Connections1978

[explaining the excesses that led to the demise of Charles The Bold of Burgundy]

James Burke:
The first modern nation ran on tick. Well, in 1470, Portinari got a letter from no less than the president of his bank who also happened to be running Florence at the time - a man called Lorenzo The Magnificent - saying, "Watch it when you're, uh, dealing with Charles of Burgundy, won't you?" 'Course Portinari ignored this advice. And when Charles went off on new military disasters, Portinari would write a letter to his friends who had a bank near the battle, and they would turn up on the spot with bags full of loot. All of which, naturally enough, tended to make Charles an admirer of things Italian - especially their soldiers. He was bringing them in to train his own men in new tactics. And it was the Italian connection that finally blew it for Charles, because in 1476 he decided to strengthen his lines of communication with Italy by moving into an area south of him. Now that was going to bump him up against the Swiss. Still, who were a bunch of mountain louts to stand up against Charles The Bold of Burgundy, the greatest thing since sliced venison? So, off he set - and in doing so triggered off a series of events that was to end, five hundred years later, with the landing on the moon.