Olivier de la Marche
Encyclopedia
Olivier de la Marche was a courtier
, soldier, chronicler and poet in the last decades of the independent Duchy of Burgundy
. He was close to Charles the Bold, and after his death held the important position of maître d'hotel to his daughter Mary of Burgundy
, and her husband, and was sent on a mission as ambassador to France.
He saw at close hand the dispute over Flanders
between the kingdom of France
and the dynasty of the Habsburgs after Charles' death. The area then held a central place in the Empire over which Charles V
and his successors wanted hegemony
.
His best known work is his memoirs, which were published in 1562.
Courtier
A courtier is a person who is often in attendance at the court of a king or other royal personage. Historically the court was the centre of government as well as the residence of the monarch, and social and political life were often completely mixed together...
, soldier, chronicler and poet in the last decades of the independent Duchy of Burgundy
Duchy of Burgundy
The Duchy of Burgundy , was heir to an ancient and prestigious reputation and a large division of the lands of the Second Kingdom of Burgundy and in its own right was one of the geographically larger ducal territories in the emergence of Early Modern Europe from Medieval Europe.Even in that...
. He was close to Charles the Bold, and after his death held the important position of maître d'hotel to his daughter Mary of Burgundy
Mary of Burgundy
Mary of Burgundy ruled the Burgundian territories in Low Countries and was suo jure Duchess of Burgundy from 1477 until her death...
, and her husband, and was sent on a mission as ambassador to France.
He saw at close hand the dispute over Flanders
Flanders
Flanders is the community of the Flemings but also one of the institutions in Belgium, and a geographical region located in parts of present-day Belgium, France and the Netherlands. "Flanders" can also refer to the northern part of Belgium that contains Brussels, Bruges, Ghent and Antwerp...
between the kingdom of France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
and the dynasty of the Habsburgs after Charles' death. The area then held a central place in the Empire over which Charles V
Charles V, Holy Roman Emperor
Charles V was ruler of the Holy Roman Empire from 1519 and, as Charles I, of the Spanish Empire from 1516 until his voluntary retirement and abdication in favor of his younger brother Ferdinand I and his son Philip II in 1556.As...
and his successors wanted hegemony
Hegemony
Hegemony is an indirect form of imperial dominance in which the hegemon rules sub-ordinate states by the implied means of power rather than direct military force. In Ancient Greece , hegemony denoted the politico–military dominance of a city-state over other city-states...
.
His best known work is his memoirs, which were published in 1562.