User:Kansas Bear/Philip

Philip of France,(c.1132 -1160), was archdeacon of Paris, and son of Louis VI of France and his second wife Adélaide de Maurienne.

Life
Born c.1132, Philip was the youngest son of Louis VI of France and Adelaide de Maurienne. From birth he was destined for an ecclesiastical career. By 1147, Philip succeeded his brother Henry of France as abbot of the collegiate churchs of Notre-Dame of Etampes, Notre-Dame of Corbeil, Notre-Dame of Mantes, Notre-Dame of Poissy and Saint Melon of Pontoise. There are charters indicating Philip became abbot of these collegiate churches in 1138, but scholars are unsure of their authenicity. In the four extant charters concerning Philip, his status as a brother or son of the king was mentioned.

Philip held many ecclesiastical positions, treasurer of Saint Corneille of Compeigne, dean at Orleans and archdeacon by 1155, canon at Notre-Dame at Paris and dean of St Martin of Tours. He declined the election for bishop of Paris, supporting the election Peter of Lombard instead.

Disputes
During the 1140s, Philip refused to pay homage to the bishop of Meaux, after the latter seized grain as rent for Saint Corneille of Compeigne.

In a display of royal hubris, Philip and an armed group of canons and laymen occupied Saint Corneille of Compeigne and seized the treasury, in 1149, to keep the monastery from being transferred to the Abbot of St Denis. This action was against his brother, King Louis VII of France and Pope Eugene III's decision. The situation was resolved when a group of townspeople forced Philip's canons from the monastery. Neither Philip nor his armed group were harmed, since the townspeople feared such action would be considered as an insult to the king. Despite this, years later Philip refused to relinquish the monastery's treasury to the new abbot, causing Pope Hadrian IV to ask Henry of Beauvais to reason with Philip.

In 1150, Philip complained to Pope Eugene III that canons from Orleans seized a church within his deanery.

By 1152, Louis VII, had to intervene between Philip and the canons of Notre-Dame of Mantes. Philip believed that as abbot, he had the power to summon the canons to court at his whim. The canons believed they were only answerable to their own chapter. Supported by the archbishop of Reims, Louis VII ruled in favor of the canons.

Pope Anastasius IV, in 1155, wrote Louis VII asking that he and Philip not take insult to canons from Orleans that issued unspecified complaints to him.

Death
Philip died in 1160, despite the incorrect inscription on his tomb of 1161.