For five days the body lay in state before the high altar of the church of St. George, and the obsequies that followed were attended by Rene and his nobles, and the coffin was honourably placed among the ducal dead.

Yet doubt of the man’s existence was not buried with the bones to which his name was given.  When the Swiss turned their way homeward, their farewell words to Rene were:  “If the Duke of Burgundy has escaped and should reopen war, tell us.”  “If he has assured his safety,” Rene answered, “we will fight again when summer comes.”  There was no delay, however, in the division of the spoils.  The Burgundian treasure was distributed among Rene’s allies, and the ignorant soldiers received articles worth many times their pay, which they, in many cases, disposed of for an infinitesimal part of their value.

As late as January 28th, Margaret of York and Mary of Burgundy wrote to Louis XI. from Ghent: 

“We are still hoping that Monseigneur is alive in the hands of his enemies.”  Other rumours continued to be current, not only for weeks but for years.  In 1482, it was gravely recounted that the vanished duke had retired to Brucsal in Swabia, where he led an austere life, genus vitae horridum atque asperum.  Bets were made, too, on the chances of his return.[20]

Louis XI. was a very pleasant person when news was brought him that he liked to hear.  Commines and Bouchage together had told him about the defeat of Morat and had each received two hundred silver marks.  It was a Seigneur de Lude who had the good luck to bring him letters from Craon recounting the battle of Nancy.  It was “really difficult for the king to keep his countenance so surprised was he with joy."[21] His letter to Craon was written on January 9th and ran as follows.[22]

“M. the Count, my friend, I have received your letter and heard the good news that you impart to me, for which I thank you as much as I can.  Now is the time to use all your five natural senses to deliver the duchy and county of Burgundy into my hands.  If the duke be dead, do you and the governor of Champagne take your troops and put yourselves within the land, and, if you love me, keep as good order among your men as if you were in Paris, and prove that I mean to treat them [the Burgundians] better than any one in my realm.”

The “five natural senses” of the king’s lieutenant were employed most loyally to his master’s service.  The duchy of Burgundy returned to the French crown.  Before Easter, the Estates were convened by Louis XI, and there was no longer any duke in Burgundy to be an over powerful peer in France.

With the exception of Guelders the lands acquired by Charles fell away, but the remainder as inherited by him passed under the rule of his daughter Mary, who carried her heritage into the House of Austria, through which it passed finally to the King of Spain.