In 1467, Charles the Bold became Duke of Burgundy on the death of his father, this followed the death of Charles's
second wife Isabel of Bourbon who died in 1465.
In 1454 Charles the Bold's mother, Isabella of Burgundy, granddaughter of John of Gaunt, had favoured a match with England when considering a second wife for her son, but a marriage into the present English royal family was out of the question due to the reigning monarchs consort Margaret of Anjou, being the niece of Charles VII of France who was Burgundy’s bitterest enemy, it was then Charles married Isabel. Eleven years later, in 1465 after the death of Isabel, Charles was in need of a new wife. This time however, the Yorkists were in a far better position than they had been in 1454, now Edward IV was king of England. Edward's sister Margaret, the youngest daughter of Richard, Duke of York and Cecily Neville was the chosen bride, and in 1468 it was Phillippe Pot who headed the marriage negotiations with the English.
second wife Isabel of Bourbon who died in 1465.
In 1454 Charles the Bold's mother, Isabella of Burgundy, granddaughter of John of Gaunt, had favoured a match with England when considering a second wife for her son, but a marriage into the present English royal family was out of the question due to the reigning monarchs consort Margaret of Anjou, being the niece of Charles VII of France who was Burgundy’s bitterest enemy, it was then Charles married Isabel. Eleven years later, in 1465 after the death of Isabel, Charles was in need of a new wife. This time however, the Yorkists were in a far better position than they had been in 1454, now Edward IV was king of England. Edward's sister Margaret, the youngest daughter of Richard, Duke of York and Cecily Neville was the chosen bride, and in 1468 it was Phillippe Pot who headed the marriage negotiations with the English.
Born in 1428 Philippe Pot's grandfather had been a crusader and had been Chamberlain to Phillip the Bold. Educated in Dijon, he was well thought of in diplomatic circles, eventually becoming chief adviser to the Dukes of Burgundy. By 1440, Philippe was an ambassador in London securing the release of Charles of Orleans who had been taken prisoner at Agincourt and had been an English prisoner for twenty five years. Phillippe was next employed by Charles the Bold in obtaining a marriage contract with Catherine of Valois and on her death used once again in 1450 to secure the hand of Isabella of Bourbon. In 1464 he was granted the title Grand Chamberlain and in 1466 he was given the lordship of Lilloise in Flanders. He was involved in all major political matters of his time and proved himself to be a skilled diplomat and negotiator.
The magnificence of Philippe Pot's tomb bears witness to the fact that he was regarded as
"the most accomplished knight of his time."
Emile Male, a French 19th century historian writes of Pots tomb:
"The mourners, enlarged to life-size, have been transformed into pallbearers, and on their shoulders rests the stone slab bearing the recumbent effigy of the Seneschal of Burgundy, clad in his armour,These are eight relatives, all of the noble
house of Burgundy, for each one carries a shield on which his kinship is indicated. They tread with heavy step, bowed down
by the weight of the deceased on their shoulders, but apparently with even greater weight in their hearts. Nothing could be more real, more solid, than these eight knights as massive as Romanesque pillars; yet at the same time, nothing could be more mysterious. The great figures veiled in black are as frightening as specters of the night. Certainly, they do not belong
to this world: sent by Death, they show themselves for a moment, but shortly they will vanish, to return to the land of shadows."
"the most accomplished knight of his time."
Emile Male, a French 19th century historian writes of Pots tomb:
"The mourners, enlarged to life-size, have been transformed into pallbearers, and on their shoulders rests the stone slab bearing the recumbent effigy of the Seneschal of Burgundy, clad in his armour,These are eight relatives, all of the noble
house of Burgundy, for each one carries a shield on which his kinship is indicated. They tread with heavy step, bowed down
by the weight of the deceased on their shoulders, but apparently with even greater weight in their hearts. Nothing could be more real, more solid, than these eight knights as massive as Romanesque pillars; yet at the same time, nothing could be more mysterious. The great figures veiled in black are as frightening as specters of the night. Certainly, they do not belong
to this world: sent by Death, they show themselves for a moment, but shortly they will vanish, to return to the land of shadows."
In 1493, on Pots death the tomb was originally placed at the family home at Citeaux, it now lies at the Louvre in Paris.
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