King Philip the Handsome: biography, history of life and reign, than he became famous for. Philip IV, King of France - All Monarchies of the World King of France Philip 4 beautiful portrait

People-legends. Middle Ages

Philippe IV (Philippe IV le Bel) remains a somewhat mysterious figure for historians.

On the one hand, his entire policy makes one think that he was a man of iron will and rare energy, accustomed to pursuing his goal with unshakable persistence. Meanwhile, the testimonies of people who personally knew the king are in a strange contradiction with this opinion. The chronicler William of Scots, wrote about Philip that the king had a beautiful and noble appearance, graceful manners and behaved very impressively. With all this, he was distinguished by extraordinary meekness and modesty, with disgust he avoided obscene conversations, carefully attended the divine services, faithfully performed the posts and wore a hair shirt. He was kind, condescending, and willingly put complete trust in people who did not deserve it. It was they, according to Wilhelm, who were responsible for all the troubles and abuses that marked his reign, the imposition of oppressive taxes, extraordinary extortions and systematic damage to the coin. Another chronicler, Giovanni Vilani, wrote that Philip was very handsome, gifted with a serious mind, but he did a lot of hunting and liked to entrust others with the affairs of management. Geoffroy also reports that the king easily obeyed bad advice. Thus, we have to admit that a large role in Philip's politics was played by his associates: Chancellor Pierre Flotte, Seal Guardian Guillaume Nogaret and Coadjutor of the Kingdom of Angerrand Marigny. All these were ordinary people, ascended to the heights of power by the king himself.

Philip IV the Handsome was born in Fontainebleau in 1268, to Philip III and Isabella of Aragon. Philip ascended the throne at the age of seventeen and first of all took up the solution of the Sicilian and Aragonese issues, inherited from his father.

Coronation of Philip III - Father of Philip IV the Fair

He immediately ceased hostilities and did nothing to support the claims of his brother Charles of Valois, who dreamed of becoming the Aragonese (or, at worst, Sicilian) king. The negotiations, however, dragged on for another ten years and ended with the fact that Sicily remained with the Aragonese dynasty. In relations with the English king Edward I, Philip's policy was more energetic. Clashes often occurred between the subjects of the two states. Taking advantage of one of them, Philip in 1295 called the king of England, as his vassal, to the court of the Parisian parliament. Edward refused to obey, and war was declared on him. Both opponents were looking for allies. Edward's supporters were the Emperor Adolf, the Counts of Holland, Geldern, Brabant and Savoy, as well as the King of Castile. Philip's allies were the Earl of Burgundy, the Duke of Lorraine, the Earl of Luxembourg and the Scots. However, of these, only the Scots and Count of Flanders Guy Dampierre had a real impact on events. Edward himself, busy with a difficult war in Scotland, concluded an armistice with Philip in 1297, and in 1303 - a peace, according to which Guienne was left to the English king. The entire burden of the war fell on the shoulders of the Flemings. In 1297 the French army invaded Flanders. Philippe himself laid siege to Lille, and Count Robert Artois won a victory at Fourne (largely due to the betrayal of the nobility, among which there were many adherents of the French party). After that, Lille gave up. In 1299 Karl Valois captured Douai, passed through Bruges and in May 1300 entered Ghent.

He met no resistance anywhere. Count Guy surrendered together with his two sons and 51 knights. The king stripped him of his possessions as a rebel and annexed Flanders to his kingdom. In 1301, Philip traveled around his new domains and was greeted everywhere with expressions of obedience. But he immediately tried to make the most of his new acquisition and imposed heavy taxes on the country. This caused discontent, and the harsh management of Jacques Chatillon further increased the hatred of the French. When riots broke out in Bruges in 1301, Jacques sentenced the perpetrators to huge fines, ordered the city wall to be broken down and a citadel built in the city. Then in May 1302 a second, much more powerful uprising broke out. In one day, the people killed 1200 French knights and 2000 soldiers in the city. After that, all Flanders took up arms. In June, a French army approached, led by Robert Artois. But in a stubborn battle at Courtras, she was utterly defeated. Up to 6,000 French knights perished with their commander.

Battle of Courtras

Thousands of spurs taken from the slain were piled up in the Mastricht church as trophies of victory. Philip could not leave such a shame not to avenged. In 1304, at the head of an army of 60,000, the king approached the borders of Flanders. In August, in a stubborn battle at Mons-en-Nylle, the Flemings were defeated, but retreated in good order to Lille. After several attacks, Philip made peace with the son of Guy Dampier, Robert Bethune, who was in his captivity. Philip agreed to return the country to him, while the Flemings retained all their rights and privileges.

Battle of Mons-en-Nylle

However, the cities had to pay a large indemnity for the release of their count and other prisoners. As a pledge of the payment of the ransom, the king took the lands on the right bank of the Lis with the cities of Lille, Douai, Bethune and Orsha. He was supposed to return them after receiving the money, but treacherously violated the agreement and left them forever with France.

These events unfolded against the background of the contradictions with the pope that intensified every year. At first, nothing seemed to foreshadow this conflict. None of the European kings was loved by Pope Boniface VIII as much as Philip the Fair. As early as 1290, when the Pope was only Cardinal Benedetto Gaetani and came to France as a papal legate, he admired the piety of the young king. Having ascended the throne in 1294, Boniface zealously supported the policy of the French king in Spain and Italy. The first signs of mutual distrust were revealed in 1296. In August, the Pope issued a bull in which he forbade the laity to demand and receive subsidies from the clergy. By a strange coincidence, and perhaps in response to the bull, Philip at the same time forbade the export of gold and silver from France: by this he destroyed one of the main sources of papal income, because the French Church could no longer send any money to Rome. Even then, a quarrel could have arisen, but Boniface's position on the papal throne was still fragile, the cardinals begged him to stop the scandals caused by the bull, and he yielded to them.

