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]] FAMILY AND EARLY LIFE Born in Dijon , he was the son of John The Fearless and Margaret Of Bavaria-Straubing . On the 28th of January 1405 , he was named Count Of Charolais in apanage of his father and probably on the same day he was engaged to Michele Of Valois ( 1395 – 1422 ), daughter of Charles VI Of France and Isabeau Of Bavaria . They were married in June of 1409 . Philip subsequently married Bonne of Artois ( 1393 – 1425 ), daughter of Philip Of Artois, Count Of Eu , and also the widow of his uncle, Philip II, Count Of Nevers , in Moulins-les-Engelbert on November 30 , 1424 . His third marriage, in Bruges on January 7 , 1430 with Isabella Of Portugal ( 1397 - December 17, 1471 ), daughter of John I Of Portugal and Philippa Of Lancaster , produced three sons:
EARLY RULE AND ALLIANCE WITH ENGLAND Philip became duke of Burgundy, count of Flanders , Artois and Franche Comté when his father was Assassin ated in 1419 . Philip accused Charles , the Dauphin of France (his brother-in-law) of planning the murder of his father which had taken place during a meeting between the two at Montereau . In 1420 Philip allied himself with Henry V Of England under the Treaty Of Troyes . In 1423 the alliance was strengthened by the marriage of his sister Anne to John, Duke Of Bedford , regent for Henry VI Of England . In 1430 Philip's troops captured Joan Of Arc at Compiègne and later handed her over to the English who orchestrated a Heresy trial against her. The alliance with England was broken in 1435 when Philip attacked Calais and, under the terms of the Treaty Of Arras , recognized Charles VII as king of France. This alliance was broken in 1439 , and in 1440 he supported the revolt of the French nobles (an event known as The Praguerie ) and sheltered the Dauphin Louis . GEOGRAPHIC EXPANSION Philip preferred to expand his own territory rather than become directly involved in the Hundred Years' War . He incorporated Namur into Burgundian territory in 1429 (March 1, by purchase from John III, Marquis Of Namur ), Hainault and Holland , Friesland and Zeeland in 1432 (with the defeat of Countess Jacqueline in the last episode of the Hook And Cod Wars ); inherited the duchy of Brabant And Limburg and the margrave of Antwerp in 1430 (on the death of his cousin Philip Of Saint-Pol ); and purchased Luxembourg in 1443 from Elisabeth Of Bohemia, Duchess Of Luxembourg . Philip also managed to ensure his illegitimate son, David , was elected Bishop Of Utrecht in 1456 . It is not surprising that in 1435 , Philip began to style himself "Grand Duke of the West". In 1463 Philip returned some of his territory to Louis XI. That year he also created an Estates-General based on the French model. The first meeting of the Estates-General was to obtain a loan for a war against France and to ensure support for the succession of his son, Charles I , to his dominions. Philip died in Bruges in 1467 . PATRON OF THE ARTS Philip was considered an extravagant ruler who embodied the qualities of Chivalry . He declined membership in the English Order Of The Garter in 1422 , but created his own order in 1430, the Order Of The Golden Fleece , supposedly based on the Knights Of The Round Table . He had no fixed capital and set up court in various places, usually Brussels , Bruges , or Lille . He held grand feasts to show off his power to his subjects, and the Knight s of his Order frequently travelled throughout his territory participating in Tournaments . In 1454 Philip planned a Crusade against the Ottoman Empire , but this plan never materialized. Philip was also a patron of the arts, commissioning many Tapestries and other works of art. It was during his reign that the Burgundian chapel became the musical center of Europe, with the activity of the Burgundian School of composers and singers. Gilles Binchois , Robert Morton , and later Guillaume Dufay , the most famous composer of the 15th century, were all part of the court chapel of Philip III. In 1428 Jan Van Eyck travelled to Portugal to paint King John I 's daughter Isabella before Philip married her. With help from more experienced Portuguese shipbuilders Philip established a shipyard in Bruges. Roger Van Der Weyden painted his portrait (''illustration, above left'') wearing the collar of the Order of the Golden Fleece. SEE ALSO EXTERNAL LINKS
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