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| Philipp I of Hesse the Magnanimous @Wikipedia |
the Magnanimous:" . . . The epithet "magnanimous" that has been handed down through the centuries is probably a mistake: The translation of his title, der Großmütige, does mean "magnanimous" in modern German, but in Renaissance German, when he lived, it appears to have meant "haughty." And that is a much better description of this man's reign." (Hause Genealogy)
the Champion of the Reformation
" . . . He alone was left---and he was hailed as the champion of the Reformation. There is good evidence to support such a claim. Indeed, there is evidence to support the idea that without him the Reformation as conceived by Martin Luther might not have succeeded at all. Of course, his own reckless behavior in seeking a second wife put much of Luther's legacy at risk. It has often been debated whether princes such as Philipp adopted the Reformation because they believed in it or for more selfish, secular reasons. For example, Philipp was one of the first princes to dissolve monasteries and nunneries in his lands---he sold off their holdings, kept the proceeds, and pensioned out the former monks and nuns. One can make the case, then, that he did this to enrich his own coffers. One could also say that because he believed the entire monastic life was corrupt and built of a fraudulent theology it was incumbent upon him to dissolve the religious houses. . . ." (Whitford. A Reformation Life: 149)
"Philip of Hesse was perhaps the most important early political champion of Protestantism. He was an early convert and enthusiastic supporter of Luther and his fellow reformers. His support for the Protestants was indispensable in the 1520s. His main goal was to unify the various Protestants into a cohesive group that could effectively resist the emperor and the papacy. Philip, for instance, who organized the Marburg Colloquy between Luther and Zwingli in 1525. He was thus in a position to demand some of Luther's attention for his personal problems. And this is just what Philip did in 1539, when he asked Luther for a judgment on his marriage." (Sorensen. Martin Luther and the German Reformation: 86)
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| Prince Philip Duke of Edinburgh the Iron Duke |
Big Bubble
"He came into our lives when we most had need of him. This was 1947, and we longed for something wonderful and vicarious to break the drab despair of postwar austerity. And he was it. They called him Big Bubble and, unaware of Cockney rhyming slang (bubble and squeak = Greek), I pictured him as something magically iridescent, blown from a clay pipe. The big girls raved about him; he was handsome as a film star, tall and blond, heroic in his naval braiding, come from foreign parts to marry our princess that we might have peace and prosperity and happy ever after. I was all for it." (The Guardian)
Bubble and Squeak
"They called Philip ‘Big Bubble’. The name came from Cockney rhyming slang, in which ‘bubble’ is the shortened form of ‘bubble and squeak’, meaning Greek." (Express)
Phil the Greek, Philip the Greek.
" . . . Lord Louis Mountbatten, ever the schemer, had a young good-looking nephew he was trying to promote. It was all part of a Grand Plan of his to elevate his family to where he felt they should be. His protege had been born in Crete in Greece, hence his nickname, Phil the Greek. In reality he had only German blood in his veins." (Bayliss. Secret Royal History: 177)
"Even more irksome was the wariness with which the British regarded Philip when he first came on the royal scene. A poll taken in 1947 revealed widespread dismay at Philip's alien origins. Never mind that he was, like Elizabeth, a great-great-grandchild of Queen Victoria. To the public he became 'Phil the Greek', an opprobrious nickname which still surfaces from time to time today. It was inaccurate. Philip was born a Prince of Greece, but his ancestry was actually Danish and German. The nickname was none the less wounding for that, though." (Prince Philip at 77 @Britannia)
the Iron Duke
