Philip I of France
Philip I ruled France for forty-eight years, from 1060 to 1108, one of the longest reigns of the Middle Ages and one of the least eventful. Born in 1052, he was the son of Henry I and Anne of Kiev, and was crowned at seven; his mother and his uncle Baldwin V of Flanders governed during the minority. His name is itself notable: Philip is Greek, brought to the French royal house by his Kyivan mother, and its use here is the origin of a name that four more French kings and much of Europe would carry. The monarchy he inherited was weak, its authority barely extending beyond the Île-de-France, and his achievement was to consolidate rather than expand. He added the Gâtinais, the Vexin and Bourges to the royal domain by purchase, inheritance and opportunism, methodically and without much fighting, and he took money for confirming appointments and for staying out of disputes — a practice contemporaries called simony and which had the effect of strengthening the crown's finances. He was consistently unable to check the growth of Norman power. He harassed William the Conqueror, supported his rebellious son Robert Curthose against him, and gained little. In 1092 he repudiated his wife Bertha and abducted and married Bertrade de Montfort, the wife of the Count of Anjou, while both spouses lived. He was excommunicated repeatedly over the next twelve years and the kingdom placed under interdict, which is the reason he took no part in the First Crusade of 1095. He died at Melun in 1108.
- Lived: 1052 CE – 1108 CE
- Nationality: French
- Roles: king, head_of_state
