Histoire de Flandre (T. 4/4)

In the winter of 1453 the great hall of Lille thrums with music, glittering pageantry and a procession that includes a mournful woman on an elephant and a golden‑feathered pheasant leading the banquet. The Duke of Burgundy, fresh from victories that have finally steadied his house after decades of setbacks, uses the feast to rally his knights for a bold new crusade against the Ottoman threat. As vows are spoken and elaborate toasts flow, a sober counselor warns that the splendor hides a calculated drive to turn religious fervor into political power.

The narrative follows the duke’s whirlwind tour through the Swiss cantons, the courts of Wurttemberg, Bavaria and Austria, where he weaves a network of alliances that could reshape the balance of Europe. Meanwhile rival French princes, English envoys, and the papal court watch his moves, each hoping to steer the upcoming campaign to their own advantage. Kervyn de Lettenhove blends vivid ceremony with the gritty diplomacy of the era, offering listeners a richly detailed portrait of a continent on the brink of change.