Philip IV of France

Philip IV was born in Fontainebleau in 1268, the second son of Philip III and Isabella of Aragon. He became heir to the throne when his older brother Louis died in 1276. He married Joan I of Navarre in 1284, and became king of France and Navarre in 1285, after his father's death. He was crowned in Reims Cathedral on January 6, 1286. Philip was a tall, handsome, and imposing figure, who earned the nickname "the Fair" for his appearance. He was also a shrewd and ambitious ruler, who sought to expand his power and authority over his vassals, the nobility, the clergy, and the neighboring states. He reformed the French administration and justice system, creating a centralized bureaucracy with professional civil servants. He also established a royal treasury and a standing army, and issued a new coinage. Philip's foreign policy was marked by conflicts with England, Flanders, and the Holy Roman Empire. He tried to assert his feudal rights over Edward I of England, who held lands in southwestern France as the duke of Aquitaine. He also supported the Scots against Edward in their wars of independence. He fought a war with Flanders, a rich and rebellious province that resisted his taxation and interference. He defeated the Flemish army at the Battle of Mons-en-Pévèle in 1304, but failed to capture their capital, Bruges. He eventually made peace with Flanders in 1305, after receiving a large ransom and several cities. Philip also intervened in the affairs of the Holy Roman Empire, where he tried to place his relatives on the imperial throne. He supported his brother Charles of Valois against Albert I of Habsburg in 1298, but failed to secure his election. He then supported his nephew Henry VII of Luxembourg in 1308, but later turned against him when he allied with Edward I. He also supported his cousin Louis IV of Bavaria in 1313, but died before he could see him crowned. One of Philip's most controversial actions was his conflict with the papacy over the taxation and jurisdiction of the French clergy. He clashed with Pope Boniface VIII , who issued a bull in 1302 that declared the supremacy of the spiritual over the temporal power. Philip responded by accusing Boniface of heresy and corruption, and sending his minister Guillaume de Nogaret to arrest him in Anagni in 1303. Although Boniface was rescued by the locals, he died soon after from shock and humiliation. Philip then influenced the election of a French pope, Clement V , who moved the papal residence to Avignon in 1309, beginning the so-called Babylonian Captivity of the papacy. Another notorious act of Philip was his suppression of the Knights Templar , a powerful military order that had accumulated vast wealth and influence from their crusading activities in the Holy Land. Philip owed them a large debt and feared their independence from royal control. He accused them of heresy and immorality, and ordered their arrest on October 13, 1307. He tortured many Templars to extract confessions, and burned some at the stake, including their grand master Jacques de Molay in 1314. He confiscated their properties and transferred them to another order, the Knights Hospitaller. Philip died on November 29, 1314, in Fontainebleau, after suffering a stroke while hunting. He was buried in the Basilica of St Denis, near Paris. He was succeeded by his son Louis X, who inherited a strong but troubled kingdom. Philip's legacy was mixed: he was praised for his reforms and achievements, but also criticized for his tyranny and greed. He was seen as a symbol of the rise of the French monarchy and the decline of the feudal system.