Boniface VIII - Pope

In 1297, the bull was promulgated, effectively canceling the previous one. As you can see, the pope expected the king to make concessions too. Philip allowed the pope's income, which he received from the French clergy, to be taken to Rome, but he continued to oppress the church, and soon there were new clashes with the pope. The Archbishop of Narbonne complained to Boniface that the royal dignitaries had taken away from him his fief over some of the vassals of his cathedra and, in general, were causing him various offenses. The Pope sent Bishop Bernard Sesse to Paris as legate on this matter. At the same time, he was instructed to demand the release from captivity of the Count of Flanders and the fulfillment of the previously given promise to participate in the crusade. Bernard, known for his arrogance and irascibility, was absolutely not the kind of person who could be entrusted with such a delicate assignment. Having failed to achieve concessions, he began to threaten Philip with an interdict and, in general, spoke so harshly that he pissed off the usually cold-blooded Philip from himself. The king sent two members of his council to Pamier and to the County of Toulouse to gather evidence to accuse Bernard of disobedience. During the investigation, it turned out that the bishop during his sermons often used inappropriate expressions and turned his flock against the royal power. Philip ordered the legate to be arrested and taken into custody at Sanli. He also demanded from the pope that he deposed Bernard and allowed him to be brought to the secular court. The Pope answered the king with an angry letter, demanded the immediate release of his legate, threatened Philip with excommunication and ordered him to appear at his court in order to justify himself from charges of tyranny, Philip ordered to solemnly burn this bull on the porch of Notre Dame Cathedral.

In April 1302, he convened the first States General in history in Paris. They were attended by representatives of the clergy, barons and prosecutors of the main northern and southern cities. To arouse the indignation of the deputies, they read out a forged papal bull, in which the pope's claims were strengthened and sharpened. After that, Chancellor Flott turned to them with a question: can the king count on the support of the estates if he takes measures to protect the honor and independence of the state, as well as to save the French church from violating its rights? The nobles and city deputies replied that they were ready to support the king. The clergy, after a short hesitation, also joined the opinion of the other two estates. After that, for a year, the opponents hesitated to take decisive measures, but the hostility between them was growing. Finally, in April 1303, Boniface excommunicated the king and freed seven ecclesiastical provinces in the Rhone basin from vassalage and from the oath of allegiance to the king. This measure, however, had no effect. Philip declared Boniface a false pope (indeed, there were some doubts about the legality of his election), a heretic and even a warlock. He demanded to convene an ecumenical council to hear these accusations, but at the same time he said that the pope should be at this council as a prisoner and accused. From words he turned to deeds. In the summer, Nogare, faithful to him, went to Italy with a large amount of money. Soon he entered into relations with the enemies of Boniface and conspired against him on a large scale. At that time, the Pope was in Anagni, where on September 8 he wanted to bring Philip to a public curse.

On the eve of this day, the conspirators broke into the papal palace, surrounded Boniface, showered him with all sorts of insults and demanded his abdication. Nogare threatened to put him in chains and take him to the cathedral in Lyons as a criminal to be sentenced over him. The Pope withstood these attacks with dignity. For three days he was in the hands of his enemies. Finally, the people of Ananya freed him. But from the humiliation he had endured, Boniface fell into such frustration that he went mad and died on October 11. His humiliation and death had dire consequences for the papacy. The new Pope Benedict XI excommunicated Nogare, but ended the persecution of Philip himself. In the summer of 1304 he died. In his place was elected Archbishop of Bordeaux Bertrand du Gotha, who took the name of Clement V.

Clement V - Pope

He did not go to Italy, but was ordained in Lyon. In 1309 he settled in Avignon and turned this city into a papal residence. Until his death, he remained an obedient executor of the will of the French king. In addition to many other concessions to Philip, Clement agreed in 1307 with the charges against the Knights Templar.

Burning of the Templars

In October, 140 French knights of this order were arrested, and over them began trial on charges of heresy. In 1312 the Pope declared the order destroyed. Philip, who owed the Templars huge sums, took possession of all their wealth. In March 1313, the Grand Master of the Order, Jacques Molay, was burned. Before his death, he cursed the entire Capetian family and predicted its imminent degeneration.

Jacques de Molay, Grand Master of the Knights Templar

In 1314, Philip planned a new campaign against Flanders, where anti-French forces intensified. On August 1, he convened the States General, which agreed to the imposition of an emergency tax on war, the first ever taxation act mandated by the popular representation. Soon after the execution, Philip began to suffer from a debilitating disease that doctors could not recognize.

And the campaign did not take place, for on November 29, 1314, at the 46th year of his life in Fonteblo, the king died, apparently from a stroke, although rumor attributed his death to the curse of Jacques de Molay or to poisoning by the Templars.

Contemporaries did not like Philip the Handsome, people close to him were afraid of the rational cruelty of this unusually beautiful and surprisingly dispassionate person. The violence against the pope caused outrage throughout the Christian world. Large feudal lords were dissatisfied with the infringement of their rights and the strengthening of the central administration, which consisted of rootless people. The taxation class was outraged by the increase in taxes, the so-called "spoilage" of the coin, that is, the decrease in its gold content with the forced preservation of its denomination, which led to inflation. Philip's successors were forced to soften his policy of centralization.

The reign of Philip IV the Fair, who ascended the French throne at the age of seventeen, after the death of his father Philip III, on October 5, 1285, is considered by historians not only as one of the most important periods in French history, but also as one of the most controversial.

Reconciliation of Philip IV the Fair with the English king Edward I

This reign seems to be important because the French kingdom reaches the pinnacle of its power: the largest state in terms of population in the Christian Western world (13-15 million, or a third of the entire Catholic world), real economic prosperity (suffice it to cite an increase in the area of arable land or the flourishing of the fair in Champagne). In addition, the power of the monarch is so strengthened that Philip is seen as the first ruler of a new type in Europe: the state is powerful and centralized as never before, the king's entourage is the Legists - well-mannered and educated people, real specialists in the field of jurisprudence.

