Rivalité nobiliaire et succession princière. La lutte pour le pouvoir à la Cour de Bavière et à la Cour de Bourgogne

This paper is a comparison between two « favoris du prince », two high-ranking courtiers, and their conflictual relationships with the prince’s heir. They are Jean d’Arkel, in the years 1400, a favourite of the count of Holland, Albert of Bavaria, and Antoine de Croÿ, lord chamberlain and favourite of the duke of Burgundy, Philippe le Bon. The idea is to analyze the different phases of the conflict (mobilization of support, peace violation, reconciliation and return to peace) along the lines of an anthropological model. The two favourites, because of their important land possessions, their matrimonial alliances and their political activity, ranked far higher than all the other noblemen. Through their formal and informal networks they tried to control the structures of the State and part of its revenues. This is the reason why they were considered by the heirs as a danger for the dynasties and territorial unity. In both cases, the heirs built themselves a clientage of their own made up of newcomers or of people who had been excluded from power. The heirs, who benefited from more political, ideological and financial resources than the favourites, eventually won. They still needed all the same the support of the favourites, or at least the support of their landed possessions as they bordered other entities.