Philippa of Hainault
Philippa of Hainault was Queen of England as the wife and political adviser of King Edward III. She acted as regent in 1346, when her husband was away for the Hundred Years' War.
Daughter of Count Willam of Hainaut and French Princess Joan of Valois, Phillipa was engaged to Edward, Prince of Wales, in 1326. Their marriage was celebrated in York Minster on 24 January 1328, some months after Edward's accession to the throne of England and Isabella of France's infamous invasion. After her husband reclaimed the throne, Phillipa influenced King Edward to take interest in the nation's commercial expansion, was part of the successful Battle of Neville's Cross, and often went on expeditions to Scotland and France. She won much popularity with the English people for her compassion in 1347, when she successfully persuaded the King to spare the lives of the Burghers of Calais. This popularity helped maintain peace in England throughout their long reign.
Childhood
Philippa was born on 24 June c.1310/15, in Valenciennes, Low Countries. She was one of eight children and the second of five daughters born from William I, Count of Hainaut, and Joan of Balois, granddaughter of King Philip III of France.King Edward II decided that an alliance with Flanders would benefit England and sent Bishop Stapledon of Exeter on the Continent as an ambassador. On his journey, he crossed into the county of Hainaut to inspect the daughters of Count William of Hainaut, to determine which daughter would be the most suitable as an eventual bride for young Prince Edward. The bishop's report to the King describes one of the Count's daughters in detail. A later annotation says it describes Philippa as a child, but historian Ian Mortimer argues that it is actually an account of her older sister Margaret. The description runs:
Growing up in the Low Countries in the period of their ascendance into the greatest trading centre in the world, Phillipa was well-versed in finances and diplomacy. Her older sister Margaret succeeded their brother William II, Count of Hainaut upon his death in battle. The counties of Holland and Zealand as well as of the seigniory of Frieze were devolved to Margaret after agreement between the sisters.
Four years later in the summer of 1326, Queen Isabella of France arrived at the Hainaut court to seek aid from Count William in order to depose her husband from the throne. Prince Edward had accompanied his mother to Hainaut,
where she arranged the betrothal to 13-years-old Philippa in exchange for assistance. As the couple were second cousins, a Papal dispensation was required; and sent from Pope John XXII at Avignon in September 1327. Philippa's retinue arrived in England on December, escorted by her uncle John of Hainaut. On 23 December, she reached London where a "rousing reception was accorded her".
Queen of England
First years
In October 1327, Phillipa married Edward by proxy through the Bishop of Coventry in Valenciennes.The officiall marriage was at York Minster on 24 January 1328, eleven months after Edward's accession to the English throne; although the de facto rulers were Queen Mother Isabella and her avaricious lover, Roger Mortimer, 1st Earl of March, who jointly acted as his regents. Soon after their marriage, the couple retired to live at Woodstock Palace in Oxfordshire. Unlike many of her predecessors, Philippa didn't alienate the English people by retaining her foreign retinue or bringing large numbers of foreigners to the English court. In August, her dower was fixed. She became a patron of the chronicler Jean Froissart and owned several illuminated manuscripts, one of which currently is housed in the national library in Paris.
Froissart began to describe her as "The most gentle Queen, most liberal, and most courteous that ever was Queen in her days."
As Isabella didn't wish to relinquish her own status, Philippa's coronation was postponed for two years. She was crowned Queen on 18 February 1330 at Westminster Abbey, when she was almost five months pregnant. She gave birth to her first son, Edward, the following June. In October 1330, King Edward commenced his personal rule by staging a coup and ordering the arrest of the regents. Shortly afterward, Mortimer was executed for treason and then Queen Mother was sent to Castle Rising in Norfolk, where she spent a number of years under house arrest but with her privileges and freedom of movement eventually restored.
Political Influence
Philippa proved to be the model of a queen consort and worked tirelessly for the crown, maintaining balance between royal and familial duties admired in tumultuous times. She was widely loved and respected as Queen Consort who managed to have a successful marriage with Edward.As the financial demands of the recent Hundred Years' War were enormous, Phillipa wisely advised the King to take interest in the nation's commercial expansion as a different method of covering the expenses. She established textile industry at Norwich by encouraging Flemish weavers to settle there and promoted coal industry at Tynedale.
In 1364–65, Edward III demanded the return of Hainaut and other inheritances which had been given over to the Dukes of Bavaria–Straubing in the name of Philippa, but he wasn't successful since was the custom in these regions favoured male heirs.
Military campaigns
Phillipa served as regent of England during the absence of her spouse in 1346. Facing a Scottish invasion, she gathered the English army, met the Scots near Neville's Cross, and rallied the English soldiers on horse before them prior to the battle. This event resulted in an English victory and the Scottish King David II being taken prisoner.Philippa accompanied her husband on expeditions to Scotland and the rest of Europe in the early campaigns of the Hundred Years War, where she won acclaim for her gentle nature and compassion.
In 1347, she is remembered as the kind woman who persuaded her husband to spare the lives of the Burghers of Calais, whom he had planned to execute as an example to the townspeople following his successful siege of that city.
Death
On 15 August 1369, Queen Philippa died of an illness similar to edema in Windsor Castle. She was given a state funeral six months later on 9 January 1370 and was interred at Westminster Abbey. Her alabaster effigy was beautifully executed by sculptor Jean de Liège. Her tomb was placed on the northeast side of the Chapel of Edward the Confessor and on the opposite side of her husband's grandparents, Edward I and Eleanor of Castile. Eight years later, Edward III died and was buried next to Philippa. By all accounts, their forty-year marriage had been happy.Medieval riter Joshua Barnes said "Queen Philippa was a very good and charming person who exceeded most ladies for sweetness of nature and virtuous disposition." The Queen's College, Oxford was founded by her chaplain Robert de Eglesfield in her honour.