Editing Charles the Bold (section)

=== Territorial expansion ===
Like his father, Charles pursued territorial expansion; however, whereas Philip the Good pursued this policy by peaceful means, Charles vied for territory through conflict.<ref>{{harvnb|Stein|2017|p=46}}; {{harvnb|Blockmans|Pervenier|1999|p=182|year=}}.</ref> In the Netherlands, he sought to expand his realm to the north-east: the [[Duchy of Guelders]].{{Sfn|Stein|2017|p=46}} Although it was never a part of the Burgundian lands, the duchy was dependent on Burgundian trade.{{Sfn|Smith|De Vries|2005|p=170}} In 1463, [[Adolf, Duke of Guelders|Adolf of Egmond]] rebelled against his father, the ruling duke, [[Arnold, Duke of Guelders|Arnold]]. With Philip the Good's support, Adolf usurped the duchy and imprisoned his father in 1465.{{Sfn|Blockmans|Pervenier|1999|p=182}} Adolf's treatment of his father caused a scandal that resonated as far as [[Rome]], where the Pope sought a mediator to end the conflict in Guelders. In 1471, Charles was appointed as the mediator; he marched into Guelders and restored Arnold to power.{{Sfn|Van Loo|2021|p=405}} Adolf was placed under house arrest, and then to prison after a failed escape attempt.{{Sfn|Blockmans|Pervenier|1999|p=183}} To retain Burgundian assistance, Arnold made Charles the Regent of Guelders; when Arnold died in February 1473, having left no heirs but his imprisoned son, he bequeathed the duchy to Charles.<ref>{{harvnb|Vaughan|Paravicini|2002|p=117}}; {{harvnb|Van Loo|2021|p=406|year=}}.</ref>

[[File:Karte Haus Burgund 4 EN.png|thumb|Valois Burgundy at its greatest extent under Charles the Bold]]

However, Charles's inheritance met with opposition. The Estates of Guelders, and the towns of [[Nijmegen]], [[Arnhem]], and [[Zutphen]] rejected Arnold's will, and Louis XI asked [[Frederick III, Holy Roman Emperor|Frederick III]], the Holy Roman Empire, to confiscate the duchy.{{Sfn|Vaughan|Paravicini|2002|p=118}} Frederick III was diplomatically close to Charles and did not intervene. Charles subdued the rebelling cities and the nobles of Guelders by force.<ref>{{harvnb|Vaughan|Paravicini|2002|p=118}}; {{harvnb|Smith|De Vries|2005|p=170}}.</ref> On 9 June 1473, with a sizeable army, he entered the city of [[Maastricht]] without resistance. [[Roermond]] and [[Venlo]] quickly surrendered. [[Moers]], whose count, Vincent von Moers, was the leader of the resistance, yielded to Charles's artillery.{{Sfn|Vaughan|Paravicini|2002|p=119}} The only serious conflict was the siege of Nijmegen, which only surrendered after inflicting severe losses on the Burgundian army. After the successful conquest of Guelders, Charles imposed heavy taxes and replaced the aldermen in the region. Charles gave more power to the ducal judicial officers to control the rebellious cities and to impose a centralised administration.{{Sfn|Blockmans|Pervenier|1999|p=183}}

The Burgundian state under Charles was divided into two separate areas, the [[Duchy of Burgundy]] in the south and [[Flanders]] in the north.{{Sfn|Watson|Schellinger|Ring|2013|p=511}} To unify them, Charles needed the [[Duchy of Lorraine]] and [[Alsace]].{{Sfn|Knecht|2007|p=98}} On 21 March 1469, he received [[Sigismund, Archduke of Austria]] to his court to negotiate the purchase of Sigismund's lands in [[Upper Alsace]].{{Sfn|Vaughan|Paravicini|2002|p=86}} Sigismund was in a desperate financial situation and eagerly agreed to sell.{{Sfn|Van Loo|2021|p=404}} With this purchase, Charles acquired a claim to the city of [[Ferrette]], close to the Swiss border, alarming the [[Old Swiss Confederacy|Swiss Confederacy]].{{Sfn|Blockmans|Pervenier|1999|p=182}} Charles's rights and income from his new territories were severely limited because most of the land rights were mortgaged to local nobles.{{Sfn|Vaughan|Paravicini|2002|p=88}} Charles's deputy in the area, [[Peter von Hagenbach]], imposed harsh taxes on the people.{{Sfn|Simpson|Heller|2013|p=27}} Soon, several towns of Alsace formed a league against Hagenbach.{{Sfn|Knecht|2007|p=98}} For the most part, Charles ignored the area.{{Sfn|Simpson|Heller|2013|p=29}}