"The Iron Duke is a fitting nickname for a great-grandfather who is determined to remain as active as possible, despite having endured the odd stay in hospital in recent times." (Express)
The Royal Family has released a now-rare new picture of the Duke of Edinburgh on his 99th birthday, standing in the gardens of Windsor Castle with his wife Queen Elizabeth II. The Duke of Edinburgh, Prince Philip — often affectionately known in the United Kingdom as the ‘Iron Duke’ for his longevity and constitution — retired from public life in 2017. Having ended his 13-year professional naval career to become a full time working Royal in 1952, the Duke had served the nation, Empire, and Commonwealth in that capacity non-stop for 65 years.(Newsbreak)
"But millions of supporters of the Royal Family will be shocked that after six decades as the backbone of the House of Windsor, Philip – nicknamed the 'Iron Duke' for his unwavering loyalty to the Queen – should be given a second-class send-off." (Express)
the Arab:
the Younger
Philippe II de Courtenay
a la Lèvre (the One With the Lip)
the Bold (Fr. le Hardi):
--" . . . .The youngest son of King John the Good of France, Philip earned his sobriquet 'the Bold' at the age of fourteen, defending his father at the Battle of Poitiers. . . ." (Drees: 398)
--"Philip had won his nickname 'the Bold' (le Hardi) at age 14, fighting beside his father at Poitiers against Edward the Black Prince, son of Edward III of England. . . ." (Wilson: 125)
the Fearless (Dut zonder Vrees; Fr. le Hardi, Sans Peur):
the First Duke of Christendom: " . . . Philip the Good, Duke of Burgundy, whom the Council of Basel declared 'First Duke of Christendom,' has had the grounds of his title set forth by Comines. This mighty prince, who died at Bruges in 1367, was at once the patron of art, the developer of commerce, and the fried of scholars; and Erasmus compared him to those great ancients who were the ideal princes of the men of the Renaissance. . . ." (Chambers and Chambers, Vol. 50: 536)
the Founder of the Netherlands ((Lat. Conditor Belgii): " . . . In 1433 he (Philip III the Good of Burgundy) forced his niece, Countess Jacoba of Bavaria, to cede to him the principalities of Holland, Zeeland and Hainaut. A few years earlier he had acquired Brabant upon the extinction of the Burgundian house's younger line in 1430. He also purchased right of succession to the childless ruler of Namur, who died in 1429. Finally, in 1441 Philip bought from the childless Elizabeth of Gorlits the succession to Luxembourg, which passed into his sovereignty in 1451. This remarkable achievement quite justifies the honorific title of 'founder of the Netherlands (conditor Belgii), which the historians have awarded to Philip the Good." (Tracy & Oberman: 501)
the Good (Fr. le Bon)
the Grand Duke of the West: " . . . Philippe's enthusiasm for the romantic conception of chivalry promoted by these works seems to have been perfectly genuine, for he often took part in jousts himself, and in 1425 actually went into training for a judicial duel a l'outrance. He also longed to prove himself an athleta Christi in the tradition of Pierre of Cyprus, the Green Count of Savoy, and Louis of Bourbon, and as late as 1454 staged an elaborate banquet known as the 'Feast of the Pheasant' in order to proclaim his intention of leading a crusade. It was thus almost inevitable that Philippe -- the 'Grand Duke of the West' as he came to be called -- should decide to emulate Arthur, Charlemagne, and the crusaders of the previous century by creating his own knightly order. . . ." (The Knights of the Crown: 359)
Philip Arrhidaeus.
the Ingenuous:"Philip, born after his father --Lewis the Younger's decease, and surnamed Ingenuous, was prince palatine elector of the Rhine. . . [B]efore the wars of Bavaria, he was a most potent, rich, and redoubted prince; but, having refused to make peace, upon very equitable conditions, which the Emperor Maximilian had offered to him, he was by him declared a rebel . . . and lost a great part of his dominions, with many of his nobility and others, which were either slain in the battle, poisoned, or executed. . . ." (Par: 162)
the Upright.
