Held in 1435, the Congress of Arras was a major diplomatic conference aimed at ending the Hundred Years' War. Philip the Good of Burgundy switched allegiance from England to France, a pivotal betrayal that weakened the English position. Though no full peace was achieved, it facilitated French consolidation and highlighted the fluid nature of medieval alliances.

The congress and Burgundian defection fueled diplomatic poetry and chronicles lamenting broken oaths, themes prevalent in courtly literature. French poets celebrated the realignment as a path to national unity, while English writers reflected on loss. These events informed broader literary discussions of fidelity, politics, and the human costs of war, resonating in works that bridged medieval and Renaissance sensibilities.