the consciousness of his own greatness, Charles wanted to make the kingdom under his control the Burgundy, and in this case to get the crown from the hands of the Pope. But the duke's ambitious plans were not to be realized. This was opposed by the emperor of the Great Roman Empire, and the King of France. Neither one nor the other did not want the strengthening of Burgundy.

The goals of Charles the Bold and Louis 11 were the same - the maximum concentration of power in their hands, but they sought to achieve it in different ways. If the burgundy in all relied on brute force, the king acted cunning and intrigues, in which he was an unrivaled master. To destroy his opponent, he managed to draw him into a whole series of military adventures, later called the Burgundy Wars.

Impoverishment of the country

Under his influence, Karl the Bold attempted to annex Alsace and Lorraine to his possessions. The beginning was encouraging, but then, through secret negotiations, Louis XI managed to take up almost half of Europe against him. Hopelessly bogged down in campaigns, the Duke completely translated the life of Burgundy into military rails. Since the maintenance of the army completely devastated the treasury, all entertainment was canceled. The competitions of poets and musicians are gone, and the crafts that were not related to military affairs were simply abolished. The former prosperity turned into hunger and poverty.

Defeat at Granson

The experience of history shows that no matter how great ambitions, no ruler alone can not resist the coalition of developed countries. Karl the Bold, the Duke of Burgundy, was no exception. If he somehow coped with the Germans and Frenchmen, then the best army of Switzerland at that time was too much for him.

The first crushing defeat he suffered in 1476 in the Battle of Granson. Shortly before this Duke Karl the Bold had seized the city, taking advantage of the betrayal of one of his defenders. With the garrison captured, he did as he was accustomed to doing - some of the soldiers hung, and others drowned in the Neuchatel Lake.

The Swiss, hurrying to help, it became quite clear what would happen if they lost. None of them wanted to drown or hang, so, inspired, they defeated the Burgundians. Karl the Bold - the Burgundian ruler - barely escaped by flinging his advanced enemy for those times, artillery and a magnificent camp, full of looted treasure during the trek.

Another setback

However, this defeat did not diminish the quickness and arrogance of the commander. The next rake, which he was to step on, waiting for the duke near the city of Murten. Here, Charles received an even more devastating defeat from the Swiss. From the documents of that era, it is known that he had the opportunity, through the mediation of a third party, to make peace and, even if fairly battered, but alive to return to his native Burgundy. However, furious with military failures, he missed this saving chance and thereby signed himself a death sentence. The fact is that the grandiose goals of Charles the Bold were incommensurable with the potential he possessed.

The tragic end of the Burgundian ruler

At the end of the same year, at the head of the newly formed army, he approached the city of Nancy. The defenders showed enviable persistence, and the siege dragged on. Despite the fact that due to the low temperature many of his soldiers got frostbite and could not continue fighting, Karl refused to back down, hoping that the famine would force the besieged to surrender. At that time a large army came to the aid of the city, consisting of Alsatians, Austrians, Germans and French.

The day of January 5, 1477, became fatal for the armies of Charles the Bold. Unable to resist the superior enemy, it was completely destroyed. The general himself died in battle. A few days later his body, mutilated by wounds and stripped by marauders, was found in a nearby river. His severed face was so unrecognizable that only a personal doctor could recognize the duke by the old scars.

The disappointing outcome of Karl's reign

The death of Charles the Bold completed a whole era in the history of Burgundy. A descendant heir in the male line, it was soon divided between the Hapsburgs and the French crown. The duchy as an independent European state has irretrievably gone into the past. History became known to her and her restless ruler Carl the Brave, whose biography is a continuous series of wars and campaigns. This is not surprising, because all his life he was a hostage of his own ambitions.

Fearless warrior and bad politician

The characteristic of Charles the Bold, given to him by researchers, is quite contradictory. It can not be denied that he directed all his forces to ensure that the Burgundy, controlled by him, by gaining conquered lands, acquired even greater greatness. However, the result of such a militaristic policy was the ruin of the duchy and general impoverishment. Raised at the court of his father Philip the Good, Karl professed the principles of chivalry, but, according to the traditions of his time, he put to death the innocent inhabitants of the captured cities.

The question arises: why was Charles the Bold called the "last knight"? Probably the answer lies in the fact that he was one of those who considered political games and intrigues shameful and unworthy, preferring to solve all issues in open battle, as befits a true knight. Undoubtedly, such an approach will give nobility to any private person, but for the head of state it is unacceptable. The leadership of the country is inseparable from the big politics, and in this its head must be professional.