Charles II

## Charles II de Bourgogne

Sa Très Fidèle Majesté, Charles II d'Autriche, Roi de Bourgogne et de tous les Pays-Bas

## Roi de Bourgogne

### Coronation

16th May 1571, Cathédrale Saint-Rombaut, Malines

## Biography

### Born

6th January 1559, Prinsenhof de Gand, Gand, Comté de Flandre

### Died

2nd October 1575, Château de Chenonceau, Chenonceau, France

### Mother

Magdalena von Österreich, Reine Douairière de Bourgogne

### Siblings

Marie Madeleine, Infante de Bourgogne
Jeanne I, Reine de Bourgogne

Catherine Grégorie, Infante de Bourgogne

Philippe Martin, Infant de Bourgogne

### Religion

Roman Catholicism

**Charles II** (born Charles Jacques d'Autriche; Dutch: Karel Jacob; Latin: Carolus Jacobus; 6th January 1559 - 2nd October 1575) was the King of Burgundy, reigning from the death of his father, Ferdinand, in 1569, to his own in 1575. He succeeded to the collection of titles, including King of Burgundy and all the Low Countries, and (as Charles III) Duke of Burgundy, Brabant, Limburg, Lothier, (as Charles IV) Luxembourg, and Guelders.

Inheriting the realm of his father at the age of 10, the beginning of his rule was enacted through the regency of his mother, Magdalena von Österreich (Madeleine d'Autriche) alongside the influential Cardinal de Granvelle. This continued the policy of his father, relying on Spanish administrators, which was extremely unpopular, particularly amongst the powerful nobility who felt slighted by the government and the dwindling of their privileges, and especially by the Calvinists who were increasingly met with brutal repressions.

## Biography

### Birth

Charles II of Austria was born on the 6th of January in 1559 at the Prinsenhof de Gand, in the Flemish city of Ghent (Gand) within the County of Flanders, to Ferdinand d'Autriche and Magdalena von Österreich. His father Ferdinand was the second born son of Charles V, Holy Roman Emperor, and Isabel de Portugal of the house of Aviz. His mother was the fourth daughter of Ferdinand I, Holy Roman Emperor, and Anna of Bohemia and Hungary of the Jagiellon dynasty. The marriage between these two was a continuation of the policies of Charles V which encouraged the Habsburg dynasty to marry within itself maintaining their possessions and preventing their territories falling into the hands of others (this attitude exemplified by the saying *Bella gerant aliī, tū fēlix Austria nūbe/ Nam quae Mars aliīs, dat tibi regna Venus* or "Let others wage war, but thou, O happy Austria, marry; for those kingdoms which Mars gives to others, Venus gives to thee").

Charles was born at 5 a.m. and was named by his father after his grandfather Charles V. When the boy was first presented to his parents, they expressed dynastic pride, as Magdelena stated; “Sir, look at your son and our child, young Charles of imperial seed.” Ferdinand kissed the baby, and replied, “O noble Burgundian blood, my offspring, named after Charles of Austria." He was named Grand Duke of the West upon his birth, and Count of Charolais by tradition. He would be baptised at the Cathédrale Saint-Bavon in Ghent by Charles de Croÿ, évêque de Tournai: Philippe III de Croÿ, Duc d'Aerschot and Karl II Franz von Österreich (later Archduke of Inner Austria) were his godfathers; Margaret, Duchess of Parma and Catarina de Áustria, Queen of Portugal were his godmothers. Charles's baptism gifts were a sword and a helmet, objects of Burgundian chivalric tradition representing, respectively, the instrument of war and the symbol of peace.

When he was eleven months old, he received members of the councils and estates general in order that they swear an oath of allegiance to him as heir to the realm of his father. He left in the care of his governess, María Enríquez de Toledo y Guzmán, wife of Fernando, Duque de Alba.

### Childhood

At the age of 5 he was removed from the care of governesses and nursemaids to tutors and preceptors. In this capacity, Frederik V Schenck van Toutenburg the Archbishop of Utrecht acted as his principle preceptor, whilst his his tutors included such names as Alfonso Salmeron, one of the first Jesuits, and Scottish Jesuit William Crichton, alongside noted humanist Juan Cristóbal Calvete de Estrella. His youth was heavily influenced by the culture of the Low Countries in which he was primarily taught. A member of the order of the Golden Fleece from infancy, he was educated in the chivalry of knights and the belief in Christian unity against those who detract or threaten the faith. This had a profound impact on his view of the world as he grew older. This was encouraged further by the policies of his parents and the Cardinal de Granville, Grand Chancellor of Burgundy. He would display an aptitude for letters and arts, but was exemplary in his understanding of language. Educated in Latin, French, and Dutch, he also formed a relatively good grasp of Spanish, Italian, and German.

