The basic outlines of Charles the Bold's diplomatic relations with Italy have been fairly clearly established by a succession of historians over the last hundred years and more, and, though it would be foolish to give the impression that nothing further remains to be discovered, the intention in this chapter is to concentrate more on analysis than on narrative.

As will be argued later in this chapter, perhaps controversially, the duke's interest in territorial expansion in Italy was probably never more than fleeting. To anticipate the argument, therefore, it seems safe to say that for most of his reign Italy occupied basically a subordinate, if still important, position in his diplomatic schemes; in other words, his main reason for entering into close relations with the rulers of the peninsula was to help to further his plans elsewhere. This chapter, then, will try to show how his dealings with Italy fitted into the wider framework of his diplomatic activity; to explain why his relations with the peninsula's largest states were both far closer and more continuous than those maintained by his predecessors; and to assess the aims and achievements of these relations in terms of his success in obtaining the diplomatic and material assistance which he clearly hoped to extract from his Italian partners.

Such an analysis, moreover, will help to set the scene for some of the themes of the later chapters, which will investigate both the activities of the Italians at the Burgundian court and the extent of their many-sided influence on the duke himself. The presence of these men at court cannot be understood without reference to the events outlined in this chapter, because the unprecedentedly high number of Italians attached to the entourage and service of Charles the Bold is explicable largely in terms of the intimacy of his relations with the peninsula's rulers. This observation applies particularly to the diplomats accredited to the duke. It applies also, if less directly, to the even more numerous group of exiles and expatriates. The Burgundian court had traditionally afforded a refuge to such men; but this attraction was immeasurably reinforced by the last Valois duke's deep interest in and involvement with Italian politics, a state of affairs which encouraged their hopes that they might be able to use his power for their own ends in their homeland.