Previous attempts to gain territory through marriage – Hugh III and the Dauphiné, Odo III and Nivernais, Hugh IV and the Bourbonnais – had failed; Odo IV's wife Joan, however, was sovereign Countess of Burgundy and Artois, and the marriage reunited the Burgundys again.
Varasemad katsed saada territooriume abielu kaudu – Hugues III ja Dauphiné, Eudes III ja Nivernais, Hugues IV ja Bourbonnais – ebaõnnestusid; Eudes IV naine Jeanne oli siiski suveräänne Burgundia ja Artois' krahvinna, ja abielu taasühendas Burgundiad jälle.