In the residence of the French kings, in the palace of Fontainebleau, in June 1268, the royal couple, Philip III the Bold and Isabella of Aragon, had a son, who was named in honor of his father - Philippe. Already in the first days of the life of little Philip, everyone noted his unprecedented angelic beauty and the piercing gaze of his huge brown eyes. No one then could have predicted that the second-born heir to the throne would be the last of the Capetian clans to be the eminent king of France.
Atmosphere of childhood and youth
During the childhood and youth of Philip, when his father Philip III ruled, France expanded its territory, having annexed Toulouse province, counties of Valois, Brie, Auvergne, Poitou and the pearl - the Kingdom of Navarre. Champagne was promised to join the kingdom, thanks to an early agreement on the marriage of Philip to the county's heiress, Princess Jeanne I of Navarre. The annexed lands certainly bore fruit, but France, torn by large feudal lords and papal legates, was on the verge of disaster with an empty treasury.
Failures began to haunt Philip III. The heir to the throne, the first son of Louis, on whom he had high hopes, dies. The king, being weak-willed and led by his advisers, gets involved in adventures that ended in failure. So in March 1282, Philip III was defeated in the Sicilian national liberation uprising, where the Sicilians exterminated and expelled all the French who were there. The next and final failure of Philip III was a military campaign against King Aragon, Pedro III the Great. The seventeen-year-old Philip IV took part in this company, who, along with the reigning father, participated in the battles. Despite increased offensives, the royal army and navy were defeated and held under the walls of the fortress of Girona, in northeastern Spain. The subsequent retreat undermined the king's health, he was overwhelmed by illness and fever, which he did not suffer. So, in the fortieth year, the life of King Philip III, nicknamed the Courageous, ended, and the time came for the reign of Philip IV.
Long live the king!
The coronation was scheduled for October 1285, immediately after the burial of his father, in the abbey of Saint-Denis.
After the coronation, the wedding of Philip IV with the Queen of Navarre, Joan of Navarre, took place, which served to annex the lands of the county of Champagne and strengthened the power of France.
Taught by the bitter experience of his father, Philip clarified one rule for himself, which he followed his whole life - the sole rule, the pursuit of his own interests and those of France.
The young king’s first intended business was to resolve the conflicts surrounding the failure of the Aragonese company. The king went against the will of Pope Martin IV and the desire of his brother Carl Valois to become king of Aragon, and withdrew the French troops from Aragonese land, thereby ending the military conflict.
The next action, which shocked the whole of high-society French and European society, was the removal from the affairs of all the advisers of the deceased father and the appointment of people who distinguished themselves for their merits to the king. Philip was a very attentive person, he always noted the qualities necessary for him in people, therefore, not noticing managerial notes in the nobility, lazy from the well-fed life, he chose intelligent people of noble origin. So were appointed to the position of the Catholic titular bishop Angerran Marigny, Chancellor Pierre Flott and curator of the royal seal Guillaume Nogare.
Large feudal lords were outraged by such actions of the young king, which threatened a bloody revolution. In order to prevent a riot and weaken the powerful feudal society, the king is conducting a serious reform, which concerned government. He restricts the influence of customary and ecclesiastical rights on royal power, relying on the codes of Roman law, and appoints the Treasury (Accounts Chamber), the Paris Parliament and the Supreme Court as the current supreme democratic authority. Weekly discussions were held in these institutions, in which respectable citizens and small knights (legists) with knowledge of Roman law participated and served.
Confrontation to Rome
Being a thorough and purposeful man, Philip IV continued to expand the borders of his state, and this required constant replenishment of the royal treasury. At that time, the church had a separate treasury, from which funds were allocated for subsidies for citizens, for the needs of the church and for deductions to Rome. It was this treasury that the king planned to use.