However, this rosy picture is not consistent with other facts. Thus, the apparent economic boom only masks a sluggish crisis, as evidenced by numerous shocks in the financial market (under Philip, monetary policy was extremely, as they say now, voluntaristic). And at the end of his reign, the fairs in Champagne could not compete with the Italians' sea trade at all, and in addition, literally the next day after the death of the king, a devastating famine broke out in 1315-1317. Moreover, if you look closely, you can see that the king did not know his kingdom well: he had no idea how far its borders stretched, he could not establish direct taxes, and effective and efficient government remained unattainable. It is unlikely that a chain of dubious, semi-political, semi-secular scandals added to the popularity of the king, in particular, the trial of the bishop of the city of Troyes, Guichard, who was accused of killing the queen by means of witchcraft, or the trial of the bishop of Pamier, Bernard Sesse, a process that complicated the already difficult relationship between the king and dad. And the Templar trial? And the imprisonment of the king's daughters-in-law and the execution of their lovers? In general, the identity of King Philip the Fair remains mysterious. Who was he? A core of French politics or a simple instrument in the hands of our advisers? The authors of the chronicles - the king's contemporaries - are inclined mainly towards the second option - they, in particular, reproach the king for inept monetary and tax policy, explaining this by the fact that the king was given useless advice by incompetent advisers. But, despite such uncertainty in assessments, the king is still seen as a "non-classical" monarch of the Middle Ages. Although the chroniclers insist that France treated him with respect, to which, however, he allegedly owes the authority of his grandfather, Philip Augustus, who undertook economic and political reforms aimed at strengthening the central government.

The leitmotif of historians contemporary to Philip the Fair is the regret of the era of "His Majesty Saint Louis", which is considered almost as a golden age, while Philip IV is characterized as nothing more than "the antipode of Saint Louis". But, despite all this, historians agree on one thing: a new era began with this king. However, it is hardly worth exaggerating the "modernity" of Philip the Fair and France of his time.

Philip IV the Handsome - King of France from 1285 to 1314

And yet, the reign of Philip IV the Beautiful constituted a turning point in the history of medieval France: he expanded the kingdom by the annexation of new lands (shortly before his death, he annexed Lyon and its district to France), forced the church and feudal rulers to obey the orders of the king and suppressed every power independent of itself. Under him, the royal administration embraced all aspects of society: cities, feudal nobility, clergy - all fell under her control. His reign seemed to his contemporaries a time of brutal oppression and despotism. But behind all this, a new era was already visible. With the help of a large corporation of lawyers, the king took every opportunity to establish royal courts everywhere and to introduce Roman law. By the end of his life, all judicial power in the country passed exclusively to the crown, and state life acquired a completely different character than under his predecessors.

When compiling the article, the material provided specifically for the project by Vadim Anatolyevich Strunov was used.

Philip IV did not get his nickname Handsome for nothing. Correct facial features, large fixed eyes, wavy dark hair. He looked like a magnificent sculpture, motionless and bewitchingly inaccessible in its majestic detachment. The melancholy that eternal imprint on his face made him a mysterious and unique personality in history ...

Philip was the second son of King Philip III and Isabella of Aragon. An extraordinary beauty was already visible in the angelic features of the baby, and it is unlikely that a happy father, looking at his offspring, could assume that he was going to become the last large-scale representative of the Capetian royal family.

Philip III is not a fortunate monarch. The feudal lords did not really obey him, the treasury was empty, and the papal legates dictated their will.

And when the almighty pope ordered the French king to lead a campaign in Aragon in order to punish the Aragonese king for Sicily taken from the pope's favorite (Charles of Anjou), Philip could not resist, and the French army went on a campaign. Fate was not on Philip's side: the French suffered a heavy defeat, and the king himself died on the way back.

Philip IV the Handsome

His seventeen-year-old son, who fought alongside his father, took out of this deplorable enterprise one, but very important lesson- a persistent unwillingness to serve other people's, even papal, interests. In 1285, the coronation of Philip IV took place and his era began, which in all respects could be called "new".

First of all, the young king had to deal with the legacy of his father, to solve the Aragonese problem. He decided it in the most beneficial way for France - he completely stopped military operations, despite the urgent objections of the Holy See.

The real shock for medieval Europe was the refusal of the still very inexperienced monarch from the services of high-ranking advisers to his father. Instead, he established the Royal Council, membership in which was secured by special merit, and by no means by noble lineage. For feudal society, this was a real revolution.

Thus, people who were not noble, but educated, gained access to power. For their knowledge of the laws, they were called legists and were very hated. A special role at the court of Philip the Fair was played by three of his confidants: Chancellor Pierre Flotte, Seal Keeper Guillaume Nogaret and Coadjutor Angerrand Marigny. Raised to power by the king himself, they were extremely loyal to him and determined the course of the entire policy of the state.

And the whole policy of Philip IV was reduced to solving two problems: how to annex new lands to the state and where to get money for this.

Jeanne I of Navarre, princess from the House of Champagne, reigning queen of Navarre since 1274, daughter and heiress of Henry I of Navarre and queen of France since 1285 - wife of Philip IV the Fair.

Even Philip's marriage was subordinated to the great goal of expanding France: he married Jeanne I, Queen of Navarre and Countess of Champagne. This marriage gave him the opportunity to annex Champagne to his possessions, and also led to the first unification of France and Navarre.

But this was not the ultimate dream of the king. Refusing to aiding papal interests, Philip focused on the affairs of the English. The stumbling block was the monarch's desire to get Flanders.

Having summoned Edward I to the judgment of the Paris parliament, and using his refusal as a pretext for war, both sides, having acquired allies, with great pleasure began military operations. Having learned about this, Pope Boniface VIII called on both monarchs to reconcile. And both ignored this call.

The matter was further complicated by the fact that Philip was in dire need of money to conduct the war, and therefore forbade the export of gold and silver from France to Rome. The Pope lost one of the sources of income and the relationship between Philip and Boniface did not become warmer from this.

Philip IV the Handsome - King of France from 1285, King of Navarre 1284-1305, son of Philip III the Bold, from the Capetian dynasty.

The pope threatened to excommunicate Philip from the church. And then the Legists took up arms, that is, the feathers, and brought forward a number of accusations against the Pope, both of intrigues against France and of heresy.

