Philip I de Croÿ
Philip I de Croÿ (1435 - 1511), was Seigneur de Croÿ and Count of Porcéan.
Philip I belonged to the powerful House of Croÿ. He was the eldest surviving son of Antoine de Croy, Comte de Porcéan and Margaret of Lorraine-Vaudémont.
Philippe I de Croÿ was raised together with Charles the Bold, who arranged Philippe's marriage to Jacqueline of Luxembourg in 1455. The bride's father, Louis de Luxembourg, Count of Saint-Pol, was extremely against the alliance and attempted to win his daughter back by force, but the Count of Porcéan closed the borders of Luxembourg and announced that the marriage had been consummated.
He was also Governor of Luxembourg and Ligny.
In 1471 Philippe defected to the King of France with 600 knights but returned to Burgundy to fight for Charles during the Battle of Nancy. During the battle he was taken prisoner. Following Charles's death, Philippe de Croÿ helped arrange the betrothal of his heiress Marie with Emperor Maximilian I.
Towards the end of his life, he was employed by the Emperor as Governor of Valenciennes, Lieutenant General of Liege, and Captain General of Hainaut. Philippe commissioned a remarkable church in Château-Porcien, in which he was buried upon his death in 1511.
Children
Philippe I de Croÿ and Jacqueline of Luxembourg had three children :
- Henry de Croÿ (died 1514), married Charlotte de Chateaubriand (died 1509) and had issue
- Philippe II, Duke of Aarschot (1496-1549)
- William de Croÿ (archbishop) (1497-1521)
- Antoine de Croÿ, Bishop of Thérouanne, died on September 21 1496 in Cyprus and lies buried there.
- Guillaume de Croÿ (1458-1521), chief tutor of the infant Charles V, Holy Roman Emperor, no issue