Bart Van Loo does something extremely difficult; he brings to life an illusion of a state in an unfamiliar world. And he does this with such verve and energy that you very nearly believe it

Literary Review

A thrilling narrative of the brutal dazzlingly rich wildly ambitious duchy that was the most advanced and sophisticated economy and the most extravagant flashy court of its time. Filled with flamboyant murderous and debauched dukes, courtesans, courtiers and maniacs, it is a total pleasure to read

Simon Sebag Montefiore, Aspects of History, Books of the Year

In this perky popular history, a bestseller on mainland Europe, Bart Van Loo traces the steady rise and sudden end of the Burgundians, sprinkling his narrative with many entertaining asides

The Times

Bart van Loo is in top form. The Burgundians reads like a train and hits you like a sledgehammer. A masterpiece... He does not try to be a wise man or a moralist. What he does make clear is that that the history of early Dutch unification is one that came about both through excessive bloodshed and praiseworthy magnanimity. Mission accomplished'

De Morgen

History told – and well told, too – for those who value narrative at least as much as the finicky details of economics or treaty-making

Daily Telegraph

To narrate the legendary story of the dukes of Burgundy, you need a learned and visionary guide like Bart Van Loo... A masterful work'

Le Figaro