After the death of Duke Philip I of Burgundy in 1361, the Duchy was integrated to the royal domain of King John II of France.
He later decided to give it as a fief to his last son, known as Philip the Bold, who was officially recognized as Duke of Burgundy and First Peer of France on 2 June 1364.

The same year, Edmund of Langley, son of Edward III of England, got engaged to Margaret of Flanders, daughter of the Count Louis II of Flanders and heiress to Flanders, Artois, Rethel, Nevers and the Free County of Burgundy.
King Charles V of France could not let this marriage happen: Edmund and Margaret being cousins, they needed a papal dispensation, which the Pope Urban V refused to give because of lobbying from the King of France.
Instead, he wanted to marry Margaret to his younger brother, the Duke of Burgundy.
He obtained the papal dispensation and the Count of Flanders, eager for an English alliance, eventually accepted to marry his daughter and heir presumptive to Philip the Bold.
They married on 19 June 1369 in Ghent, and from then Philip was nearly associated to the reign of his father-in-law, helping him crush the Flemish at the Battle of Roosebeke.
Louis of Flanders died soon after, on 30 January 1384: Philip became Count consort of Flanders, Artois, Rethel, Nevers and Burgundy.
Peace is officially restored in Flanders by the Peace of Tournai in 1385.
In 1385, the offices of Chancellor of Burgundy and of Chancellor of Flanders were merged, and in 1386 two Chamber of Accounts were created: the first one in Lille for his Northern possessions, the other one in Dijon for his Southern possessions.
Those were the first step in the centralization of power.

He carried out an ambitious matrimonial policy turned to the east: his first son John married Margaret of Bavaria, and his daughters Margaret and Catherine of Burgundy married, respectively, William, Count of Hainaut, Holland and Zeeland, and Leopold IV, Duke of Austria.
His last son Anthony married Jeanne of Saint-Pol, daughter of Waleran III of Luxembourg.
After the death of Duke Philip I of Burgundy in 1361, the Duchy was integrated to the royal domain of King John II of France. He later decided to give it as a fief to his last son, known as Philip the Bold, who was officially recognized as Duke of Burgundy and First Peer of France on 2 June 1364.
The same year, Edmund of Langley, son of Edward III of England, got engaged to Margaret of Flanders, daughter of the Count Louis II of Flanders and heiress to Flanders, Artois, Rethel, Nevers and the Free County of Burgundy. King Charles V of France could not let this marriage happen: Edmund and Margaret being cousins, they needed a papal dispensation, which the Pope Urban V refused to give because of lobbying from the King of France. Instead, he wanted to marry Margaret to his younger brother, the Duke of Burgundy. He obtained the papal dispensation and the Count of Flanders, eager for an English alliance, eventually accepted to marry his daughter and heir presumptive to Philip the Bold. They married on 19 June 1369 in Ghent, and from then Philip was nearly associated to the reign of his father-in-law, helping him crush the Flemish at the Battle of Roosebeke. Louis of Flanders died soon after, on 30 January 1384: Philip became Count consort of Flanders, Artois, Rethel, Nevers and Burgundy. Peace is officially restored in Flanders by the Peace of Tournai in 1385. In 1385, the offices of Chancellor of Burgundy and of Chancellor of Flanders were merged, and in 1386 two Chamber of Accounts were created: the first one in Lille for his Northern possessions, the other one in Dijon for his Southern possessions. Those were the first step in the centralization of power.
He carried out an ambitious matrimonial policy turned to the east: his first son John married Margaret of Bavaria, and his daughters Margaret and Catherine of Burgundy married, respectively, William, Count of Hainaut, Holland and Zeeland, and Leopold IV, Duke of Austria. His last son Anthony married Jeanne of Saint-Pol, daughter of Waleran III of Luxembourg.
Burgundian State