Philippe Hurepel (Boarskin):
--"Philip Hurepel, Count of Boulogne, was the son of Philip Augustus and his third wife Agnes of Merano; he had been legitimised by Pope Innocent III at the end of his father's reign. He had been given the counties of Mortain, Domfront and Aumale by his father and was heir to the county of Boulogne through his wife. In 1228, in alliance with the Dreux family, he disputed Blanche's regency, in conjunction with Robert Count of Dreux and Robert de Courtenay, and with support at times from others, including Theobald IV Count of Champagne. He died in January 1234. . . ." (William: 81)
--"Philippe, nicknamed Hurepel--Boarskin--was a fils de France," whose father, Philip Augustus, had serious, but to say fatal, difficulties with the Church about the legality of his marriage, and was forced to abandon his wife, who died in 1201, after giving birth to Hurepel in 1200. The child was recognized as legitimate, and stood next the throne, after his half-brother Louis, who was thirteen years older. . . ." (Adams: 76)
Captain Parry: "The Comte de Paris accompanied his uncle, the French Prince de Joinville, to America to observe the Civil War. He was nicknamed Captain Parry by McClellan's men. The idea that the North was fighting to free the slaves attracted many Europeans, a few who journeyed to the battlefields." (Picture History)
the First Critical and Philosophical Historian Since Classical Times
the First Truly Modern Writer .
the Great Marshal.
Cardinal de Boulogne [31]
Philip Dunne.
Superman: "Mr Dunne was even dubbed 'Superman' by mischievous gossip columnists who likened him to the superhero's alter ego, Clark Kent. But his friendship with the Princess appeared to go sour as the debate over Charles and Diana's marriage reached boiling point - and Prince Andrew reportedly told Mr Dunne to stay clear of the family." (The Free Library)
the British Bayard [28]
the Barracks Emperor
the Emperor of the Army.Philip of Rouvre
--" . . . Philip I, surnamed the 'Amorous,' had in his youth married Bertha, daughter of Earl Florence of Holland. After some years of connubial life, he had become deeply enamoured of Bertrada, wife of Fulk earl of Anjou and Maine, the beautiful daughter of Amaury of Montfort. . . ." (Greenwood: 563)
--"The scandal began in 1092 when Philip repudiated Bertha and married Bertrade de Montfort. Chroniclers presented different versions of events. It is not certain whether Philip seized Bertrade by force or if she chose to leave her husband, Fulk. The latter seems more likely. Orderic says she wanted to avoid being deserted, so sent a message to Philip, 'the weak prince', who accepted the offer from the cunning woman'. Orderic also claimed 'no good man praised [her] except for her beauty. . . ." (Bradbury: 119)
Philippe d'Orléans
Duke of Orléans
Monsieur
My Little Girl (by his mother)
the Grandfather of All Europe
the Man Who Would be Queen
the Prettiest Child in the World (by the Duchesse de Montpensier)
the Prettiest Child in the Whole World (by his mother)
the Grandfather of All Europe
the Man Who Would be Queen
the Prettiest Child in the World (by the Duchesse de Montpensier)
the Prettiest Child in the Whole World (by his mother)
the Silliest Woman Who Ever Lived (a contemporary)
" . . . Emblematic of this dichotomy is Philippe duc d'Orleans: as the only younger brother of Louis XIV, he was notorious for his effeminate cross-dressing and string of male favourites, and was derided by a contemporary as 'The silliest woman who ever lived', yet he also has a place in history as a successful military commander, notable for his defeat of William of Orange at the Battle of Cassel in 1677. Philippe seems at first glance something of an oxymoron; described by his peers as excessively effeminate and vain, and yet also celebrated as a gloriously brave warrior and son of Francel seen by historians such as John Wolf as 'poor Philippe, a homosexual whose rouge, jewels, ribbons and lace brought a smile to many faces', and yet siring one of the greatest dynasties in France and earning the epithet 'the grandfather of all Europe'. . . ." ('The Silliest Woman Who Ever Lived': Philippe I Duc d'Orleans)
Philippe II of Courtenay, Margrave of Namur, 1217–1226
Philippe of Courtenay
the Lip
Philip à la Lèvre
the Noble.