The agitation bore fruit: the French ceased to be afraid of the papal wrath, and Nogare, who went to Italy, concocted an extensive conspiracy against the pope. Soon, the rather elderly Boniface VIII died and the protege of France, Clement V, sat on the papal throne. The papal dispute was resolved.

Philip never had enough money. The policy of amalgamation and affiliation that he pursued was costly. The first victim of the king's financial difficulties was the coin. Its weight was significantly lightened, and its output was increased, which led to an increase in inflation. The second point of the king's financial program was taxation. Taxes rose steadily, causing riots to erupt. And finally - the Templar business.

The Knights Templar was founded in Jerusalem at the beginning of the 12th century. He represented himself as knights guarding the Holy Sepulcher. In addition, the knights - Templars guarded their own, very considerable, wealth and money of those who trusted them. The offensive of the Muslims forced the Templars to leave the Holy Land, and over time, their main function was precisely the financial one. In fact, they became a bank that kept and invested money.

One of the debtors of the order was Philip the Handsome himself. As life has shown, the king did not like to repay debts very much, and therefore in 1307, with the tacit consent of the pope, all the Templars throughout France were arrested in one day. The trial of the order was clearly sewn with white thread, the accusations were far-fetched, interrogations were carried out with the use of torture, and the case ended in blazing fires throughout France. The Grand Master of the Order, Jean Molay, was also burned.

Jacques de Molay is the twenty-third and final Master of the Knights Templar.

As the popular rumor testified, before the execution, the master cursed Clement V and Philip IV and predicted the death of the first in forty days, and the second in twelve months. The prediction came true by an amazing thing.

The pope died of dysentery thirty-three days after the execution of Molay, and the king then fell ill with some strange disease and died on November 29, 1314. The curse fell on the descendants of Philip. His three sons - "damned kings" - did not leave offspring on the throne, according to the curse of the Templars, and the Capetian family soon ended.

Philip the Handsome has remained a mysterious and contradictory figure in history. Some call him a great reformer, others a cruel despot who fell under the influence of their advisers. The results of his reign turned out to be disappointing: the vertical of power was never fully formed, but finances were upset in the end.

The zigzags of his politics, as well as frequent mood swings, as well as the manner of freezing without blinking at one point, many modern researchers associate with a manic-depressive disorder of his consciousness.

According to eyewitnesses, at certain times he was cheerful, talkative and even joked. But soon he became gloomy, withdrawn, silent and indifferently cruel.

Philip IV the Handsome

Well, the powers that be in this world are also characterized by weaknesses. And, nevertheless, King Philip the Handsome during his reign made France the most powerful country in the world and began new era in the history of this state.

In the residence of the French kings, in June 1268, a son was born to the royal couple, Philip III the Bold and Isabella of Aragon, who was named after his father - Philip. Already in the first days of little Philip's life, everyone noted his unprecedented angelic beauty and his huge brown eyes. No one then could have predicted that the newly born second heir to the throne would be the last outstanding king of France from the Capetian family.

The atmosphere of childhood and adolescence

During the childhood and adolescence of Philip, when his father Philip III ruled, France expanded its territory, annexing the Toulouse province, the Valois, Brie, Auvergne, Poitou counties and the pearl - the Kingdom of Navarre. Champagne was promised to join the kingdom, thanks to the advance agreement on the marriage of Philip to the heiress of the county, Princess Jeanne I of Navarre. The annexed lands, of course, bore fruit, but France, torn apart by large feudal lords and papal legates, with an empty treasury was on the verge of disaster.

Failures began to haunt Philip III. The heir to the throne, the first son Louis, on whom he had high hopes, dies. The king, being weak of character and led by his advisers, gets involved in adventures that ended in failure. So in March 1282, Philip III was defeated in the Sicilian national liberation uprising, where the Sicilians exterminated and expelled all the French who were there. The next and last failure of Philip III was a military campaign against the king of Aragon, Pedro III the Great. Seventeen-year-old Philip IV took part in this company, who, along with the reigning father, participated in the battles. Despite the intensified offensives, the royal army and navy were defeated and held under the walls of the fortress of Girona, in northeastern Spain. The ensuing retreat undermined the health of the king, he was seized by illness and fever, which he did not endure. So, in the fortieth year, the life of King Philip III, nicknamed the Bold, was cut short, and the hour of the reign of Philip IV came.

Long live the king!

The coronation was scheduled for October 1285, immediately after his father's funeral, at the Abbey of Saint-Denis.

After the coronation, the wedding of Philip IV with the Queen of Navarre, Jeanne I of Navarre, took place, which served as the annexation of the lands of the County of Champagne and strengthened the power of France.

Taught by his father's bitter experience, Philip learned one rule for himself, which he followed all his life - one-man rule, pursuing only his own interests and the interests of France.

The young king's first endeavor was to resolve conflicts over the failure of the Aragonese company. The king went against the will of Pope Martin IV and the passionate desire of his brother Charles Valois to become king of Aragon, and withdrew the French troops from the Aragonese land, thereby ending the military conflict.

The next action, which shocked the entire high society French and European society, was the removal from affairs of all the advisers of the late father and the appointment to their posts of people who distinguished themselves for their services to the king. Philip was a very attentive person, he always noted the qualities necessary for him in people, therefore, not noticing the managerial notes in the nobility, who were lazy from the well-fed life, he opted for intelligent people of no noble origin. So they were appointed to the post of the Catholic titular bishop of Angerrand Marigny, Chancellor Pierre Flotte and guardian of the royal seal Guillaume Nogaret.

Large feudal lords were outraged by such actions of the young king, which threatened a bloody revolution. To prevent the outbreak of revolt and weaken the powerful feudal society, the king is carrying out a serious reform that related to the government. He limits the influence of customary and ecclesiastical rights on royal power, relying on the codes of Roman law, and appoints the Treasury (Chamber of Accounts), the Paris Parliament and Supreme Court... In these institutions, weekly discussions were held, in which respectable citizens and minor knights (legists) with knowledge of Roman law participated and served.

