Philip I of Namur
Philip I, called the Noble, was the margrave of Namur from 1195 until his death. He was the second son of Baldwin V, Count of Hainault, and Margaret I, Countess of Flanders. His paternal grandmother was Alice, Countess of Namur.
Baldwin V had fought a war with his uncle, Henry IV of Luxembourg, to establish Namur as independent from Luxembourg in 1190 and in 1194, the Holy Roman Emperor Henry VI declared Namur to be a margraviate. Baldwin's will left Namur to Philip, but as a fief of Hainault. However, Theobald I of Bar, who had married Henry of Luxembourg's heiress, Ermesinda, refused to relinquish Namur and attacked Philip, besieging him in Namur. The war lasted for three years until the Treaty of Dinant, signed on 26 July 1199, recognised Philip as holder of Namur.
Philip was left as regent of Hainault while his elder brother, Baldwin VI, went on the Fourth Crusade and acted as guardian to Baldwin's daughters, Joanna and Margaret.
Following Baldwin's capture at Adrianople, Philip was summoned to a meeting by Philip Augustus, King of France, at Pont de l'Arche. Philip was forced to swear fealty to the King of France and give Baldwin's daughters as wards of the King. Along with these exactions Philip was forced to marry Marie, daughter of Philip Augustus and Agnes of Merania.
In Namur, Philip reigned as a peaceful and pious promoter of social development. He intervened as the mediator between many feuding lords. He died of dysentery on 9 October 1212, in Valenciennes. He had designated his twin sister Yolande as heir.Ancestry
