Treaty of Senlis

Partition of Burgundy between 1477 and 1493

Habsburg

France

John II, Count of Nevers

TheTreaty of Senlisconcerning theBurgundian successionwas signed atSenlis, Oiseon 23 May 1493 betweenMaximilian I of Habsburgand his sonPhilip "the Handsome", Archduke of Austria,and KingCharles VIII of France.

Background

After the lastValoisDuke of Burgundy,Charles the Bold,had died without male heir at the 1477Battle of Nancy,his cousinLouis XI of Francewas determined to come into his inheritance, especially theBurgundian Netherlandswith the thrivingCounty of Flanders.However,Mary the Rich,daughter of Charles the Bold, and her husband Maximilian also claimed their rights, which led to clashes of arms culminating at the 1479Battle of Guinegate,concluded in favour of Mary and Maximilian. Nevertheless, Mary died in 1482 and according to theTreaty of Arras,Maximilian had to cede Burgundy, theCounty of Artoisincluding the City ofArrasand several minor lordships toFranceas dowry for the proposed marriage of their daughter,Margaret,with Louis' sonCharles.

When Charles VIII, now King of France, marriedAnne of Brittany– who was at that time married in proxy to Maximilian – instead of Margaret, Maximilian urged the return of his daughter and the retrieval of theCounty of Burgundy,ArtoisandCharolais.In 1493, Charles VIII, stuck in the conflict with KingAlfonso II of Naples,finally had to acknowledge the claims.

Contents

Based on the terms of the Senlis Treaty, all hostilities between France and theSeventeen Provinceswere officially over. Moreover, the disputed territories were relinquished to theHouse of Habsburgand Artois and Flanders were annexed by theHoly Roman Empire.However, France was still able to retain powerful legal claims and outposts in both provinces. TheDuchy of Burgundy(with capitalDijon,not to be confused with theFree County of Burgundywith capitalDole), which had also been ceded to France in 1482, remained in French hands.

The Treaty of Senlis had 48 articles, called "items":

• 1. Peace has been made between the King of France and the Holy Roman Emperor.
• 2–3, 13. The position ofMargaret of Austria, Duchess of Savoy.
• 4. Promise of friendship between Charles VIII of France and Philip of Austria.
• 5–9. The Counties of Burgundy ( "Bourgogne" ), Artois,Charolais( "Charolois" ) andNevers( "seigneurie de Noiers" ), will be given back to the Holy Roman Emperor, but the cities and castles ofHesdin,Aire-sur-la-Lys( "Aire" ) andBéthune( "Betune" ), remain in the possession of the King of France and his marshals.
• 10. The Houses of Flanders, Artois and Conflans are given back to and delivered to the Holy Roman Emperor.
• 11. The King of France will enjoy the Counties ofMâconnais( "Mâconnois" ),AuxerroisandBar-sur-Seine.
• 18. This peace treaty has been concluded with the consent and agreement of the Bishop of Cambrai, the Count ofCambrésis,its clergy, towns and castles.

References

• Dumont, Jean(1726).Corps Universel Diplomatique Du Droit Des Gens: Contenant Un Recueil Des Traitez D'Alliance, De Paix, De Trêve,... qui ont été faits en Europe, depuis le Regne de l'Empereur Charlemagne jusques à présent.Amsterdam: P. Brunel, R. & G. Wetstein, Janssons-Waesberge, L'Honore' & Chatelain. pp. 303–308.Retrieved30 May2022.– Original text of the Treaty of Senlis in Middle French, as quoted in a 1726 copy.
• Potter, David.A History of France, 1460-1560: The Emergence of a Nation-State.New Studies in Medieval History, 1995.

External links

• Britannica - Treaty of Senlis
• Catholic Encyclopedia - Burgundy
• Original 1494 correspondence on the difficulties of the application of the Treaty of Senlis