By coincidence, for Philip IV, at the end of 1296, Pope Boniface VIII decided to first take possession of church savings and issues a document (bull), which prohibits giving citizens subsidies from the church treasury. Being in this very warm and friendly relationship with Boniface VIII, Philip nevertheless decides to take open and harsh actions for the Pope. Philip believed that the church is obliged not only to participate in the life of the country, but to allocate funds for its needs. And he issues a decree prohibiting the export of church treasury to Rome, thereby depriving the Papacy of the constant financial income that they provided the French church. The quarrel between the king and Baniface, which happened for this reason, was hushed up by the publication of a new bull, which cancels the first, but for a short time.
Having made concessions, the French king Philip the Beautiful allowed the removal of funds to Rome and continued to oppress the churches, which led to complaints from church ministers against the King of the Pope. Due to these complaints, which pointed to violations of subordination, disrespect, disobedience and insult by vassals, Boniface VIII sends the bishop of Pamerisky to France to the king. He was obliged to oblige the king to fulfill his earlier promises of participation in the Aragon Crusade and release from captivity the captive Count of Flanders. The sending of a bishop, who was not restrained in character, very harsh and quick-tempered, in the role of ambassador and permission to solve such delicate issues for him was Banination's greatest mistake. Having not met with understanding from Philip and received a refusal, the bishop allowed himself to speak in harsh and elevated tones, threatening the king with a ban on all church services. Despite all his natural restraint and calm, Philip the Beautiful did not manage to restrain himself, and he orders to arrest and imprison the arrogant bishop in Sanli.
Meanwhile, the French king Philip 4 the Beautiful took care of collecting information about the unlucky ambassador and found out that he spoke negatively about the king’s power, hurt his honor and pushed the flock to rebellion. This information was enough for Philip to demand in the letter from the Pope the urgent deposition of the Bishop of Pamiers and bringing him to a secular court. To which Banifacii responded with threats of excommunication of Philip from the church and the imperative of the presence of the royal person in his own court. The king was angry and promised the high priest to burn his decree on the unlimited power of the Roman Church over secular power.
Disagreements prompted Philip to more decisive action. He convenes for the first time in the history of France the General States, which were attended by all the prosecutors of the cities of France, nobles, barons and the highest clergy. To reinforce indignation and aggravate the situation, those present at the council were given a pre-falsified papal bull. On the council, after some hesitation of the representatives of the church, a decision was made to support the king.
Conflict erupted, opponents exchanged blows: Banifacation was followed by the excommunication of the king, the seizure of seven provinces and liberation from vassal control, while Philip publicly declared the pope a warlock, a false pope and a heretic, engaged in a conspiracy and conspired with the enemies of the Pope.
The conspirators led by Nogare captured Baniface VIII, who at that time was in the city of Anagni. Full of dignity, the Pope withstands the attacks of his enemies, and awaits the release of the inhabitants of Anagni. But the transferred experiences inflicted irreparable damage on his mind, and Banifatsiy lost his mind and died.
The next Pope Pope Benedict XI stopped the attacks and persecution of the king, but his loyal servant Nogare for excommunication Banifacii VIII excommunicated. Pope did not serve long, died in 1304, and Clement V came to replace him.
The new Pope obeyed King Philip, and never rebuked his demands. By order of the royal lady, Clement transferred the papal throne and residence from Rome to the city of Avignon, which was under the strong influence of Philip. Another significant favor in 1307 for the king was Clement V's agreement on charges against the Knights Templars (Templars). Thus, under the reign of Philip IV, the papacy turned into obedient bishops.
Declaration of war
During the intensifying conflict with Boniface VIII, the King of France Philip IV the Beautiful was engaged in strengthening the country and expanding its territories. He was most interested in Flanders, which at that time was a self-sufficient craft and agricultural state with an anti-French direction. Since the sub-vassal Flanders was not inclined to obey the French king, she was more comfortable with a good relationship with the English house, Philip did not hesitate to take advantage of such a combination of circumstances, and summoned the English king Edward I to court in the Paris Parliament.
The English king, focused on a military company with Scotland, responds with a refusal of his presence at the court, which was useful for Philip IV. He declares war. Torn by two military companies, Edward I searches for allies and finds them in the count of Brabant, Geldern, Savoy, Emperor Adolphus and King of Castile. Philip also enlisted the support of allies. Counts of Luxembourg and Burgundy, the Duke of Lorraine and the Scots joined him.
