Duke of Burgundy was a title borne by the rulers of the
Duchy of Burgundy, a small portion of traditional lands of
Burgundians west of river
Saône which in 843 was allotted to
Charles the Bald's
kingdom of West Franks.
List of Dukes of Burgundy
The first margrave (
marchio), later duke (
dux), of Burgundy was Richard of the
House of Ardennes, whose duchy was created from the merging of several regional counties of the
kingdom of Provence which had belonged to his brother
Boso.
His descendants and their relatives by marriage ruled the duchy until its annexation over a century later by the French crown, their suzerain.
Coat of arms of the Dukes of Burgundy until 1361 (House of Capet and House of Burgundy).
In 1004, Burgundy was annexed by the king, of the
House of Capet. Otto II William continued to rule what would come to be called the
Free County of Burgundy. His descendants formed another
House of Ivrea.
- Robert (1004–1016) (also king of France as Robert II)
- Henry (1016–1032) (also king of France as Henry I)
Robert, son of
Robert II of France, received the Duchy as a peace settlement, having disputed the succession to the throne of
France with his brother
Henry.
John II of France, the second Valois king, successfully claimed the Duchy after the death of
Philip, the last Capet duke. John then passed the duchy to his younger son
Philip as an
apanage.
In 1477, the territory of the Duchy of Burgundy was annexed by France. In the same year, Mary married
Maximilian,
Archduke of Austria, giving the
Habsburgs control of the remainder of the
Burgundian Inheritance.
Although the territory of the Duchy of Burgundy itself remained in the hands of France, the Habsburgs remained in control of the title of Duke of Burgundy and the other parts of the Burgundian inheritance, notably the
Low Countries and the
Free County of Burgundy in the
Holy Roman Empire. They often used the term
Burgundy to refer to it (e.g. in the name of the
Imperial Circle it was grouped into), until the late 18th century, when the
Austrian Netherlands were lost to
French Republic. The Habsburgs also continued to claim Burgundy proper until the
Treaty of Cambrai in 1529, when they surrendered their claim in exchange for French recognition of Imperial sovereignty over Flanders and Artois.
House of Habsburg-Spain
House of Habsburg
Other claimants
The title was shortly claimed by king
Philip V of Spain (Philip VIII) of the
House of Bourbon between 1700–1706 when the succession of the Spanish throne was
disputed between the Houses of Habsburg and Bourbon.
At the same time, various members of the French royal family, most notably
Louis, Dauphin of France, the father of
Louis XV of France, also used the title.
See also
