History of Burgundy

The history of Burgundy refers to the history of Burgundy, stretching from the late antiquity up to the contemporary period. As a historical region, Burgundy was impacted by various changes, that were affecting both political development and territorial scope of Burgundian lands and polities.

In the 5th century, the Burgundians, a Germanic people, settled in the wider region of the river Rhône, and established the Kingdom of the Burgundians, thus giving the new name to those parts of Roman Gaul. In 534, the Burgundian realm was incorporated into the Frankish Kingdom. Since the Treaty of Prüm (855), a renewed Burgundian polity started to emerge, following various divisions of the Carolingian Empire. In time, two distinctive realms were formed, the Lower Burgundy (879) and the Upper Burgundy (888). In 933, they were united to form the Kingdom of Burgundy (Arles), that existed until 1032, when it was incorporated into the Holy Roman Empire.

Since the 10th century, northern Burgundian regions were divided between the Duchy of Burgundy (to the west of the river Saône, belonging to the Kingdom of France), and the Free County of Burgundy (to the east of the same river, belonging to the Holy Roman Empire). The Duchy of Burgundy later became the French province of Bourgogne, while the Free County of Burgundy became the province of Franche-Comté (literally meaning the free county).

At different times and under different geopolitical circumstances, various political entities have gone by the name of 'Burgundy'. Historian Norman Davies has commented that "[f]ew subjects in European history have created more havoc than that summarized by the phrase 'all the Burgundies'." In 1862, James Bryce compiled a list of ten such entities, a list which Davies himself extends to fifteen, ranging from the first Burgundian kingdom founded by Gunther in the fifth century, to the modern French région of Burgundy.

In 2016, the area was formally reorganized into Bourgogne-Franche-Comté, merging the two former regions.