Charles the Bold, Duke of Burgundy

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Duke of Burgundy from 1463 who fought in the French civil war at Montlhéry in 1465, then crushed Liège (1464–68). He reformed his army before engaging in an ambitious campaign for conquest, unsuccessfully besieging the imperial town of Neuss (1474–75), before being defeated in his attack on the Swiss Federation (1476–77). He died in battle near Nancy, in Lorraine.

Charles's ambition was to create a kingdom stretching from the mouth of the Rhine to the mouth of the Rhône. He formed the League of the Public Weal against Louis XI of France, invaded France in 1471, and conquered the country as far as Rouen. The Holy Roman Emperor, the Swiss, and Lorraine united against him; he captured Nancy, but was defeated at Granson and again at Morat in 1476. Nancy was lost, and he was killed while attempting to recapture it. His possessions in the Netherlands passed to the Habsburgs by the marriage of his daughter Mary to Maximilian I of Austria.

The Star of May recalls the declaration of independence on 14 May 1811. The colours were inspired by the French tricolour. Effective date: c. 1990. >>