I have wanted to start a timeline ever since I first came to alternatehistory.com. I have always been captivated by different writers' ability to create new worlds, as well as the skill with which they tell their stories. This is my first attempt at a timeline. I have been doing research for about two months on France in this time period and specifically the House of Burgundy. I found my self enthralled by the history of the dynasty, specifically how clever the dukes were and their little-recognized yet crucial importance to history and the creation of the modern world. This is the prologue for the timeline. I tried to give a brief summary of the immediate history of Burgundy before the POD, but if you have any questions ask me, and if you want to further explore the topic I can recommend some readings. I found wikipedia to have many errors one the subject one I did more in depth research, but you can also use it for general information. I love so many of the timelines on this site, and I am looking forward to contributing my own. I would like to thank MNP in particular for showing us all how truly awesome a middle ages timeline can be, and LSCatilina for another fantastic middle ages timeline, as well as his advice in planning this timeline.
Anyway, here we go!
Prologue: Le Bal des Ardents
“The House of Burgundy and the Birth of Modern France” Paris, 1973, Eudes Marcel
The House of Burgundy is undoubtedly one of the most important ruling houses in the history of Europe. The dynasty’s impact on France and the world as a whole is incalculable. The House of Valois-Burgundy, as it is officially know, came to rule France in the late 14th century, but the story of how they got their begins earlier. The founder of the house, Phillip the Bold, was given the Duchy of Burgundy by his father, king John II, in 1363. Phillip received the duchy from his father, who had himself inherited the duchy from his cousin, Phillip of Rouvres, who died of the plague in 1361. Phillip married Margaret of Flanders, the heir to a great estate in consisting of Flanders, Artois, Nevers, Rethel and the County of Burgundy. The inheritance of these lands through his marriage made Phillip the greatest prince in France, and gave the duke the power base they would later use to take control of the whole of the kingdom . . . .
The story of the Burgundian rise to a new level of power and eventual accession to the throne begins on one day, January 29th, 1393. This day is undoubtedly one of the great turning points in French history. The young king, Charles VI, who had only recently begun to fully rule the kingdom from his uncles after his minority, decided to throw a party to celebrate the marriage of one of the queen’s ladies in waiting. The party took place at Hôtel de Saint Pol in Paris, and was a lavish affair. At the suggestion of one of his squires, Huguet de Guisay, the king decided collect a group of other lords and dress as wild men. They wore costumes of linen cloth soaked in wax and covered in hemp, so as to appear to be savages. The lords danced around the party in their wild dress, intriguing the guests and enlivening the ball. Then, disaster struck. Louis of Orleans, the king’s younger brother, arrived late at the party and approached these strange men with a torch, in order to find out their identities. Unknowingly approaching his brother, he accidentally set him on fire. The fire spread quickly among the wild men due to their flammable outfits, and chaos ensued as many people tried to put out the flames. Panic ensued as no one was able to quickly put out the fire. Many, including the Duchess of Berry[1], ran screaming from the blaze. One man was even able to save himself by running into a tub of water. Once the flames had been put out, a death tally was made. Five men had died in the course of the fire, but, most importantly, Charles VI, King of France, had perished in the blaze.
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[1] This is the point of divergence. In our timeline, instead of running she used her dress to put our the flames on Charles VI, saving his life.
I will post the next update in the next couple of days. Any comments, criticisms, ideas or questions are welcomed.
Here is the planning thread.