obtain the
emperor's recognition of the kingdom of "Belgian Gaul." In 1469 he bought
the landgraviate of Alsace and the countship of Ferrette from the archduke
Sigismund of Austria, and in 1473 the aged duke Arnold ceded the duchy of
Gelderland to him. In the same year he had an interview at Trier with the
emperor Frederick III., when he offered to give his daughter and heiress,
Mary of Burgundy, in marriage to the emperor's son Maximilian in exchange
for the concession of the royal title. But the emperor, uneasy at the
ambition of the "grand-duke of the West," did not pursue the negotiations.

Meanwhile the tyranny of the duke's lieutenant Peter von Hagenbach, who was
established at Ferrette as governor (_grand bailli_ or _Landvogt_) of Upper
Alsace, had brought about an insurrection. The Swiss supported the cause of
their allies, the inhabitants of the free towns of Alsace, and Duke Rene
II. of Lorraine also declared war against Charles. In 1474 the Swiss
invaded Franche-Comte and achieved the victory of Hericourt. In 1475
Charles succeeded in conquering Lorraine, but an expedition against the
Swiss ended in the defeat of Grandson (February 1476). In the same year the
duke was again beaten at Morat, and the Burgundian nobles had to abandon to
the victors a considerable amount of booty. Finally the duke of Lorraine
returned to his dominions; Charles advanced against him, but on the 6th of
January 1477 he was defeated and killed before Nancy.

By his wife, Isabella of Bourbon, he only left a daughter, Mary, and Louis
XI. claimed possession of her inheritance as guardian to the young
princess. He succeeded in getting himself acknowledged in the duchy and
countship of Burgundy, which were occupied by French garrisons. But Mary,
alarmed by this annexation, and by the insurrection at Ghent (secretly
fomented by Louis), decided to marry the archduke Maximilian of Austria, to
whom she had already been promised (August 1477), and hostilities soon
broke out between the two princes. Mary died through a fall from her horse
in March 1482, and in the same year the treaty of Arras confirmed Louis XI.
in possession of the duchy. Franche-Comte and Artois were to form the dowry
of the little Margaret of Burgundy, daughter of Mary and Maximilian, who
was promised in marriage to the dauphin. As to the lands proceeding from
the succession of Charles the Bold, which had returned to the Empire
(Brabant, Hainaut, Limburg, Namur, Gelderland, &