In the fifteenth century, the rise of the Burgundian state in the county ofFlanders brought about a specialisation and differentiation within the administrativeapparatus, though a 'bureaucracy' in the sense of Max Weber was stillnot established. This contribution focusses on the careers of the superiorducal officers of the Council of Flanders (the supreme court of law in thecounty) and the Chambre des Comptes (an institution for financial control)during the reigns of Philip the Good and Charles the Bold. Different financialand juridical career patterns are sketched. University degrees, noble titles,networks of social relations and patronage remained important factors in thecourse of these careers.