Confrontation with Rome

A solid and purposeful man, Philip IV continued to expand the borders of his state, and this required constant replenishment of the royal treasury. At that time, the church had a separate treasury, from which funds were distributed to subsidies for the townspeople, for the needs of the church and for contributions to Rome. It was this treasury that the king planned to use.

By coincidence, for Philip IV, at the end of 1296, Pope Boniface VIII decided to be the first to take possession of church savings and issues a document (bull), which prohibits granting subsidies to citizens from the church treasury. Until this time in very warm and friendly relations with Boniface VIII, Philip nevertheless decides to take open and harsh actions for the Pope. Philip believed that the church is obliged not only to participate in the life of the country, but to allocate funds for its needs. And he issues a decree prohibiting the export of the church treasury to Rome, thereby depriving the Papacy of the constant financial income that the French church provided them. For this reason, the quarrel between the king and Baniface was hushed up by the publication of a new bull, canceling the first, but for a short time.

Having made concessions, the French king Philip the Fair allowed the export of funds to Rome and continued the oppression of the churches, which led to the complaints of the church officials against the king to the Pope. Because of these complaints, which indicated violations of chain of command, disrespect, disobedience and insult by the vassals, Boniface VIII sent the bishop of Pamieres to France to the king. He was supposed to oblige the king to fulfill his earlier promises to participate in the Aragon crusade and to release the captive Count of Flanders from prison. The sending of a bishop, who was not restrained in character, very harsh and hot-tempered, in the role of an ambassador and allowing him to decide such delicate issues was Baniface's greatest mistake. Not meeting with Philip's understanding and receiving a refusal, the bishop allowed himself to speak in harsh and raised tones, threatening the king with a ban on all church services. Despite all his natural self-control and calmness, Philip the Handsome could not restrain himself, and he orders the arrogant bishop to be arrested and taken into custody in Sanli.

Meanwhile, the French king Philip 4 Handsome took care of collecting information about the unlucky ambassador and found out that he spoke negatively about the king's power, offended his honor and pushed the flock to rebellion. This information was enough for Philip to demand in a letter from the Pope the urgent deposition of the Bishop of Pamier and his surrender to the secular court. To which Baniface responded by threatening to excommunicate Philip from the church and ordering the presence of the royal person at his own court. The king was angry and promised the high priest to burn his decree on the unlimited power of the Roman Church over secular power.

The resulting disagreements prompted Philip to take more decisive action. For the first time in the history of France, he convenes the States General, which was attended by all the prosecutors of the cities of France, nobles, barons and higher clergy. To intensify the resentment and exacerbate the situation, those present at the council were provided with a previously forged papal bull. At the council, after a short hesitation of the representatives of the church, it was decided to support the king.

The conflict flared up, the opponents exchanged blows: the banifation was followed by the excommunication of the king from the church, the seizure of seven provinces and the release from vassal control, and Philip publicly declared the pope a warlock, a false dad and a heretic, began organizing a conspiracy and entered into a conspiracy with the Pope's enemies.

The conspirators, led by Nogare, captured Baniface VIII, who at that time was in the city of Anagni. The dignified Pope withstands the attacks of his enemies, and awaits the release of the inhabitants of Ananya. But the experiences he had endured caused irreparable damage to his mind, and Baniface goes mad and dies.

The next Pope Benedict XI stopped the attacks and persecution of the king, but his loyal servant Nogare was excommunicated for participating in the arrest. The Pope did not serve for long, he died in 1304, and Clement V came in his place.

The new Pope treated King Philip with obedience, and never contradicted his demands. By order of the royal personage, Clement transferred the papal throne and residence from Rome to the city of Avignon, which was heavily influenced by Philip. Another significant favor in 1307 for the king was the agreement of Clement V of charges against the Templar Knights. Thus, under the reign of Philip IV, the papacy became obedient bishops.

Declaration of war

During the growing conflict with Boniface VIII, King Philip IV of France was busy strengthening the country and expanding its territories. Most of all he was interested in Flanders, which at that time was a self-sufficient craft and agricultural state with an anti-French direction. Since the vassal Flanders was not inclined to obey the French king, she was more satisfied with a good relationship with the English house, Philip did not fail to take advantage of this coincidence, and summoned the English king Edward I to the Paris Parliament for trial.

The English king, focused on a military campaign with Scotland, refuses to be present at the trial, which was useful for Philip IV. He declares war. Torn apart by two military companies, Edward I looks for allies and finds them in the Count of Brabant, Geldern, Savoy, Emperor Adolf and King of Castile. Philip also enlists the support of the allies. He was joined by the Counts of Luxembourg and Burgundy, the Duke of Lorraine and the Scots.

At the beginning of 1297, fierce battles unfolded for the territory of Flanders, where in Furne Count Robert d'Artois defeated the troops of Count Guy de Dampierre of Flanders, and captured him along with his family and the remaining soldiers. In 1300, troops led by Charles de Valois captured the city of Douai, passed through the city of Bruges and entered the city of Ghent in the spring. The king, meanwhile, was engaged in the siege of the fortress of Lille, which, after nine weeks of confrontation, capitulated. In 1301, part of Flanders surrendered to the king.

Defiant Flanders

King Philip the Handsome did not fail to take advantage of the obedience of the newly minted subordinates, and decided to benefit greatly from this, imposing exorbitant taxes on the Flemings. To control the country, Jacques Chatillonsky was put in place, who, with his harsh management, increased the discontent and hatred of the inhabitants of the country towards the French. The Flemings, who had not yet calmed down from the conquest, could not stand it and started a revolt, which was quickly suppressed, and the participants in the revolt were imposed with huge fines. At the same time, in the city of Bruges, Jacques Chatillonsky ordered the residents to demolish the city wall and began building a citadel.

The people, exhausted by taxes, decided on a new, more organized revolt, and in the spring of 1302 the French garrison clashed with the Flemings. During the day, the embittered Flemings killed three thousand two hundred French soldiers. The army that approached to pacify the revolt was destroyed along with the commander Robert d'Artois. Then about six thousand equestrian knights perished, whose spurs as trophies were removed and laid at the altar of the church.

