Philip II or Philip of Macedon (b. 382—d. 336 bc, Asia Minor) Eighteenth king of Macedonia (359-336), father of Alexander the Great. Appointed regent for his nephew, he seized the throne. He initially pro¬ moted peace with his neighbours, using the time gained thereby to build his forces and introducing innovations in arms, tactics, and training and stabilizing his western frontier. His movements on the eastern frontier provoked the Greeks into forming a coalition against him. He intervened in the Sacred War to free Delphi from the Phocians, becoming the ally of Thebes and the Thessalian League, whose president he became. Demos¬ thenes turned Athens against him with his Philippics (346-342), and Thebes also came to view Philip as a threat. He defeated both at the Battle of Chaeronea, becoming leader of all Greece. He formed the Greek states into the League of Corinth to attack Persia but was undone by family politics. After he took a second wife, his first wife, Olympias, left him, taking Alexander. Philip was assassinated by a Macedonian nobleman, possibly in collusion with Olympias and Alexander.
Philip II French Philippe known as Philip the Bold (b. Jan. 17, 1342, Pontoise, France—d. April 27, 1404, Halle, Brabant) Duke of Bur¬ gundy (1363-1404). He was granted the duchy of Burgundy by his father, John II, and by marriage and purchase he acquired additional lands in northern and central France, Flanders, and the Netherlands. He shared the government with his brothers during the minority of his nephew Charles VI, ensuring friendly relations with England and Germany. When Charles went insane (1392), Philip became virtual ruler of France. He formed an alliance with England (1396) and withdrew his support of the Avignon papacy (1398).
Philip II French Philippe known as Philip Augustus (b. Aug. 21, 1165, Paris—d. July 14, 1223, Mantes) French king (1179-1223). The first of the great Capetian kings, he gradually reconquered the French territories held by the kings of England. He joined with Richard I on the Third Crusade, but the two kings soon quarreled. Philip returned to France (1191) and attacked English possessions; imprisoned in Austria on his journey home, Richard was freed in 1194 and promptly went to war with the French. When Richard was killed (1199), his brother John signed a treaty with Philip (1200), but within two years France and England were again at war. Philip conquered Normandy (1204) and subdued Maine, Touraine, Anjou, and most of Poitou (1204-05). John later organized a coalition against France, but he was defeated by Philip at the Battle of Bouvines (1214). Philip also expanded his territory into Flanders and Languedoc.
Philip II Spanish Felipe \fa-'le-pa\ (b. May 21, 1527, Valladolid, Spain—d. Sept. 13, 1598, El Esco- rial) King of Spain (1556-98) and of Portugal (as Philip I, 1580-98). The son of Emperor Charles V, Philip received from his father the duchy of Milan (1540), the kingdoms of Naples and Sicily (1554), the Neth¬ erlands (1555), and Spain and its overseas empire (1556). He ruled from the Netherlands from 1555 and waged a successful war against France in 1557. From 1559 he ruled from Spain, where he built the pal¬ ace of El Escorial and encouraged Spain’s literary golden age. He was a champion of the Counter- Reformation but failed to put down rebellions in the Netherlands (from 1568) and to conquer England, suf¬ fering the defeat of the Spanish Armada (1588). He gained a victory in the Mediterranean with the defeat of the Ottoman offensive at the Battle of Lepanto (1571) and unified the Iberian Peninsula as king of Portugal from 1580. During his reign the Spanish empire attained its greatest power, extent, and influence.
Philip III French Philippe known as Philip the Good (b. July 31, 1396, Dijon, Burgundy—-d. June 15, 1467, Bruges) Duke of Burgundy
(1419-67). The most important of the Valois dukes of Burgundy, he founded the Burgundian state that rivaled France in the 15th century. He confirmed his right to Burgundy by signing the Treaty of Troyes with Henry V of England (1420), and he maintained an alliance with England, breaking it only during his unsuccessful attempt to capture Calais (1435— 39). Philip avoided conflict with France and instead attacked his smaller neighbors, conquering Hainaut, Brabant, Holland and Zeeland, and Lux¬ embourg by 1443. A renowned patron of the arts, he presided over one of Europe’s most extravagant courts.