Augustus (Fr. Auguste):
the God-given (Fr. Dieudonne): "Meanwhile, Louis's fortunes were changing. He had had two more daughters with his second wife, Constance, before she died. But in 1165, his third wife, Adele of Champagne, gave birth to a son. The baby's name was Philip Augustus, but the French joyfully called him Dieu-Donne, or 'God-Given.' (Plain: 30)
the Great: " . . . Louis VII had married a third time, to Adela of Champagne. All his wives had been fertile but in 28 years of married life he had fathered only daughters. Now at last his first and only legitimate son was born. One of the women said the baby was 'Dieudonne' (Godgiven). Philips birth was in August and hence he was known as 'Augustus'. Some later called him Philip the Great and, in our view, he was the greatest of the Capetian kings, not as saintly as Louis IX, not as good a warrior as Louis VI, and certainly not without faults -- but great in his achievements." (The Capetians: Kings of France 987-1328: 167)
the Regent:
the Representative of Man:
the Bold:
--"In France, Philip III, surnamed the Bold, because when his mother was in Egypt and frightened by the Saracens, he tried to reassure her, saying that he was not afraid of them. Philip was in some respects like his father. He was pious, liberal, and just, but was much inferior to him in intellect. His subjects were prosperous and happy during his reign, and the French esteem him as one of their best kings. . . ." (Peake: 144)
--" . . . Philip III, the Bold as he has been called, was a disappointing son of so great a father: he may not have governed ill, be he has left little impress on history. He was handsome, gentle and pious, but perhaps he had been almost too scrupulously brought up. . . ." (Lodge & Lodge: 49)
--"In France, Philip III, surnamed the Bold, because when his mother was in Egypt and frightened by the Saracens, he tried to reassure her, saying that he was not afraid of them. Philip was in some respects like his father. He was pious, liberal, and just, but was much inferior to him in intellect. His subjects were prosperous and happy during his reign, and the French esteem him as one of their best kings. . . ." (Peake: 144)
--" . . . Philip III, the Bold as he has been called, was a disappointing son of so great a father: he may not have governed ill, be he has left little impress on history. He was handsome, gentle and pious, but perhaps he had been almost too scrupulously brought up. . . ." (Lodge & Lodge: 49)
the Fearless:
A Malignant Plant: "An epithet given to Philip IV of France. In the slow, systematic pursuit of an object he was utterly without scruple and remorse. He was not so much cruel as altogether obtuse to human suffering. Never was a man or monarch so intensely selfish: his own power was his ultimate scope. . . ." (Frey: 205)
the Base Coiner: " . . . Philip's anxiety about his memory was not without foundation; his greed is the vice which has clung to his name; not only did he load his subjects with poll-taxes and other taxes unauthorized by law and the traditions of the feudal system; not only was he unjust and cruel towards the Templars in order to appropriate their riches; but he committed, over and over again, that kind of spoliation which imports most trouble into the general life of a people; he debased the coinage so often and to such an extent that he was everywhere called 'the base coiner.'..." (Guizot: 488)
the Curse of France (by Dante): " . . . Nevertheless, it was this turbulent Charles who was the grandfather of another S. Louis, Bishop of Toulouse, and the subject of this study; while the grandson of 'le bon roi,' Louis IX, was that Philip IV who is designated by Dante 'the new Pilate' and 'the curse of France.'" (S. Louis of Toulouse, p. 31)
the Fair, the Handsome (Fr. le Bel):
--" . . . He was physically attractive hence 'le Bel'. The statue at Maineville of a slim, handsome, innocent-looking man, now thought to be of Philip IV, was long taken to be St Louis. Philip had fair hair and was a 'pulcher homo'. An anonymous source described him as 'golden-blond, ruddy, fair, and seemly, he stood erect and was so tall that he was immediately noticed in a crowd.'. . . ." (The Capetians: Kings of France 987-1328: 242)
--"Philip IV who succeeded, the Fair or the Handsome he was called, is known as a person almost as little as his father, although his reign was very much more important. One of his courtiers has indeed left a portrait of him, but so obviously overdrawn that it does not help as much. . . Perhaps the reason that we know so little of Philip himself is that he was so cold and so silent: great events happened in his reign, and apparently he took part in all, but what he actually said or did we do not know. . . In any case we know he was handsome, and we rather gather that he was obstinate." (The End of the Middle Age, 1273-1453: 52)