Offended by the defeat and death of a relative, King Philip the Fair makes another attempt, and leading a large army, he enters the battle in Flanders at Mons-en-Pevel and defeats the Flemings. Lille was successfully besieged again, but the Flemings no longer submitted to the king of France.

After numerous bloody battles, which did not bring the desired success, Philip decided to conclude a peace treaty with the Count of Flanders Robert III of Bethune with full preservation of privileges, the restoration of rights and the return of Flanders.

Only the release of the captured soldiers and counts implied the payment of a legal indemnity. As collateral, Philip annexed the cities of Orsh, Bethune, Douai and Lille to his territory.

Templar case

The Brotherhood of Knights Templar was founded in the 11th century, and in the 12th century it was officially approved as the Order of the Templars by Pope Honorius II. Throughout the centuries of its existence, the society has established itself as protectors of believers and excellent economists. For two centuries, the Templars regularly participated in crusades, but after the loss of Jerusalem, unsuccessful battles for the Holy Land and numerous losses in Acre, they had to move their headquarters to Cyprus.

At the end of the 13th century, the Order of the Knights Templar was not so numerous, but remained still a well-formed militarized structure, and the last 23rd leader of the Order was the Grand Master Jacques de Molay. V last years reign of Philip IV, the Order was engaged in financial affairs, interference in the secular affairs of the state and the protection of their treasures.

The impoverished treasury from constant spending on military needs was in urgent need of replenishment. As a personal debtor to the Templars, Philip was puzzled by the question of how to get rid of the accumulated debts and get to their treasury. In addition, he considered the Order of the Knights Templar dangerous to royal power.

Therefore, supported by the non-interference of the tamed Popes, Philip in 1307 begins a case against the religious Order of the Templars, arresting every single Templar in France.

The case against the Templars was clearly falsified, terrible torture was used during interrogation, trumped-up accusations of links with Muslims, witchcraft and devil worship. But no one dared to contradict the king and act as the protector of the Templars. For seven years, the investigation into the case of the Templars continued, who, exhausted by the long imprisonment and torture, confessed to all the charges brought against them, but dropped them during a public trial. During the trial, the Templars' treasury completely passed into royal hands.

In 1312, the destruction of the order was announced, and the following year, in the spring, the Grand Master Jacques de Molay and some of his associates were sentenced to death by burning.

The execution was attended by the King of France Philip the Handsome (you can see the portrait in the article) with his sons and Chancellor Nogaret. In flames, Jacques de Molay pronounced a curse on the entire Capetian family, and predicted quick death Pope Clement V and the Chancellor.

Death of the king

Having good health, Philip did not pay attention to de Molay's curse, but in the very near future, in the same spring, after the execution, the Pope died suddenly. The predictions began to come true. In 1314, Philip the Handsome went hunting and fell from his horse, after which he suddenly fell ill with an unknown debilitating disease, which was accompanied by delirium. In the fall of the same year, the forty-six-year-old king dies.

What was the king of France Philip the Handsome

Why "Handsome"? Was he really like that? The French king Philip IV the Handsome remains a controversial and mysterious figure in the history of Europe. Many of his contemporaries described the king as cruel and oppressive, led by his advisers. If you look at the policy pursued by Philip, you will involuntarily think - in order to carry out such serious reforms and achieve the desired goals, you need to have rare energy, iron, unbending will and perseverance. Many who were close to the king and did not support his policy, decades after his death, will remember his reign with tears in their eyes, as a time of justice and great deeds.

People who knew the king personally spoke of him as a modest and meek man who neatly and regularly attended services, observed all fasts wearing a hair shirt, and always avoided obscene and immodest conversations. Philip was distinguished by kindness and condescension, he often trusted people who did not deserve his trust. Often the king was withdrawn and unperturbed, sometimes frightening his subjects with a sudden numbness and piercing gaze.

All the courtiers quietly whispered as the king walked through the castle grounds: “God forbid, the king to look at us. From his gaze, the heart stops, and the blood runs cold in my veins. "

The nickname "Handsome" King Philip 4 rightly deserved, as the constitution of his body was perfect and mesmerizing, similar to a magnificently cast sculpture. Facial features were distinguished by their regularity and symmetry, large intelligent and beautiful eyes, black wavy hair framed his melancholic brow, all this made his image unique and mysterious for people.

The heirs of Philip the Fair

The marriage of Philip IV to Jeanne I of Navarre can rightly be called a happy marriage. The royal couple loved each other and were faithful to the marital bed. This confirms the fact that after the death of his wife, Philip rejected lucrative offers of remarriage.

In this union, they gave birth to four children:

Louis X the Grumpy, future King of Navarre from 1307 and King of France from 1314.
Philip V Long, future king of France and Navarre from 1316
Handsome (Handsome), the future king of France and Navarre from 1322.
Isabella, future wife King Edward II of England and mother of King Edward III.

King Philip the Handsome and his daughters-in-law

King Philip never worried about the future of the crown. He had three heirs who were successfully married. It only remained to wait for the appearance of the heirs. But alas, the king's wishes were not supposed to come true. The king, being a believer and a strong family man, having learned about adultery of his daughters-in-law with the courtiers, imprisoned them in a tower and brought them to justice.

Until their death, the unfaithful wives of the royal sons languished in prison casemates and hoped that the sudden death of the king would free them from captivity. But they never deserved forgiveness from their husbands.

The traitors had a different fate:

wife of Louis X, gave birth to daughter Jeanne. After her husband's coronation, she was strangled to death in captivity.
Blanca, wife of Charles IV. A divorce followed and the replacement of prison confinement with a monastery cell.
Jeanne de Chalon, wife of Philip V. After the coronation of her husband, she was forgiven and released from captivity. She gave birth to three daughters.

Second wives of the heirs to the throne:

Clementia Hungarian became last wife King In this marriage, the heir John I the Posthumous was born, who lived for several days.
Maria of Luxembourg, second wife of King Charles.

