I’m at La Musée des Beaux-Arts de Dijon, located in the Palace of the Dukes of Burgundy. I’m looking at all kinds of neat art and artifacts, many of which are from the age when the Dukes of Burgundy ruled this part of the world. The first Duke of Burgundy was Philip the Bold. He put Burgundy on the map and set the tone for years to come.
The second duke was John the Fearless. He could just as well have been called John the Conniver, because he was always stirring things up and making shady deals behind the scenes. Unfortunately for him, he made one shady deal too many. He was killed at a secret meeting that turned out to be a trap.
Philip the Good
Then there was Philip the Good, who might be more suitably called Philip the Bad. Why? Because he was the one who turned Joan of Arc over to the English during the Hundred Years War. The ornately decorated tombs of Philip the Bold and John the Fearless are here at the museum. I don’t know where Philip the Good/Bad is, but I can see why he might not be here.
By the time Joan of Arc had met her end at the hands of the English, France had enough momentum to rout the allied English and Burgundians out of northern and eastern France. So guess who decided to change sides? Yep – Philip the Good/Bad. He made a deal with the French, who paid him a large sum of money to turn on his English allies and join up with France. You could say he was a survivor. He lived to see the end of the Hundred Years War.
There was one other Duke of Burgundy. Apparently, this one didn’t have quite as much on the ball as the other three, regardless of their scruples. He was the son of Philip the Good/Bad. He’s known today by a number of names, one of which is Charles the Bold. But the name that seems to fit the best is “Charles the Reckless”. With a name like that, you can probably figure out why he was the last Duke of Burgundy.
Charles the Bold/Reckless
Philip the Good/Bad may have been a conniver, but when he gave the reins over to his son Charles, he gave him a Burgundy that was a rich, independent duchy. Life was good in the royal Burgundy court. But through bad deal after bad deal, lost wars, misguided investments, and all-out gluttony, overindulgence, and debauchery, Charles managed to piddle it all away.
When Charles died, the independent duchy of Burgundy was dissolved. Burgundian lands were divided between the French and the Austrians. Dijon ended up in the French part, and the French king took the Palace of Dukes for himself to use as a little getaway palace.
So now, (if you’ve been following along in previous posts), you know all about the Dukes of Burgundy. A lot of nice things in this museum were gathered by the Dukes that came before Charles. There are paintings by famous artists, sculpture – all kinds of stuff.
My favorite place in the museum is the room where the tombs are kept. Not because of the tombs, but because this was the room where the Dukes had their parties. These were gala events that were known far and wide for their extravagance. They lasted for days, and no expense was spared.
I listened in to a guide telling a group about them. At one end of the room, up high, there was a loft that overlooks the whole space. This is where the minstrels played music for the party – exactly, I imagine, as portrayed on the cover of an old record album I used to have.
Le Tour Philippe Le Bon
Admission to the museum included a guided tour to the top of the Palace tower, “Le Tour Philippe Le Bon.” That sounded like fun, so when the next group took off, I went with ‘em.
It was quite a climb up a five-hundred-year-old stone spiral staircase. By the time we reached the top, everyone was huffing and puffing. It was worth the effort, though, because the view from the top was spectacular. We could see all of the city of Dijon and beyond. I’m sure that back in the day, the Dukes’ look-outs came up here to spy on anyone who was up to no good outside the city walls.
Looking almost straight down, I could see the semi-circular place in front of the palace where we like to hang out before going to dinner. I could even make out the building that our apartment is in, which is close by. Neat!
Speaking of our apartment, I’d better get back there and check on my beautiful, demure, and under-the-weather Better Half. Hopefully she’s feeling better by now.
To be continued….