At the beginning of 1297, fierce battles broke out over the territory of Flanders, where in Furne, Count Robert d'Artois defeats the troops of Count of Flanders Guy de Dampier and captures him with his family and the remaining soldiers. In 1300, troops under the command of Charles de Valois captured the city of Douai, passed through the city of Bruges and in the spring entered the city of Ghent. The king, meanwhile, was engaged in a siege of the fortress of Lille, which surrendered after nine weeks of confrontation. In 1301, part of Flanders surrendered to the mercy of the king.
Rebellious Flanders
King Philip the Beautiful did not fail to take advantage of the submissiveness of the newly made subordinates, and decided to derive great benefit from this by imposing exorbitant taxes on the Flemings. To control the country, Jacques of Chatillon was appointed, who, with his strict management, increased the discontent and hatred of the French inhabitants of the country. And without that, the Flemings, who had not yet calmed down from the conquest, could not stand it and were organizing a rebellion, which was quickly suppressed, and the participants in the rebellion were fined tremendously. Then, in the city of Bruges, Jacques of Chatillon orders the residents to demolish the city wall and begins the construction of the citadel.
The people, tormented by taxes, decide on a new, more organized revolt, and in the spring of 1302, the French garrison clashes with the Flemings. During the day, embittered Flemings destroyed three thousand two hundred French soldiers. The army, which came to pacify the rebellion, was destroyed along with the military commander Robert d'Artois. Then about six thousand horse knights died, whose spurs were removed as trophies and laid at the altar of the church.
Offended by the defeat and death of a relative, King Philip the Beautiful makes another attempt, and leading a large army enters the battle in Flanders at Mons-en-Pevel and defeats the Flemings. Once again successfully besieging Lille, but the Flemings no longer submitted to the king of France.
After numerous bloody battles that did not bring due success, Philip decided to conclude a peace treaty with Count of Flanders Robert III of Bethune, with full preservation of privileges, restoration of rights and the return of Flanders.
Only the release of captured soldiers and counts implied the payment of a legitimate indemnity. As a guarantee, Philip added the cities of Orsch, Bethune, Douai and Lille to his territory.
The Templar Case
The Brotherhood of the Knights of the Templars was founded in the 11th century, and in the 12th century it was officially approved as the Order of the Templars by Pope Honorius II. Over the centuries of its existence, society has established itself as advocates of believers and excellent economists. For two centuries, the Templars regularly participated in the Crusades, but after the loss of Jerusalem, the unsuccessful battles for the Holy Land and the numerous losses in Acre, they had to move their headquarters to Cyprus.
At the end of the 13th century, the Templar Order was not so numerous, but it remained a well-formed militarized structure, and the last 23rd leader of the Order was Grand Master Jacques de Molay. In the last years of the reign of Philip IV, the Order was engaged in financial affairs, interference in the secular affairs of the state and the protection of its treasures.
The impoverished treasury from constant embezzlement on military needs needed urgent replenishment. As a personal debtor to the Templars, Philip was puzzled by the question of how to get rid of accumulated debts and get to their treasury. In addition, he considered the Templar Order dangerous to the royal power.
Therefore, supported by the non-interference of the tamed Popes, Philip in 1307 began a case against the religious Order of the Templars, arresting every single templar in France.
The case against the Templars was clearly falsified, terrible torture was used during interrogations, far-fetched accusations of having connections with Muslims, witchcraft, and devil worship. But no one dared to argue with the king and act as the protector of the Templars. For seven years the investigation continued in the case of the Templars, who, exhausted by lengthy imprisonment and torture, admitted to all the charges against them, but refused them during a public trial. During the trial, the treasury of the Templars completely passed into the royal hands.
The destruction of the order was announced in 1312, and the following year, in the spring, Grand Master Jacques de Molay and some of his associates were sentenced to death by burning.
