Charles, known as "Charles the Bold", succeeded his father in 1467, after having been his lieutenant for two years.
He was ambitious: his wish was to rule over a territorially continuous and independent kingdom, reminiscent of the old Lotharingia, but also of the Kingdoms of Burgundy and of Gallia Belgica.

By the Treaty of Péronne of October 1468, Louis XI of France withdrew the French lands of the Duke of Burgundy from the jurisdiction of the Parliament of Paris.
But he later opposed this agreement, only to declare war on the duke in December 1470.
According to the noncompliance clause of the treaty, Duke Charles declared himself and his lands forever freed of the French crown.

In the same time, he encouraged a resumption of the Hundred Years' War.
A supporter of King Edward IV of York, whose sister he married, he made him land in Calais in the summer of 1475.
Presenting himself without a whole army, he failed to convince Edward, who had to deal with the King of France, resulting in the Treaty of Picquigny.

He also got closer to the Holy Roman Emperor Frederick III of Habsburg.
At the end of 1473, they negotiated at Trier the marriage of Charles's daughter Marie with Frederick's son Maximilian, in order to get Charles elected as King of the Romans and to be the next Emperor.
It failed, but Frederick then proposed to Charles the creation of a new Kingdom of Burgundy, which would have included all the imperial lands of the Duke, plus the Duchies of Lorraine, Savoy and Clèves and the Bishoprics of Utrecht, Liège, Toul and Verdun.
But the Emperor abruptly ended the negotiations by fleeing by night with his son.

Charles continued the territorial expansion of the Burgundian State by buying Brisgau and Sundgau from Sigismund, Archduke of Austria in 1469, then conquering the Duchy of Guelders and the County of Zutphen.
Finally, in 1475, he successfully conquered the Duchy of Lorraine, ruling at last over a vast continuous territory going from Charolais to Friesland.
He proclaimed his wish to make the Lorrainer city of Nancy the capital of his kingdom.

Charles was obsessed with kingship, which could have given his lands the unity they lacked.
He would always dress very richly, and, faced to the King of France or the Emperor, present himself as their equal.
He made himself a golden hat, of which an Italian observer of the time said that "it seemed like a king's crown".

Valois Burgundy's territorial appetite frightened the Swiss Confederacy, leading to the Burgundian Wars (1474–1477).
Charles the Bold's armies suffered two large defeats in 1476, at Grandson and Morat.
The Duke of Lorraine took advantage of that and took Nancy back.
With a weakened army, Duke Charles persevered and wanted to assiege Nancy as quick as possible.
The union of the Swiss and Lorrainer armies defeated the Burgundians during the battle of 5 January 1477, in which Charles the Bold was killed.
Charles, known as "Charles the Bold", succeeded his father in 1467, after having been his lieutenant for two years. He was ambitious: his wish was to rule over a territorially continuous and independent kingdom, reminiscent of the old Lotharingia, but also of the Kingdoms of Burgundy and of Gallia Belgica.
By the Treaty of Péronne of October 1468, Louis XI of France withdrew the French lands of the Duke of Burgundy from the jurisdiction of the Parliament of Paris. But he later opposed this agreement, only to declare war on the duke in December 1470. According to the noncompliance clause of the treaty, Duke Charles declared himself and his lands forever freed of the French crown.
In the same time, he encouraged a resumption of the Hundred Years' War. A supporter of King Edward IV of York, whose sister he married, he made him land in Calais in the summer of 1475. Presenting himself without a whole army, he failed to convince Edward, who had to deal with the King of France, resulting in the Treaty of Picquigny.
He also got closer to the Holy Roman Emperor Frederick III of Habsburg. At the end of 1473, they negotiated at Trier the marriage of Charles's daughter Marie with Frederick's son Maximilian, in order to get Charles elected as King of the Romans and to be the next Emperor. It failed, but Frederick then proposed to Charles the creation of a new Kingdom of Burgundy, which would have included all the imperial lands of the Duke, plus the Duchies of Lorraine, Savoy and Clèves and the Bishoprics of Utrecht, Liège, Toul and Verdun. But the Emperor abruptly ended the negotiations by fleeing by night with his son.
Charles continued the territorial expansion of the Burgundian State by buying Brisgau and Sundgau from Sigismund, Archduke of Austria in 1469, then conquering the Duchy of Guelders and the County of Zutphen. Finally, in 1475, he successfully conquered the Duchy of Lorraine, ruling at last over a vast continuous territory going from Charolais to Friesland. He proclaimed his wish to make the Lorrainer city of Nancy the capital of his kingdom.
Charles was obsessed with kingship, which could have given his lands the unity they lacked. He would always dress very richly, and, faced to the King of France or the Emperor, present himself as their equal. He made himself a golden hat, of which an Italian observer of the time said that "it seemed like a king's crown".
Valois Burgundy's territorial appetite frightened the Swiss Confederacy, leading to the Burgundian Wars (1474–1477). Charles the Bold's armies suffered two large defeats in 1476, at Grandson and Morat. The Duke of Lorraine took advantage of that and took Nancy back. With a weakened army, Duke Charles persevered and wanted to assiege Nancy as quick as possible. The union of the Swiss and Lorrainer armies defeated the Burgundians during the battle of 5 January 1477, in which Charles the Bold was killed.
Burgundian State