Philip III of Burgundy

Philip III, Duke of Burgundy, known as “Philip the Good” (French: Philippe le Bon; Dijon, July 31, 1396 - Bruges, June 15, 1467), was also called the Grand Duke of the West, due to the extent of the territories under the influence of the Duchy, which included the Netherlands.

Biography

He was the son of John I Fearless and Margaret of Bavaria-Straubing, and great-grandson of King John II of France, of the Valois dynasty. He inherited the ducal title after the assassination of his father by henchmen of the Dauphin Carlos. This fact motivated Felipe to take the definitive side of Enrique V of England and was one of the architects of the Treaty of Troyes, by which the Dauphin was disinherited, Enrique married a daughter of Carlos VI (sister, therefore, of the Dauphin) and the crown of France would pass to the English sovereign.

The territories of Philip III.

Philip the Good was a great defender of culture and promoter of prosperity in the Duchy of Burgundy. In 1429 he founded the Order of the Golden Fleece. In 1435, when the English decline was more than notorious due to the Treaty of Arras, Felipe reconciled with Carlos VII, for which he fought his former allies.

Charles VII was generally hostile to him, especially when the dauphin Luis (future Louis XI) took refuge in Philip's court, from 1456 to 1461, for having rebelled against his father. & # 34; My cousin from Burgundy does not know what he does, -said Carlos VII- he is feeding the fox that will eat his chickens & # 34;.

Philip was preoccupied with politics in his own territories and was rarely directly involved in the Hundred Years War, although he did play a role in a number of periods, such as the campaign against Compiègne, during which his troops captured Joan of Arc in 1430.

The duchy did not have any fixed capital and moved the Court through several palaces located in the main cities, such as Brussels, Bruges or Lille. He held parties and other celebrations and the men who belonged to his Order regularly participated in events throughout the territory such as chivalry tournaments. In 1454 during a party called the Pheasant Banquet, he planned to organize a crusade against the Ottomans, but the plan never came to fruition. Between 1444 and 1446 he spent 2% of the wealth brought in by the Duchy to purchase silk garments and gold cloth from a single merchant, Giovanni di Arrigo Arnolfini. His Court was considered one of the most splendid in Europe and was accepted as tasteful and fashionable, which helped the economy of the Duchy, as the luxury products of the Duchy of Burgundy, usually from the fiefdom of the Netherlands, were considered very elegant and highly sought after by the elites of Europe.

Family

Marriage and offspring

He was probably betrothed at the age of 8 to Micaela de Valois, daughter of King Charles VI of France and Elizabeth of Bavaria-Ingolstadt, on January 28, 1405, the same day he was proclaimed Count of Charolais as the Duke's heir from Burgundy. The marriage took place in June 1409.

After Micaela's death in 1422, Philippe married Bona of Artois, daughter of Philippe of Artois and widow of his uncle Philippe II, Count of Nevers, at Moulins-Engilbert on 30 November 1424. Bona She is sometimes confused with her biological aunt of the same name and sister of Juan "Sin Miedo", partly due to the papal dispensation required for marriage, which made no distinction between an aunt by marriage and a biological aunt. Bona de Artois lived for only a year after Philippe married her.

Philip married Isabella of Portugal, daughter of King John I of Portugal and Philippa of Lancaster, for the third time in Bruges on 7 January 1430, after a marriage by proxy the previous year. This marriage produced three children:

• Antonio (Brussels, September 30, 1430-Brussels, February 5, 1432), Count of Charolais.
• José (24 April 1432-after May 6, 1432), Count of Charolais.
• Carlos (10 November 1433-5 January 1477), count of Charolais and successor of Philip as Duke of Burgundy, known as "Carlos el Temerario".

Felipe also fathered at least eighteen illegitimate children by several of his 24 documented mistresses, of which these are the best known:

• Cornelius (c. 1420-1452), general captain / governor of Luxembourg, killed in the battle of Bazel (1452).
• Antonio (1421-1504), Lord of La Roche, Sainte-Menehould, Guînes, Lord of Crèvecoeur and Beveren.
• David (c. 1427-1496), bishop of Therouanne and bishop of Utrecht.
• Ana (c. 1435-1508), an institute of Mary of Burgundy, married Adrián de Borssele and later with Adolf de Cleves, Lord of Ravenstein.
• Rafael (c. 1437 - 1508), Abbot of Saint-Bavo Abbey in Ghent and St.Peter Abbey in Oudenburg.
• Balduino (c. 1446 - 1508), Lord of Fallais, Peer, Boudour, Sint-Annaland, Lovendegem, Zomergem at Fromont.
• Felipe (1464-1524), bishop of Utrecht.

Cornelius and Antony were his favorite bastard sons and successively carried the title of Grand bâtard de Bourgogne (French: Grand bastard of Burgundy), first Cornelius and after his death, Antonio.

Ancestors

Predecessor: Juan I «Without Fear»	Count of Charolais 1405-1431	Successor: Antonio de Borgoña
Predecessor: Antonio de Borgoña	Count of Charolais 1432	Successor: José de Borgoña
Predecessor: José de Borgoña	Count of Charolais 1432-1433	Successor: Carlos I«el Temerario»
Predecessor: Juan I «Without Fear»	Duke of Burgundy Count of Flanders and Artois Conde palatino de Borgoña 1419-1467
Predecessor: John III	Margrave de Namur 1429-1467
Predecessor: Felipe de Saint Pol	Duke of Brabant, Limburg and Lothier 1430-1467
Predecessor: Jacqueline de Baviera	Count of Henao 1432-1467
	Count of Holland and Zeland 1432-1467
Predecessor: Isabel de Görlitz	Duke of Luxembourg 1441-1467

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