How did Louis XI oppose Charles the Bold and Burgundy?

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Louis XI employed a multifaceted strategy of diplomacy, military pressure, and political maneuvering to oppose Charles the Bold and dismantle the power of Burgundy. His approach included:

  • Diplomatic Isolation: Louis worked to neutralize Charles’s allies, notably detaching Francis II of Brittany from their alliance and concluding the Treaty of Picquigny with Edward IV of England to ensure the defection of Charles’s English support.12
  • Subversion and Blockades: Louis frequently fomented internal revolts against Burgundian authority, such as in LiĂšge, and subjected Burgundy to economic blockades.123
  • Military Intervention: Louis subsidized Charles’s enemies, including the Swiss confederates and RenĂ© II of Lorraine, whose forces ultimately defeated and killed Charles at the Battle of Nancy in 1477.12
  • Territorial Consolidation: Following Charles’s death, Louis sought to reunite Burgundian fiefs with the French royal domain, eventually securing sovereignty over the Duchy of Burgundy, Picardy, and Boulonnais through the Treaty of Arras.13