On 25 January 1474, Charles the Bold, duke of Burgundy, appeared before his subjects in Dijon. Robed in silk, gold and precious jewels and wearing a headpiece that gave the illusion of a crown, he made a speech in which he cryptically expressed his desire to become a king. Three years later, Charles was killed at the battle of Nancy, an event that plunged the Great Principality of Burgundy into chaos.

This innovative book explores Burgundian history and historiography while offering a complete synthesis of the nature of politics in the region. It raises important questions about the medieval state, the idea of the nation under the 'Ancien Régime', the role of warfare in creating political power, the impact of political loyalties in the exercise of government and the place of symbolic communication and geographical knowledge in a territory extending from the northern County of Holland to the southern grapevines of Mâcon. In examining all these issues, the book challenges a number of long-standing ideas about the Burgundian state.

Asking what it takes to create a viable political community, The illusion of the Burgundian state offers a completely new interpretation of Burgundian history in the later Middle Ages, one that has deep relevance for historians of other European states.