Philip I of France
Philip I (c. 1052 – 29 July 1108), called the Amorous (French: L’Amoureux),[1] was King of the Franks from 1060 to 1108. His reign, like that of most of the early Capetians, was extraordinarily long for the time. The monarchy began a modest recovery from the low it had reached during the reign of his father, Henry I, and he added the Vexin region and the viscountcy of Bourges to his royal domaine.
Philip I
4 August 1060 – 29 July 1108
23 May 1059 (as co-king)
Anne of Kiev and Baldwin V of Flanders (1060–1067)
23 May 1052
Champagne-et-Fontaine
29 July 1108 (aged 56)
Melun
Early life[edit]
Philip was born c. 1052 at Champagne-et-Fontaine, the son of Henry I and his wife Anne of Kiev.[2] Unusual for the time in Western Europe, his name was of Greek origin, being bestowed upon him by his mother. In 1059 Henry I had Philip crowned in Reims at the age of seven. Henry also appointed his brother-in-law Baldwin V of Flanders as regent of the kingdom, a role which Baldwin would share with Anne after the death of Henry in 1060.[3] Despite his young age, Philip would rule in his own right, append royal documents with his own seal, and accompany Baldwin to several administrative visits to Flanders.[4] This close association allowed Baldwin to maintain peaceful relationships between the king and his vassals.[5] At age fourteen Philip was knighted by Baldwin's son, Baldwin the Good.[6]
Personal life[edit]
Philip first married Bertha of Holland in 1072.[13] Although the marriage produced the necessary heir, Philip fell in love with Bertrade de Montfort, the wife of Fulk IV, Count of Anjou. He repudiated Bertha (claiming she was too fat) and married Bertrade on 15 May 1092.[14] In 1094 following the synod of Autun, he was excommunicated by the papal representative, Hugh of Die, for the first time;[15] after a long silence, Pope Urban II repeated the excommunication at the Council of Clermont in November 1095.[16] Several times the ban was lifted as Philip promised to part with Bertrade, but he always returned to her.
In 1101, the sentence was renewed by Urban II in Poitiers, despite the protest of William IX, Duke of Aquitaine, who entered the church with his knights to prevent his suzerain from being excommunicated on his lands.[17] After making a public penance in 1104, Philip received absolution and was reconciled with the Church, and must have kept his involvement with Bertrade discreet.[18] In France, the king was opposed by Bishop Ivo of Chartres, a famous jurist.[19]