Historical Figures

Charles the Bold(1433 - 1477)

A man of exceptional courage, he is however known for his violent and impulsive character. He only knows one way to get what he wants:force. Charles will not hesitate to challenge within the framework of the League of Public Good Louis XI by giving him battle in Montlhéry (1465) and laying siege to Paris. Thus he forced the king to return Picardy to him. His main objective is to constitute a large Burgundian State from which he would take the royal crown. Considering himself a sovereign by divine right, Charles the Bold multiplied the opportunities to challenge the King of France, even to humiliate him when he forced Louis XI after the interview at Péronne (1468). But Charles suffered his first setbacks (Beauvais in 1472). At war against the Swiss, he made many tactical errors, and was beaten at Grandson and Morat in 1476. In 1477, he invaded Lorraine and laid siege to Nancy. It was there that he died, presumably assassinated by one of his generals.