Throughout his childhood, he would spend much time travelling between residences, primarily the Prinsenhof de Gand, Prinsenhof de de Bruges, Château des Comtes de Flandre, and the Palais des Ducs de Bourgogne. Whilst his father preferred to reside at the Château du Coudenbourg, Charles was kept amongst his own small household for the most part, and often travelling alongside his mother. This was partly in order to avoid outbreaks of violence across Burgundy as the revolts of independence took hold, and the outbreak of the Iconoclasm in 1566 caused his household to move for the Palais des Ducs de Bourgogne for several months.

### Burgundian Inheritance and Regency

In 1569, on the 23rd of July, his father Ferdinand passed away as the result of a stroke, aged 39, brought on by a fall from a horse. This would leave his young son, the ten year old Charles, as King of Burgundy and the Low Countries. He was immediately proclaimed as King by his court and councils, and the Council of State, on the accession of Charles, appointed his mother, Magdalena von Österreich, as regent with sweeping powers. She would retain the chief minister, the Grand Chancellor Cardinal de Granvelle and the harsh repressive measures of the former government. He was not immediately consecrated with his coronation due to his age, but rather began his reign under his mothers rule with a series of royal tours.

The opening months of the regency of his mother proved unpopular. The Duque de Alba, a widely disliked general from Spain serving under Burgundy, was retained alongside the series of Spanish administrators that Ferdinand had relied on. To pay for the wars that had ended only months prior to Ferdinand's death, Magdalena and the Cardinal Granvelle instituted new taxes, particularly the tenth penny tax. This would be a 10% sales tax, and all provincial and local authorities who refused were arrested, tortured, and imprisoned. Charles was permitted to sit in on Council meetings when it was considered appropriate, but had no influence on the manner in which his state was administered.

To make matters worse, Peter Ernst von Mansfeld was soon sent to France to assist Charles IX in his battles against the Huguenots. This set the old grievances of the Calvinists back to the fore, and broke out in a series of conflicts across the kingdom. The Calvinists feared the increased power of the Catholic States that could give real power behind the repressions of the Burgundian government. Whilst these outbreaks were quelled by Alba and his men relatively effectively, it was decided by Magdalena that something else might be required. Hence in 1571 whilst her son was no older than 12 years, she had his majority declared as a means to attempt to forge some unity under a young and spirited King.

### Personal Reign

Charles, the second of his name, had his coronation on the 16th of Mary 1571 at the Cathédrale et Primatiale Saint-Rombaut in Malines. On the day of the coronation, the young King was awoken and dressed in a simple surplice. From there he was guided along in a procession towards the Cathedral. The Cardinal de Granvelle took the responsibility of consecrating the young King, though many witnessed the Crown fall before it was placed on the head of Charles. To many who were influenced by superstitions this was a bad omen of worse to come.

With the coronation complete, another round of royal tours were undertaken, an attempt to unify the kingdom. This series of tours was planned to last for two years, and began in the safest regions of the Kingdom. Dijon became the first city that the royal party visited, being the historical homeland of the Dukes of Burgundy and capital of the Kingdoms namesake. He made his Joyous Entry into the city, inviting hundreds of city administrators, magistrates, and priests. Entering the city on horseback, his family entered behind him in a gilded carriage, whilst local nobility acted as men-at-arms. Crowds of thousands cheered, thronging the streets which were richly hung in tapestries. This welcome reception stoked the expectations of the former regency council as to how the remainder of the tour would perform.

After Dijon, the royal party would progress through Autun, Chalon, Dôle, Besançon, Luxembourg, Mons, Arras, Brabant, and Ghent. It was this final city in 1572 that the mood seemed to turn. Whilst the Joyous Entries had seemingly reduced in their fervour of excitement as they progressed, Ghent marked a noted decline in the atmosphere. Shortly thereafter, the Seabeggars, rebels who had taken command of ships and resided in safe harbour in England, were cast out by Elizabeth I of England and successfully captured Brielle. This encouraged open revolt once again, inspired by the harsh repressions that had continued under the new government, a government which retained Granvelle. With the mood quickly turning in Ghent, the court made their way back to Brussels.