Despite the opinions of disgruntled contemporaries, Philip IV the Handsome created a powerful French kingdom. During his reign, the population increased to 14 million, many buildings and fortifications were built. France reached a peak of economic prosperity, arable land expanded, fairs appeared, and trade flourished. The descendants of Philip the Handsome inherited a renewed, strong and modern country with a new way of life and order.

Philip IV the Handsome (1268-1314), King of France from 1285

The reign of the King of France Philip IV the Handsome gives historians an ambivalent feeling: he was handsome, educated, smart, but he trusted the people around him who were not worthy of him. He did acts worthy of condemnation and regret, in particular, he defeated the order of the Knights Templar. At the same time, under him, the kingdom expanded significantly, acquired new lands, including Lyon, the church began to obey him more than the Pope. Under him, the courts spread, the power of the feudal lords decreased and the monarchy was strengthened.

He was born in the ancient hunting area of Fontainebleau, 55 kilometers southeast of Paris. His father was the King of France Philip III the Bold, his mother was Isabella of Aragon, daughter of the King of Aragon and the Count of Barcelona. Philip ascended the throne of France at the age of 17 immediately after the death of his father and took up the solution of the issues of the Sicilian and Aragonese inheritance.

His younger brother, Karl Valois, wanted to become king of either Aragon or Sicily. He had the right to do so. And he asked for help. But King Philip did not intend to breed rivals at all. He needed Karl for other purposes. He stopped all military actions against Sicily and Aragon and turned things around so that Charles was left with nothing. Envied him and feared an increase in influence? Most likely so. For close relatives, Philip did not try very hard. Charles himself later spoke of himself with bitterness: “I am the son of the king (Philip III), the brother of the king (Philip IV), the uncle of three kings (Louis X, Philip V, Charles IV), the father of the king (Philip VI), but not the king himself ".

Having got rid of the claims of his brother, Philip took up the Duchy of Guyenne in the southeast of France, which was ruled by the English king Edward I Long-Legs. Great TV program for today and TV program for the whole week. He called him to court to settle various kinds of claims, but he did not appear, as he participated in the war against Scotland. Then Philip took the duchy and forced Edward to recognize himself as a vassal, and then went to conquer the territory of Flanders. And conquered and expanded his kingdom. True, cities revolted, the population of which did not want to have him king. But in 1305 Flanders still became French.

Philip IV could have conquered other areas, but the treasury was emptied with incredible speed. The advisers pointed out to him the source of income - to stop exporting from the territory of France the gold and silver that the French church collected for the Pope. Gold and silver must belong to the French. And Philip IV convened the first in history States General - a meeting of representatives from different estates, at which he explained the situation and received the full support of those present, including the clergy. Gold and silver remained in France. But it was still not enough. And the king, having listened to the advisers, decided to "fork out" the treasury of the Knights-Crusaders of the Order of the Templars, from whom he borrowed considerable sums. He was informed that the leadership of the order was preparing a conspiracy against the king. This was enough to start the massacre.

In October 1307, on one day, all the prominent Templars were arrested throughout France, and the trial began. The accusations against them were one more monstrous than the other: allegedly they were apostates, malicious heretics, blasphemers who spat on the cross, they practiced black magic and tried to harm the king. The list of crimes seemed endless. Then, few people thought about how fair the accusations were. The king desperately needed money, and by hook or by crook he sought a guilty verdict. And they carried him out. The leadership, 54 people, were sentenced to death by burning, most of the knights who confessed their guilt after torture received life imprisonment, while the Templars' treasury was confiscated.

Philip IV the Handsome, King of France

(1268–1314)

King Philip IV of France, the Handsome of the Capetian dynasty, remained in the memory of descendants primarily as a monarch who destroyed the Knights Templar. He was born in 1268 in Fontainebleau and inherited the throne in 1285 after the death of his father Philip III the Bold. His mother, Queen Isabella of Aragon, was the first wife of Philip III, who was married for the second time to the Countess of Flanders Maria of Brabant, who also bore the high-profile title of Queen of Sicily and Jerusalem. With the help of a marriage with Queen Jeanne of Navarre, concluded in 1284, he significantly expanded his possessions. He also continued to try to annex Aragon and Sicily, which his father had claimed as dynastic. However, here, unlike his father, who died during the campaign against Aragon, Philip relied more not on force of arms, but on diplomacy. He did not support the claims of his brother Charles of Valois to the Aragonese and Sicilian throne. In 1291, on the initiative of Philip, an international congress was convened in Tarascon to resolve the Aragonese question. It was attended by representatives of the kings of England, France, Naples and the Pope. A peaceful settlement was reached. In 1294, Philip began a war with England for the wealthy province of Guyenne (Duchy of Aquitaine), which lasted 10 years and greatly depleted the French treasury. Philip took advantage of the conflict between British and French merchants in Aquitaine as a pretext and summoned the English king Edward I, who was formally considered his vassal, to the judgment of the Paris parliament. Eduard offered Guien as a bail for 40 days, during which an investigation was to be carried out, but, naturally, did not appear at the trial. But Philip, having occupied Guyenne, refused to return it and declared war on Edward. He responded by setting his ally, the Count of Flanders, against France. Peace with England was concluded in 1304 on the basis of the status quo, that is, the return of Guienne to the British, thanks to the fact that Philip's daughter married the new English king Edward II. In 1302, Philip's army invaded Flanders, but was defeated by the local militia at the Battle of Courtraus. Nevertheless, in 1304, Philip, at the head of a large army, invaded Flanders, and according to the peace concluded in 1304, the Flanders cities of Douai, Lille and Bethune ceded to France.

In 1296, Pope Boniface VIII forbade taxing clerics without papal permission. However, the joint performance of Philip and the English king Edward I made the pope back down. The kings simply began to take the estates from those clergymen who, guided by the papal bull, refused to pay. Philip also, by a special edict in 1297, prohibited the export of gold and silver from France, which blocked the income to the papal treasury from the French clergy. Dad was forced to back down and cancel the bull.

