Burgundy, duchy of

Region in northeast France. An important but frequently hostile fief, it passed to Philip the Bold in 1364, thereby beginning its ascendancy and expansion until 1477 under a succession of notable dukes: John the Fearless, Philip the Good and Charles the Bold, all opponents of the Armagnac faction. Under Philip the Good it was probably the richest state of Europe. Following Charles the Bold's death at Nancy (1477), King Louis XI annexed the duchy to the French crown.