Philip III Spanish Felipe (b. April 14, 1578, Madrid, Spain—d. March 31, 1621, Madrid) King of Spain and of Portugal (1598-1621). The son of Philip II, he was an indifferent ruler and allowed royal favourites to gov¬ ern in his place. From 1609 his government continued the policy of expel¬ ling the Moriscos (Christians of Moorish ancestry), which caused serious economic problems. The huge sums he spent on court entertainments exacerbated Spain’s growing economic problems.
Philip IV French Philippe known as Philip the Fair (b. 1268, Fon¬ tainebleau, France—d. Nov. 29, 1314, Fontainebleau) King of France (1285-1314). On inheriting the French throne, he modeled himself on his grandfather, Louis IX. He was also king of Navarre (as Philip I, 1284- 1305), ruling jointly with his wife, Joan I of Navarre. War with England (1294-1303) ended with a peace treaty and the betrothal of his daughter to the future Edward II. Philip forced a harsh treaty on Flanders in 1305. He conducted a long struggle with Boniface VIII (1297-1303) that led to the breakdown of the medieval papacy. He was pacified by succeeding popes, including Clement V, who began the Avignon papacy. Philip expelled the Jews from France (1306), and his persecution of the Knights Templar in 1307 led to their suppression by the pope four years later.
Philip IV Spanish Felipe (b. April 8, 1605, Valladolid, Spain—d. Sept. 17, 1665, Madrid) King of Spain (1621-65) and of Portugal (as Philip II, 1621-40). He succeeded his father, Philip III. and left the administration of his rule to his chief ministers, the duke de Olivares (1621-43) and the duke’s nephew Luis Mendez de Haro (1643-61). Spain’s industry and commerce declined, and wars against Holland, France, and Germany fur¬ ther drained Spain’s economy. Portugal regained its independence (1640), and Holland was lost by the Peace of Westphalia (1648). A poet and patron of the arts, Philip was the friend and frequent subject of Diego VelAzquez.
Philip V (b. 238—d. 179 bc, Amphipolis, Macedonia) King of Mace¬ donia (221-179). Son of Demetrius II, he succeeded Antigonus Doson. He supported the Hellenic League against Sparta, Aetolia, and Elis (220- 217), allying himself with Hannibal in 215 and attacking Roman client states in Illyria. Rome responded in the First Macedonian War. Intrigue against Egypt and Philip’s unsuccessful sea battle with Rhodes and Per- gamum led Rome to initiate the Second Macedonian War, in which it pre¬ vailed at Cynoscephalae (197). Rome’s harsh terms eased after Philip made common cause against its Greek foes. Fearing that Rome would turn on him again, he attempted to expand by attacking the Balkans (184, 183, 181); he died on a fourth attempt in 179.
Philip V Spanish Felipe orig. Philippe, duke d'Anjou (b. Dec. 19, 1683, Versailles, France—d. July 9, 1746, Madrid, Spain) King of Spain (1700-46). Grandson of Louis XIV of France and great-grandson of Philip IV of Spain, Philip was named to succeed the childless Charles II as king in 1700. Louis’s refusal to exclude Philip from the line of succes¬ sion to the French throne led to the War of the Spanish Succession. The resultant Peace of Utrecht (1713) deprived Philip of the Spanish Nether¬ lands and parts of Italy, but it left him Spain and Spanish America. Ini¬ tially influenced by his French advisers through his wife, Maria Luise of Savoy, after her death (1714) he was influenced by his second wife, Eliza¬ beth Farnese, and her Italian advisers. Attempts to secure territories in Italy caused the formation of the Quadruple Alliance (1718) against Spain. Philip later brought Spain into the War of the Austrian Succession. His reign marked the beginning of the Bourbon dynasty in Spain (see house of Bourbon).