Philip I of France
Philippe I (May 23, 1052 - July 29, 1108) was King of France.
A member of the Capetian Dynasty, Philippe was born on May 23, 1052, the son of Henri I (1008-1060) and Princess Anne of Kiev, Russia (1024 - 1075). Although he was crowned king at the age of seven, until 1066 his mother acted as Regent, the first queen ever to do so.
Philippe's first marriage was to Bertha of Holland (1055-July 30, 1094). Their children were:
- Constance (1078 - c. 1125) married to Hugh of Troyes (Hugh I of Champagne) before 1097 and after her divorce to Bohemund I of Antioch in 1106.
- Louis VI (December 1, 1081 - August 1, 1137)
Although the marriage produced the necessary heir, Philippe fell in love with Bertrade, the wife of the count of Anjou. He repudiated Bertha and married Bertrade on May 15, 1092. In 1094, he was excommunicated by Hugh of Lyon for the first time; after long silence, Pope Urban II of the Roman Catholic Church repeated the excommunication at the council of Clermont in November 1095. Several times the ban was lifted as Philip promised to to part with Bertrade, but he always returned to her, and after 1104, the ban was not repeated. In France, the king was opposed by Bishop Ivo of Chartres, a famous canonist.
The children of Philip and Bertrade were:
- Philippe (c. 1093 [?] - 1123)
- Florus (1095 [?] - 1118)
- Cécile (1097 - 1145)
A great part of Philippe's reign, like his father's, was spent putting down revolts by his power-hungry vassals. In 1077, he made peace with William I of England (Duke of Normandy) who gave up the conquest of Brittany. In 1082, Philippe expanded his empire with the annexation of Vexin, then in 1100, he took control of Bourges.
It was during Philippe's time that the first of the Crusades was launched in 1095 which he at first did not personally support because of his conflict with Urban II. Urban would not have allowed him to participate anyway, as he had reaffirmed Philippe's excommunication at the Council of Clermont before he called for the Crusade. Philippe's brother Hugh of Vermandois, however, was a major participant.
King Philippe I died in the castle at Melun on July 29, 1108 and was buried at the monastery of Saint-Benoît-sur-Loire - and not in St Denis as almost all Capetian kings.
He was succeeded by his son, Louis VI whose succession was, however, not uncontested.
| Preceded by: Henry I | King of France | Succeeded by: Louis VI |
de:Philipp I. (Frankreich)
fr:Philippe Ier de France
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