Philip III, Duke of Burgundy

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Philip the Good or Philippe le Bon (July 31, 1396 – June 15, 1467) was Duke of Burgundy from 1419 until his death. He was a member of a cadet line of the Valois dynasty (the then Royal family of France).

Philip the Good, painted c. 1450 by Roger van der Weyden

1 Family and early life
2 Early rule and alliance with England
3 Geographic expansion
4 Patron of the arts
5 See also
6 External links

[edit] Family and early life

Born in Dijon, he was the son of John the Fearless and Margaret of Bavaria-Straubing. On the 28th of January 1405, he was named Count of Charolais in apanage of his father and probably on the same day he was engaged to Michele of Valois(1395–1422), daughter of Charles VI of France and Isabeau of Bavaria. They were married in June of 1409. Philip subsequently married Bonne of Artois (1393–1425), daughter of Philip of Artois, Count of Eu, and also the widow of his uncle, Philip II, Count of Nevers, in Moulins-les-Engelbert on November 30, 1424. The latter is sometimes confused with Philip's biological aunt, also named Bonne(sister of John the Fearless, lived 1379 - 1399), in part due to the Papal Dispensation required for the marriage (since this made no differentiation between a marital aunt and a biological aunt).

His third marriage, in Bruges on January 7, 1430 with Isabella of Portugal (1397 - December 17, 1471), daughter of John I of Portugal and Philippa of Lancaster, produced three sons:

Antoine (September 30, 1430, Brussels – February 5, 1432, Brussels), Count of Charolais
Joseph (April 24, 1432 – aft. May 6, 1432), Count of Charolais
Charles (1433–1477), Count of Charolais and Philip's successor as Duke

[edit] Early rule and alliance with England

Philip became duke of Burgundy, count of Flanders, Artois and Franche Comté when his father was assassinated in 1419. Philip accused Charles, the Dauphin of France (his brother-in-law) of planning the murder of his father which had taken place during a meeting between the two at Montereau. In 1420 Philip allied himself with Henry V of England under the Treaty of Troyes. In 1423 the alliance was strengthened by the marriage of his sister Anne to John, Duke of Bedford, regent for Henry VI of England. It is noteworthy that the Treaty of Troyes bastardized the Dauphin, made Henry V of England the successor to Charles the Mad, and made Phillip the Good the Valois who would be King if the English left France.

In 1430 Philip's troops captured Joan of Arc at Compiègne and later handed her over to the English who orchestrated a heresy trial against her. The alliance with England was broken in 1435 when Philip attacked Calais and, under the terms of the Treaty of Arras, recognized Charles VII as king of France. This alliance was broken in 1439, and in 1440 he supported the revolt of the French nobles (an event known as the Praguerie) and sheltered the Dauphin Louis.

Phillip signed the Treaty of Arras which completely revoked the Treaty of Troyes because of the extreme disfavored he suffered as a result of the Joan of Arc incident.

[edit] Geographic expansion

Philip preferred to expand his own territory rather than become directly involved in the Hundred Years' War. He incorporated Namur into Burgundian territory in 1429 (March 1, by purchase from John III, Marquis of Namur), Hainault and Holland, Frisia and Zealand in 1432 (with the defeat of Countess Jacqueline in the last episode of the Hook and Cod wars); inherited the duchy of Brabant and Limburg and the margrave of Antwerp in 1430 (on the death of his cousin Philip of Saint-Pol); and purchased Luxembourg in 1443 from Elisabeth of Bohemia, Duchess of Luxembourg. Philip also managed to ensure his illegitimate son, David, was elected Bishop of Utrecht in 1456. It is not surprising that in 1435, Philip began to style himself "Grand Duke of the West".

In 1463 Philip returned some of his territory to Louis XI. That year he also created an Estates-General based on the French model. The first meeting of the Estates-General was to obtain a loan for a war against France and to ensure support for the succession of his son, Charles I, to his dominions. Philip died in Bruges in 1467.

[edit] Patron of the arts

Philip was considered an extravagant ruler who embodied the qualities of chivalry. He declined membership in the English Order of the Garter in 1422, but created his own order in 1430, the Order of the Golden Fleece, supposedly based on the Knights of the Round Table. He had no fixed capital and set up court in various places, usually Brussels, Bruges, or Lille. He held grand feasts to show off his power to his subjects, and the knights of his Order frequently travelled throughout his territory participating in tournaments. In 1454 Philip planned a crusade against the Ottoman Empire, launching it at the Feast of the Pheasant, but this plan never materialized.

Philip was also a patron of the arts, commissioning many tapestries and other works of art. It was during his reign that the Burgundian chapel became the musical center of Europe, with the activity of the Burgundian School of composers and singers. Gilles Binchois, Robert Morton, and later Guillaume Dufay, the most famous composer of the 15th century, were all part of the court chapel of Philip III.

In 1428 Jan van Eyck travelled to Portugal to paint King John I's daughter Isabella before Philip married her. With help from more experienced Portuguese shipbuilders Philip established a shipyard in Bruges. Roger van der Weyden painted his portrait (illustration, above left) wearing the collar of the Order of the Golden Fleece.

[edit] See also

Dukes of Burgundy family tree

[edit] External links

Brief Profile - Contains a short biography of Philip, from "The Best of Dijon".
EHistory page - Short sketch of the Duke's life, from E-History.com.
The Funeral of Duke Philip the Good - Text by Edward A. Tabri, from the Corcoran Department of History at the University of Virginia.
The tomb of Philip the Good - Article and photo from "The Best of Dijon".
Joan of Arc's First Letter to Philip - Mention of a letter dictated by Joan of Arc to Duke Philip in June of 1429, translated by Allen Williamson.
Joan of Arc's Second Letter to Philip - Translation by Allen Williamson of a letter dictated by Joan of Arc to Duke Philip on 17 July 1429.
Philip III - Article from the Web Gallery of Art.

Preceded by: John	Duke of Burgundy Count of Artois, Franche-Comté and Flanders 1419–1467	Succeeded by: Charles the Bold
Preceded by: John III	Margrave of Namur 1429–1467
Preceded by: Philip of Saint-Pol	Duke of Brabant, Lothier, and Limburg 1430–1467
Preceded by: Jacqueline	Count of Hainaut, Holland, and Zeeland 1432–1467
Preceded by: Elisabeth of Görlitz	Duke of Luxembourg 1441–1467