The execution was attended by King Philippe the Beautiful himself (a portrait you can see in the article) with his sons and Chancellor Nogare. In flames, Jacques de Molay uttered a curse on the entire family of the Capetians, and predicted the imminent death of Pope Clement V and the Chancellor.
The death of the king
Having good health, Philip did not pay attention to the de Molay curse, but in the very near future, the same spring, after the execution, the Pope suddenly died. Predictions began to come true. In 1314, Philip the Beautiful went hunting and fell off his horse, after which he suddenly became ill with an unknown debilitating disease, which is accompanied by delirium. In the fall of the same year, the forty-six-year-old king dies.
What was the king of France Philippe the Beautiful
Why is "Beautiful"? Was he really like that? The French king Philip IV the Beautiful remains a controversial and mysterious figure in the history of Europe. Many of his contemporaries called the king cruel and oppressive, led by his advisers. If you look at the policies pursued by Philip, you involuntarily think - in order to carry out such serious reforms and achieve the desired goals, you need to have rare energy, iron, unbending will and perseverance. Many who were close to the king and did not support his policy, decades after his death, will remember with tears in his eyes his rule, as a time of justice and great deeds.
People who knew the king personally spoke of him as a modest and meek man who accurately and regularly attended church services, observed all fasting posts, and always avoided obscene and immodest conversations. Philip was distinguished by kindness and condescension, often trusted people who did not deserve his trust. Often the king was closed and unperturbed, sometimes frightening his subjects with a sudden numbness and piercing eyes.
All the courtiers quietly whispered when the king walked around the castle: “God forbid, the king to look at us. From his gaze, the heart stops and the blood colds in my veins. ”
King Philip 4 earned the nickname “Beautiful” justly, since the addition of his body was perfect and bewitching, like a beautifully cast sculpture. Facial features were distinguished by their regularity and symmetry, large smart and beautiful eyes, black wavy hair framed his melancholy brow, all this made his image unique and mysterious for people.
Heirs of Philip the Beautiful
The marriage of Philip IV with Jeanne I of Navarre can rightly be called a happy marriage. The royal couple loved each other and were faithful to the conjugal bed. This is confirmed by the fact that after the death of his wife, Philip rejected the advantageous offers of re-marriage.
In this union, they gave birth to four children:
- Louis X the Grumpy, future King of Navarre from 1307 and King of France from 1314
- Philip V Long, the future king of France and Navarre since 1316
- Charles IV the Beautiful (Handsome), the future king of France and Navarre since 1322
- Isabella, the future wife of King Edward II of England and the mother of King Edward III.
King Philip the Beautiful and his daughter-in-law
King Philip never worried about the future of the crown. He had three heirs who were successfully married. It only remained to wait for the appearance of the heirs. But alas, the wishes of the king should not have come true. The king, being a believer and a strong family man, learning about the adultery of his daughters-in-law with the courtiers, imprisoned them in a tower and brought judgment on them.
Until their death, the unfaithful wives of the royal sons languished in prison casemates and hoped that the sudden death of the king would free them from imprisonment. But they did not deserve forgiveness from their husbands.
The traitors had a different fate:
- Margarita of Burgundy, wife of Louis X, gave birth to her daughter Jeanne. After the coronation of her husband was strangled in captivity.
- Blanca, wife of Charles IV. There was a divorce and the replacement of prison with a monastery cell.
- Jeanne de Chalon, wife of Philip V. After the coronation of her husband, she was forgiven and released from prison. Born three daughters.
Second wives of the heirs to the throne:
- Clementia of Hungary became the last wife of King Louis the Grumpy. In this marriage, the heir John I Posthumous was born, who lived for several days.
- Mary of Luxembourg, King Charles’s second wife.
Despite the opinions of dissatisfied contemporaries, Philip IV the Beautiful created a powerful French kingdom. During his reign, the population increased to 14 million, many buildings and fortifications were built. France reached the peak of economic prosperity, arable land expanded, fairs appeared, and trade flourished. The descendants of Philip the Beautiful got a renewed, strong and modern country with a new way and structure.