ABSTRACT
So transpired the initial meeting of Margaret of York (1446-1503) and Charles the Bold, Duke of Burgundy (1433-77). The two were wed just a few days later, on 3 July 1468, in what some have termed the ‘marriage of the century.’ In making the match, Charles had much more than his bride’s apparent beauty to celebrate. Margaret, daughter of Duke Richard of York and Duchess Cicely Neville, and sister of King Edward IV of England, brought to her marriage an impressive pedigree. Even more important were the political advantages of the marriage. Charles, who ascended to the Duchy of Burgundy in June of 1467, was without male issue, which put his control over the territories in immediate jeopardy from foreign parties. The birth of a son was thus urgent. Since Cicely had produced an impressive eleven offspring, Margaret, presuming similar fecundity, was an ideal match. What is more, the duke was seeking to broaden and consolidate his landed territories – his enviable possessions included both Burgundy and key provinces in the thriving Low Countries – a plan that was constantly threatened by the problematic French King, Louis XI, who held the acquisition of Burgundy directly in his line of sight. The marriage of Charles and Margaret, sister of the King of England, ostensibly would unite the two superpowers against Louis. Hostilities between France and Burgundy did not wane, however, and England too was plummeted into uncertainty when Edward was temporarily ousted from the throne in 1470. Margaret played no small role in the successful negotiations for her brother’s reinstatement, thereby enabling a satisfactory end to what had been a very real threat to Burgundian stability and holdings. Her intervention marked the beginning of many positive contributions to her husband’s political situation. Indeed, by 1472 the duchess was taking a steadily
active, official role in Burgundian politics as Charles’s representative, which afforded her considerable authority if not true sovereignty.
