The Burgundians

The story traces the Burgundian elite and its remarkable court and culture as a medieval and early modern epic of dynastic struggle, artistic achievement and eventual extinction. It covers a fabulously wealthy and turbulent region lying between France and Germany, with close ties to England, and its transformation into the Low Countries, the cradle of modern Belgium and the Netherlands. Through a thousand years, the narrative blends ambitious aristocrats, family dysfunction, treachery, savage battles, luxury and madness. It also charts the decline of knightly ideals and the rise of individualism, alongside the growth of cities, and the fierce rivalries that shaped northern Europe, including rich achievements in art, architecture and music amid chaos.

A comprehensive history that combines political drama with cultural development, showing how dynastic strife and societal change fostered a vibrant cultural milieu even as states redefined themselves.

• The Burgundian elite and its influential court
• Dynastic struggles across medieval and early modern Europe
• Rise of cities and individualism in northern Europe
• Great art, architecture and music amid turmoil
• Brutal battles and high-stakes marriages
• Extinction as an independent state and the birth of the Low Countries

• The Burgundian elite and its influential court
• Dynastic struggles across medieval and early modern Europe
• Rise of cities and individualism in northern Europe
• Great art, architecture and music amid turmoil