--"A Flemish chronicler, a monk at Egmont, describes the character of Philip the Bold's successor in the following words: 'A certain king of France, also named Philip, eaten up by the fever of avarice and cupidity.' And that was not the only fever inherent in Philip IV, called the Handsome; he was a prey also to that of ambition and, above all, to that of power. When he mounted the throne, at seventeen years of age, he was handsome, as his nickname tells us, cold, taciturn, harsh, brave at need but without fire or dash, able in the formation of his designs and obstinate in prosecuting them by craft or violence, by means of bribery or cruelty, with wit to choose and support his servants, passionately vindictive against his enemies, and faithless and unsympathetic towards his subjects, but from time to time taking care to conciliate them either by calling them to his aid in his difficulties or his dangers, or by giving them protection against other oppressors. Never, perhaps, was king better served by circumstances or more successful in his enterprises; but he is the first of the Capetians who had a scandalous contempt for rights, abused success, and thrust the kingship, in France, upon the high-road of that arrogant and reckless egotism which is sometimes compatible with ability and glory, but which carries with in in the germ, and sooner or later brings out in full bloom, the native vices and fatal consequences of arbitrary and absolute power." (The History of France from the Earliest Times to 1848, Vol 1: 457)
the Most Handsome of Men: "Philip IV was 'the most handsome of men,' and his stunning good looks earned him the nickname 'Philip the Fair'; in those days, an indication of good looks, not blond men. Exceptionally tall and strongly built, he also possessed a cold, calculating intelligence and a ruthless character... Those who met him found his fixed stare, his long silences, and his mysterious manner disconcerting. 'He is neither a man, nor a beast, but a statue,' commented the Bishop of Pamiers." (Weir: 9)
Philippe de Valois
the Fortunate (Fr. Philippe le Fortune): " . . . On the death of Charles le Bel, his cousin Philip, count of Valois, was appointed regent. When the queen-dowager's expected child proved a daughter, Philip was declared king by the peers and the states-general. He was crowned at Rheims, in the 35th year of his age; and from the circumstances of his thus obtaining a crown, was called le Bien Fortune. But few monarchs . . . have less merited that epithet. He was impetuous, rash, selfish, and of a suspicious temper. He was, however, a man of great personal bravery, and this appears to have been his only merit." (Mrs. Markham: 161)
the Foundling King: "An incensed Isabella . . . focused instead on seeking allies in an attempt to undermine Philip, to whom she was thereafter to refer disparagingly as 'the foundling king,' a nickname bestowed on him by his enemies, the Flemings. . . ." (Weir: 318)
the Very Devout Christian: "The personality of Philip VI is difficult to assess. He has been criticized both as being (like his son and successor, John II) an irresponsible chivalric knight who found a throne by accident and as being a calculating ruler who promoted lowborn unruly officials over the heads of the French nobility. He was interested in questions of theology and soon received the nickname of "the Very Devout Christian." He continued the tradition, begun in the reign of his grandfather, Philip III, of royal patronage of the arts and book collecting. He was certainly ceremonial, both in battle, which was unwise, and in the life of the court, which may have enhanced his royal prestige. In general, he appears to have been unable to use his resources wisely or effectively and never to have acquired control over the army, a defect which was sharply revealed by the English victories in the last decade of his reign. Not raised and educated for the throne, Philip VI was faced with too many severe crises in too short a period of time, crises with which he was temperamentally, financially, and politically unable to deal." (Answers.com: Philip VI of France)
Philippe of Alencon (d.1096)
the Grammarian.
Philippe of Alsace:
Philippe d'Elbeuf-Lorraine
Philippe, Chevalier de Lorraine
Philippe, Chevalier de Lorraine
le Chevalier de Lorraine
Monsieur's Favourite.
Monsieur's Favourite.
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