Philip II

Philip II (born Jan. 17, 1342, Pontoise, France—died April 27, 1404, Halle, Brabant) was the duke of Burgundy (1363–1404) and the youngest son of the French king John II the Good. One of the most powerful men of his day in France, he was for a time regent for his nephew Charles VI; and when Charles went insane, he became the virtual ruler of France.

John II’s grant of the duchy of Burgundy to Philip in September 1363 did not become effective until June 1364, when the new king, Philip’s brother Charles V, confirmed it. Philip and Charles supported each other’s policies. The duke’s marriage (June 1369) to Margaret of Flanders was arranged by Charles to prevent her from marrying an English prince. In 1384, Philip and his wife inherited Flanders, Artois, Rethel, Nevers, Franche-Comté, and some lands in Champagne. By purchase and skillful alliance he also secured several holdings in the Netherlands. In 1386 his domains had become so extensive that he arranged separate administrations at Lille and Dijon for his northern and southern territories.

During the minority of their nephew Charles VI, Philip and his brothers shared the government of France and the spoils of power. Philip did not hesitate to involve the government in the furtherance of his own aims, which, because of the location of his domain, were shaped by the necessity of friendly relations with Germany and England. In November 1388, Charles rejected the tutelage of his uncles; but, when Charles became insane in 1392, Philip regained his preeminence and imposed his own policies on the French government: an alliance with England (1396) and (in relation to the papal Western Schism) the withdrawal (1398) of support for the Avignon pope Benedict XIII, since Philip’s Flemish subjects adhered to the Roman pope Boniface IX. He furthermore diverted huge sums from the royal treasury, thus coming into conflict with his chief rival for power, Charles VI’s brother Louis, duke d’Orléans.

Philip was a patron of the arts. He collected illuminated books and manuscripts, purchased jewelry and precious cloth, and encouraged painters. He fell heavily into debt, chiefly from financing his son John’s crusade against the Ottoman Turks (1396).