Historical Figures

Philip IV of France

Citation Formats

General Reference

History Atlas. "Philip IV of France." Accessed August 30, 2026. https://dev-history.interactiveatlas.org/historical-figures/philip-iv-of-france.

APA Style

History Atlas. (n.d.). Philip IV of France. Retrieved August 30, 2026, from https://dev-history.interactiveatlas.org/historical-figures/philip-iv-of-france

BibTeX

@misc{historyatlas-philip-iv-of-france,
  author = {History Atlas},
  title = {Philip IV of France},
  year = {2026},
  url = {https://dev-history.interactiveatlas.org/historical-figures/philip-iv-of-france},
  note = {Accessed August 30, 2026}
}

Philip IV, known as Philip the Fair, was King of France from 1285 to 1314. Through his marriage to Joan I of Navarre he also became King of Navarre and Count of Champagne. Despite his handsome appearance, his personality was rigid, autocratic, imposing and inflexible, earning him the nickname the Iron King. He transformed France from a feudal kingdom into a centralized early modern state, reducing the power of the nobility and clergy while relying on skilled civil servants; his reign included conflicts with England over Aquitaine, wars with Flanders, struggles with the Knights Templar and the Jews of France, and disputes with the papacy that led to the Avignon Papacy.

Facts

Birth Year

1268 1

The infobox gives the birth window as April to June 1268 with no exact day; only the year is recorded here.

Death Date

1314-11-29 1

Cross-Tradition Connections