Editing Charles the Bold (section)

=== Diplomacy ===
[[File:1468 - Louis XI - Traité de Péronne.jpg|thumb|294x294px|Charles the Bold ordering Louis XI to sign the Treaty of Péronne; 1913; ''Histoire de France et notions d'Histoire Générale'' by [[Gustave Hervé]], illustrated by Valéry Müller]]
[[File:Berner Schilling, B. 3, S. 170 (Ausschnitt).jpg|thumb|Charles and Emperor Frederick III at a banquet in Trier]]

Charles the Bold pursued a risky and aggressive foreign policy.{{Sfn|Graves|2014|p=65}} Trying to have as many allies as possible, he considered everyone, aside from Louis XI, as his ally.{{Sfn|Vaughan|Paravicini|2002|p=180}} In 1471, he made a list of his nineteen allies. He increased the number to twenty-four by the next year and had twenty-six allies in 1473, in contrast to Louis XI's fifteen allies.{{Sfn|Vaughan|Paravicini|2002|p=180}} Some of these relations, such as with [[Kingdom of Scotland|Scotland]], were only formalities. The kings of Scotland and [[Denmark]] would also sign treaties with Louis XI and appear on his list of allies.{{Sfn|Vaughan|Paravicini|2002|pp=73, 180}}

Initially, Charles was hesitant about an alliance with [[Matthias Corvinus]], the [[Kingdom of Hungary|king of Hungary]].{{Sfn|Barany|2016|p=88}} However, the mutual friendship with the [[Kingdom of Naples]] brought Burgundy and Hungary closer to each other, and in his pursuit to ally with Frederick III's opponents, Charles made contact with Matthias.{{Sfn|Barany|2016|p=73}} Charles hoped that by supporting Matthias' claim to the [[Kingdom of Bohemia]], Matthias would back him in the electoral college.{{Sfn|Barany|2016|p=74}} In November 1474, the two successfully concluded a treaty by which they agreed to partition the Holy Roman Empire between themselves, with Charles becoming the king of the Romans and having the lands along the Rhine under his authority while Matthias would acquire [[Wrocław|Breslau]] and Bohemia.{{Sfn|Vaughan|Paravicini|2002|p=341}} In 1473, through negotiations with the new Duke of Lorraine, [[René II, Duke of Lorraine|René II]], Charles obtained the right to pass his armies through the duke's lands, and assign Burgundian captains to important fortifications in Lorraine, essentially turning the duchy into a Burgundian [[protectorate]].{{Sfn|Van Loo|2021|p=409}} Among Charles's other allies were [[Amadeus IX, Duke of Savoy|Amadeus IX]], [[Duchy of Savoy|Duke of Savoy]], whose wife, [[Yolande of Valois]], Louis XI's sister, drove the duchy into an alliance with Burgundy on the basis of their shared dislike of Louis XI.{{Sfn|Waugh|2016|p=256}}

The intense rivalry between Louis XI and Charles kept both rulers always prepared for an eventual war.{{Sfn|Smith|De Vries|2005|p=165}} The suspicious death of Charles of Valois, Duke of Berry, the king's brother, in 1472, prompted Charles to raise arms to avenge his ally's death, stating that Berry had been poisoned by Louis.{{Sfn|Kendall|1971|p=248}} After a short conflict, the two ceased their fighting in the winter 1473 without any talk of peace. Neither would declare war on the other for the rest of their reigns.{{Sfn|Smith|De Vries|2005|p=170}} In 1468, Charles and Louis tried to make peace, which astonished the rest of France.{{Sfn|Vaughan|Paravicini|2002|p=55}} Their peace talks soon turned into hostility once Charles learned that Louis had his hands in a recent rebellion in Liége.{{Sfn|Kendall|1971|p=214}} Afterwards, Charles imprisoned Louis in the city of [[Péronne, Somme|Péronne]] and coerced him into signing a treaty favourable to Burgundy, with conditions such as forfeiting the Duke of Burgundy from paying homage, guarantying Charles's sovereignty over Picardy, and abolishing French jurisdiction over Burgundian subjects.{{Sfn|Van Loo|2021|pp=400–401}} Louis reluctantly agreed to all the demands and signed the [[Treaty of Péronne (1468)|Treaty of Péronne]].{{Sfn|Vaughan|Paravicini|2002|p=56}} However, the crown did not abide by the treaty terms and Franco-Burgundian relations remained poor.{{Sfn|Vaughan|Paravicini|2002|p=58}}

==== In Italy ====
[[File:SOAOTO - Folio 074R.jpg|alt=King Ferdinand is wearing a long red robe and chaperon|thumb|King Ferdinand I of Naples depicted as a knight of the Oder of the Golden Fleece in ''Statuts, Ordonnances et Armorial'' by Gilles Gobet, the [[Toison d'or King of Arms]], 1473]]