In general, during the entire period of his reign, Philip constantly needed money, so he was forced to introduce more and more taxes and reduce the content of gold in the coin. He had a large staff of lawyers, called "legists", "royal notaries", "knights of the king" and "people of the king", who won all the trials in favor of the king in the French courts, deftly manipulating the law, and sometimes simply trampling the law. These people acted according to the principle: "Whatever the king wants has the force of law."

In 1306, Philip expelled the Jews from France, and then the Knights Templar. He had previously made large compulsory loans from both of them and, instead of repaying them, preferred to remove his creditors from the country. Also, in order to obtain new funds and support in the confrontation with the pope, Philip in April 1302 convened the first French parliament - the States General, which was to vote for new taxes. The parliament included barons, clergy and lawyers. The deputies read a fake papal bull, after which they promised the king support in any action to protect the state and the rights of the church in France from the encroachments of the pope. This support was unconditional on the part of the townspeople and the nobility of the northern provinces, who expressed their readiness to condemn Pope Boniface as a heretic. The nobles and townspeople of the southern provinces, as well as all the clergy, were much more moderate. The bishops only asked the pope to allow the French clergy not to participate in the church council, at which it was proposed to excommunicate King Philip. The Pope responded to the decision of the States General with the bull "One Holy", where he stated: "Spiritual authority should establish earthly authority, and judge it if it deviated from the true path ..." Here Boniface formulated the theory of two swords - spiritual and secular. The spiritual sword is in the hands of the pope, the secular sword is in the hands of the sovereigns, but they can only draw it with the sanction of the pope and to protect the interests of the church. The submission of the pope was elevated to an article of faith. The pope threatened to excommunicate not only King Philip, but the entire French people if he supported the king in the fight against the church. In April 1303, the pope excommunicated the king and freed seven ecclesiastical provinces in the Rhone Valley from the royal oath. However, the French clergy, contrary to the demand of the pope, did not appear at the council. In the meantime, Philip's counter-propaganda campaign was successful. In response, Philip called a meeting of the highest clergy and nobility, at which the chancellor and guardian of the royal seal, Guillaume de Nogaret, accused Boniface of heresy and villainous crimes. At this meeting, Philip declared Boniface a false pope and promised to convene a council to elect a true pope. One of the king's closest advisers, the legist and chancellor, Guillaume Nogaret, was sent to the pope with a summons to the church council, accompanied by an armed detachment. The Pope fled from Rome to the city of Ananyin, but on September 7, 1303, Nogare's detachment reached there. Boniface was arrested, but categorically refused to renounce his dignity. A few days later, the townspeople revolted, drove out the French and freed the pope. After meeting with Nogare, dad fell ill, and a month later, on October 11, 1303, 85? Year old Boniface died.

Boniface's successor Benedict XI ruled for only a few months and died suddenly, having outlived Boniface by only ten months. Then in June 1305, after many months of struggle, under pressure from Philip, the Archbishop of Bordeaux Bertrand de Gault was elected Pope, who took the name of Clement V. The king granted him the city of Avignon for permanent residence, laying the foundation for " Avignon captivity dad. " Clement introduced several French cardinals into the conclave, guaranteeing in the future the election of popes pleasing to the French kings. In a special bull, Clement fully supported Philip's position in the dispute with Boniface, calling him a "good and just king", and canceled the "One Holy" bull. However, he refused to support the accusations against Boniface of heresy and unnatural vices, as well as to carry out the death penalty over him - to dig and burn the corpse.

Philip was able to expand French territory at the expense of several principalities bordering the German Empire. The cities of Lyon and Valenciennes also recognized the power of the king.

In 1308, Philip tried to make Charles of Valois the German emperor when the throne was vacant after the assassination of Emperor Albrecht of Austria. Some confidants recommended that Philip himself try his luck in the struggle for the imperial crown. However, the creation of such a powerful state - in the event of a union between France and Germany - frightened all of France's neighbors, especially since Philip clearly indicated his intention to annex the left bank of the Rhine to his kingdom. The German princes opposed Charles of Valois, who was not supported even by Pope Clement V. Heinrich of Luxembourg was elected emperor.

In 1307, by order of Philip, members of the Knights Templar were secretly arrested all over France on one day. They were accused of heresy, allegedly expressed in desecration of the cross, idolatry and sodomy. Before that, Philip asked to be accepted into the order, hoping to become his grandmaster and legally take all the wealth of the Templars into his hands. However, the Grandmaster of the Order, Jacques de Molay, guessed the game and politely but firmly refused him. But Philip received a pretext for reprisals, claiming that the Templars are engaged in secret affairs, in which they are afraid to initiate the French king. Under torture, the Templars confessed everything, and seven years later, in an open trial, they denied everything. True reason punishment was that the king owes the order large amount... In 1308, the King convened the States General for the second time in history to approve of the repression against the Templars. The trials of the Templars took place throughout France. Their leaders were executed with the blessing of the Pope, who first tried to protest against the massacre of the Templars, and later, in 1311, under pressure from Philip, convened a church council in Vienne, which abolished the Templar order. The property of the order in 1312 was transferred to the royal treasury.

In 1311, Philip banned the activities of Italian bankers in France. The property of the expelled added to the treasury. The king also imposed high taxes, which did not delight his subjects. At the same time, he included Champagne (in 1308) and Lyon and its surroundings (in 1312) as part of the royal domain. By the end of his reign, France had become the strongest power in Europe.

On August 1, 1314, Philip summoned the States General for the third time in order to receive funds for a new campaign in Flanders. For this purpose, the MPs voted for an emergency tax. However, the Flanders campaign did not take place, since Philip died of a stroke at Fontainebleau on November 29, 1314. Since Pope Clement and Chancellor Nogare had died a few months earlier, rumor attributed the death of all three to the curse that the Templar Grandmaster Jacques de Molay had placed on them before their death, who, when roasted over low heat on March 18, 1314, shouted: “Pope Clement! King Philip! In less than a year, I will call you to the judgment of God! " Philip's three sons, Louis X, Philip V and Charles IV, did not survive their father much, although they managed to reign.

This text is an introductory fragment.