Philip the Good

Philip the Good (Philippe le Bon), Duke of Burgundy, the son of Jean 'Sans-peur' by Margaret of Bavaria, and grandson of Philip the Bold, was born at Dijon, the capital of the duchy, June 13, 1396, and, on the assassination of his father on the bridge of Montereau at the instigation of the dauphin (afterwards Charles VII.), succeeded to the duchy of Burgundy. Bent on avenging the murder of his father, he entered into an offensive and defensive alliance with Henry V. of England at Arras in 1419, at the same time recognising him as the rightful regent of France, and heir to the throne after Charles VI.'s death. This agreement, which disregarded the Salic law, was sanctioned by the king, parliament, university, and States-general of France in the treaty of Troyes (1420), but the dauphin declined to resign his rights, and took to arms; he was, however, defeated at Crevant (1423) and Verneuil (1424), and driven beyond the Loire. Some disputes with the English prompted Philip to conclude a treaty with the king of France in 1429. However, the English, by ceding to him the province of Champagne, and paying him a large sum of money, gained him back to their side. At this time, by falling heir to Brabant, Holland, Zealand, and the rest of the Low Countries, he was at the head of the most flourishing and powerful realm in western Europe; but though much more powerful than his superior, the king of France, he preferred to continue in nominal subjection. Smarting under some fresh insults of the English viceroy, and strongly urged moreover by the pope, he made a final peace (1435) with Charles, who gladly accepted it even on the hard conditions which Philip prescribed. The English, in revenge, committed great havoc among the merchant navies of Flanders, which irritated Philip to such an extent that he declared war against them, and, in conjunction with the king of France, gradually expelled them from their French possessions. The imposition of taxes, which were necessarily heavy, excited a rebellion, headed, as usual, by the citizens of Ghent, but the duke inflicted upon them a terrible defeat (July 1454), though he wept over a victory bought with the blood of 20,000 of his subjects. The later part of his reign was filled with trouble caused by the quarrels between Charles VII. and his son, the Dauphin Louis (afterwards Louis XI.), who had fled from his father's court, and sought shelter with Philip, although, after ascending the throne, far from showing gratitude, he tried in the most dishonourable manner to injure his benefactor. Philip died at Bruges, July 15, 1467, deeply lamented by his subjects. Under him Burgundy was the most wealthy, prosperous, and tranquil state in Europe; its ruler was the most feared and admired sovereign of his time, and his court far surpassed in brilliancy those of his contemporaries. Knights and nobles from all parts of Europe flocked to his jousts and tournaments. See Barante's Histoire des Ducs de Bourgogne de la Maison de Valois.