Now, this projest does sound very interesting and I will be watching your every move with anticipation.
It is very interesting and I cannot believe it hasn't had better coverage.
You have the French trying to grab as much land as possible, both in the Low Countries and the two Burgundies, subsequently having to deal with a rebellion by some of their own nobles in the latter. The chief French gain is Picardy, which remains in French hands from then on.
The Burgundian Low Countries provinces are in some dissarray, with a stroppy moody and somewhat tactless teen at the helm of the Burgundian State itself and the 'Four Estates' (i.e. the Low Countries towns, cities and feudal holdings) trying to gain more independence from the Burgundian state itself.
Duchess Maria marries Maximilian, then a penniless German noble (his father, the Emperor, was very tight-fisted), who manages to occasionally unite the forces of Burgundy and the Low Countries and eventually forces the French back and gains several brief truces (during which fighting continues anyway).
The high point is the Battle of Guinegate in 1479, but fighting continues until 1482, when Maria dies in a riding accident, after which it really gets complicated, as Maximilian has no inheritance rights and becomes a whole new war.
The Burgundian Army initially consists of the survivors of Nancy, along with those troops which remained in the Low Countries, supported piecemeal by Low Countries' Militias, who seem to be trying to fight their own war and some of the German states, particularly Cleves. Maximilian reforms the Burgundian Army, although it is somewhat different to that of Charles the Bold.
The French have their Ordonnance Companies, supported by the Francs-Archers and subsequently by the new Swiss-trained 'Bands' when the former prove to be ineffective. The province of Geldres also rebels, just to add more confusion to the mix.
Besides the sieges and the Battle of Guinegate itself, many of the actions appear to be relatively small scale actions, ambushes and raids. The loss of life was supposedly immense, rivalling the Thirty Years War and resulted in a massive depopulation of the area. The fallout from Maria's marriage to Maximilian and her untimely death, turned the Netherlands into the 'Cock-pit of Europe' for the next few hundred years.
If that wasn't enough, the English almost joined in on Burgundy's side, but Edward IV, despite Maria being his niece, decided he preferred the French pension he was getting. Nevertheless there was a mercenary company, composed of 300 English who took part, besides the ones on already individual service (2,000 had joined Burgundy's forces after Duke Charles offered them jobs after the 1475 expedition) and who had survived Nancy.
As a period it has it all; virtually every troop type existing in Late Medieval Western Europe, including Swiss Mercenaries, Italian mercenaries (amongst others) and Maximilian's proto-Landsknechts. The forces are fairly evenly matched, the French only doing well initially because of the Burgundian disarray and subsequently finds itself over-extended.
It has the treachery of the Wars of the Roses and the political scheming of the Italian Renaissance - both Maria and Maximilian are both captured and held to ransom at various times by supposedly their own side, so that the Flemish can wrangle more freedoms from the State. France is trying to bribe people to come over to them left, right and centre, and is partially successful in this too.
Enough said?
Arlequin
If you need help (translation) with the Verbruggen, just ask . I'm Belgian Flemish and should be ok with it
Carl
i also thought about this period but ended up with researching mid XVth century Italy so i'm busy with liveries, stemma, imprese flags etc for the Malatesta, Montefeltre, Colleoni and SanSeverino 
Thanks, if I struggle, I will be in touch.
You've chosen another interesting period there... I was tempted by either the Pazzi War or the Salt War, which were obviously a little later. You've got your work cut out! 'Mercenaries and their Masters' by Michael Mallet, is an excellent book btw, I fully recommend it.
19 March 2013, 07:05:47 PM