At the start of Louis XI's reign, Italy's triple alliance between the [[Duchy of Milan]], the [[Republic of Florence]], and the [[Kingdom of Naples]], allowed the influence of France grow in the peninsula, for Milan and Florence were long-standing allies of Louis.{{Sfn|Walsh|2005|p=4}} To remedy this, Charles enlarged Burgundy's [[sphere of influence]] in Italy to dwarf that of France.{{Sfn|Walsh|2005|p=5}} The first Burgundian alliance with an Italian ruler was with King [[Ferdinand I of Naples]], a ruler admired by both Charles and Louis.{{Sfn|Walsh|2005|p=195}}

Ferdinand was the legitimised bastard of [[Alfonso V of Aragon|Alfonso I]], and the Pope did not recognize his claim to the throne.{{Sfn|D'Arcy|Dacre|2000|p=403}} Meanwhile, [[René of Anjou]], the deposed King of Naples, persistently sought his title back. In the constant fear of an invasion from René or his heirs with the support of Louis XI, Ferdinand allied himself with Charles, who made Ferdinand a member of the Order of the Golden Fleece in 1473.{{Sfn|Walsh|2005|p=xx}} Charles constantly toyed with the idea of marrying his daughter, Mary, to Ferdinand's second son, [[Frederick of Naples]], who visited the Burgundian court in 1469 and 1470.<ref>{{harvnb|Walsh|2005|p=303}}; {{harvnb|Vaughan|Paravicini|2002|p=165}}</ref> In 1474, when war with Louis XI was on the horizon, Ferdinand's participation was dependent on his son's marriage to Mary. Charles hinted at his willingness to give his daughter's hand to Frederick, and Ferdinand dispatched his son to Burgundy on 24 October 1474.{{Sfn|Walsh|2005|p=304}} Although Frederick became a lieutenant and close military advisor to Charles, he failed in his ultimate mission of marrying Mary.{{Sfn|Walsh|2005|p=311}}

The Duchy of Milan was France's most important ally in the [[Italian Peninsula|Italian peninsula]]; Milan's ruler, [[Galeazzo Maria Sforza]] was attached to the King of France through his marriage with Louis' niece, [[Bona of Savoy]].{{Sfn|Walsh|2005|p=7}} Charles tried to form an alliance with Milan. In 1470, he offered Galeazzo membership in the Order of the Golden Fleece, on the premise of an alliance, but was rejected.{{Sfn|Vaughan|Paravicini|2002|p=75}} One time he even included Milan on one of his lists of allies, which caused Galeazzo to protest.{{Sfn|Vaughan|Paravicini|2002|p=180}} To bring Galeazzo into alliance, Charles started a rumour that he wished to conquer Milan.{{Sfn|Walsh|2005|p=35}} Concerns about a probable war, and Charles's bringing diplomatic pressure to isolate Milan from France, persuaded Galeazzo to sign a treaty, on 30 January 1475 at [[Moncalieri]], that formed an alliance between Savoy, Burgundy, and Milan.<ref>{{harvnb|Walsh|2005|p=8}}; {{harvnb|Vaughan|Paravicini|2002|p=304}}</ref> As a result of this treaty, diplomatic relations between the two duchies were established, and Galeazzo sent Giovanni Pietro Panigarola as his envoy to Burgundy.{{Sfn|Walsh|2005|p=205}}

Charles's relation with the [[Republic of Venice]] was based on his willingness to launch a crusade against the Turks.{{Sfn|Walsh|1977|p=57}} With Ferdinand of Naples's insistence, the [[Venetian Senate|senate of Venice]] agreed to a treaty against the King of France on 20 March 1472.{{Sfn|Walsh|2005|p=10}} From then on, Venice constantly urged Charles to uphold his part of the bargain and support them in [[Ottoman–Venetian War (1463–1479)|their war with the Ottomans]].{{Sfn|Walsh|1977|p=58}} Charles's inaction led to gradual estrangement from Venice.{{Sfn|Walsh|2005|p=202}} For instance, when he wanted to recruit the Venetian ''[[condottiero]]'' [[Bartolomeo Colleoni]] (who would have brought with him 10,000 men at arms) to his ranks, the Venetian government did not allow Colleoni to go. Charles spent two years negotiating with the Venetian ambassadors, but in the end, was unsuccessful in convincing them.{{Sfn|Vaughan|Paravicini|2002|p=216}} By 1475, the alliance between Venice and Burgundy had ceased to seem like a genuine union.{{Sfn|Walsh|2005|p=16}}

The Italian peninsula saw a shift in spheres of influence after the Treaty of Moncalieri in 1475. Charles the Bold triumphantly replaced Louis XI as the dominant influence in Italian politics, with three of four major secular powers in the region—Milan, Naples, and Venice—all aligned with him.{{Sfn|Walsh|2005|p=13}} Only Florence remained a French ally, though they remained neutral toward Charles on the basis of their mutual alliance with Venice.<ref>{{harvnb|Vaughan|Paravicini|2002|p=75}}; {{harvnb|Walsh|2005|p=13}}</ref> Charles successfully eliminated any possible Italian support for France, and now could count on the support of his Italian allies if a war with France ensued.{{Sfn|Walsh|2005|p=13}} However, from 1472, relations with France amounted to a truce, and remained as such during rest of Charles's reign.{{Sfn|Walsh|2005|p=14}}