Philippe IV, Comte de Champagne

**Philippe IV, Comte de Champagne** (Philippe Charles Auguste de Blois; born 18th February 1626) was a Grandelumièrian aristocrat, peer and politician, head of the ancient House of Blois from 1646 onwards. He served as First Minister of State under the young Emperor Henri IV from 1654 onwards, succeeding the Cardinal de Lévis.

Philippe was the eldest child of Philippe III, Comte de Champagne, by his wife, Charlotte de La Trémoïlle. Prior to coming into his inheritance, he was known as the Marquis de Blois. Upon the death of his father in 1646, the 20-year-old, now known as Philippe IV, became the most senior agnate of the surviving branch of the age-old House of Blois, and - in his own right - one of the ancient peers of the realm. The longevity of the line of the counts of Champagne has lended them significant status at the imperial court of Grandelumière. Owing to this, Philippe was able to leverage his considerable status into power and influence at court, lacking an aversion to schemes and plots to advance both his own position and that of his family. From 1652 onwards, he was known at court by the prestigious honorific *Monsieur le Grand,* in his capacity as Grand Écuyer de l'Empire.

Monsieur de Champagne was a prominent figure in Grandelumièrian upper-class society, being emblematic of a new generation of aristocracy. Alongside his studious and well-educated wife, Charlotte Geneviève d'Estrées, Philippe was an active participant in the affairs of the day. He was known for his musical and artistic pursuits, as well as his architectural feats in renovating the aging and increasingly outdated château de Champagne, presenting himself as a significant contrast to his austere and often unpopular, though militarily successful, father. He also embarked on a military career, as was expected of him - his prominence in the field, however, was less than what his father had enjoyed. A man of lavish tastes and a fixation on external presentation, his style - down to the most minute details - became something very deliberate and frequently remarked upon. His unexpected appointment as First Minister of State in May 1654 propelled him yet further into the national spotlight, and he proved a controversial choice for the post of the Emperor's principal advisor from the very beginning of his tenure in office, under Henri IV.

## Early Life

### Birth and Family

The future count of Champagne, Philippe Charles Auguste de Blois, was born on February 18th, 1626, at his father’s Hôtel de Beauvais, in Paris. He was the first-born child of Philippe III, Comte de Champagne (1594 - 1646) by his wife, Charlotte de La Trémoïlle (1599 - present). Despite several complications during his mother’s pregnancy, much to the relief of his parents and family at large, the young boy was born healthy. He would go on to be joined by five younger siblings - two brothers and three sisters. As the eldest son and heir of the Comte de Champagne, he was afforded the style *Marquis de Blois.* He was baptised shortly after his birth by his paternal uncle, Alphonse Chrétien de Blois, Archevêque de Sens.

His paternal line, the House of Blois, was an ancient and prestigious family originally founded in 906 AD, under the auspices of Thibaut the Old, Vicomte de Blois. The family had later significantly expanded its holdings, particularly around the region which would later become Champagne, of which they became comital peers in the twelfth century. The family was one of the most powerful in medieval Grandelumière. Several scions of the house would reign as kings in England and Navarre, with the family also on two occasions producing a consort of Grandelumière, as well as several other foreign consorts. His mother’s family, though less ancient than the Blois, was also prestigious - the House of La Trémoïlle were to hold the dignity of foreign princes, and were also - though more junior - members of the peerage.

### Childhood

Philippe had an upbringing typical of a noble-born boy of his status. His parents delegated his care to a small army of nannies, to begin with - principal among them was a hired governess, Jeanne Deschamps, who had been in the service of the Blois family for over thirty years. She had previously served as governess to Philippe’s father, uncle and aunt. She was lovingly referred to by Philippe as “Maman Jeanie”, and the typical understanding within the household was that the young Marquis de Blois was closer and more affectionate with his governess than with his true mother, Madame de Champagne. He remained closest with her for the vast majority of his childhood, and was shattered by Jeanne’s death in 1639. By this time he was customarily in the care of men, as enforced by his father.

Philippe’s relationship with his father was frequently strained. The comte was typically regarded as a tough, no-nonsense, military man, who came to disapprove of his son’s “flights of fancy” - the young Philippe was fond of music, dancing, and fiction novels above all else. His father, therefore, decided that he would take the boy under his wing himself, and make an effort to imbue him with more traditionally masculine pursuits, such as an appreciation of military strategy, warfare and overtly political pursuits. This often involved being forcibly wakened early and forced to participate in - or, at the very least, observe - the "drilling" of his father's household guard, a peculiar custom for a Grandelumièrian nobleman which Philippe III had seen fit to enact. For his part, Philippe never entirely took to any of his father’s desires for him with any real passion, but attempted to play the role of the dutiful son - even if out of fear of his father - as best he could.

### Adolescence

As he grew older and began progressing through his education, it was remarked upon by his tutors that Philippe did display a good deal of intellect and promise. He was praised for his attentive nature in lessons, as well as his tendency to read widely outside of just the texts his tutors had assigned for him. Among his favourites were classical literature, as well as more modern texts on various subjects. As ever, however, his implacable father was less than convinced, and continued to pry deeply into his son’s life. Philippe would, over time, grow more and more despondent with this state of affairs - he confided in his younger brother, Xavier, that he felt “utterly stifled” and prevented from pursuing his interests in a way that none of his siblings were. He, albeit admittedly selfishly, became highly jealous of his younger sisters, who were treated far more gently and positively by their father in comparison to their brothers.

Seeking solace elsewhere, he took to horse riding as a pursuit he felt would both appease his father and grant him escape. Increased focus on horse riding led to him spending a greater amount of time around the stables, and it was through this that, at age fifteen, he came to embark on a romance with one of his father’s sixteen-year-old stableboys, Jourdain Aguillard. This relationship would, for a time, bring great happiness to the often melancholic Marquis de Blois - as ever, though, it was not to be. The two were encountered by a member of the staff in a “compromising position”, and this was quickly reported to the comte, who was, characteristically, incandescent at the discovery. Forcing Philippe to watch, Monsieur de Champagne had Jourdain brutally beaten, before dispatching him to the army to separate them permanently. He then covered the entire affair up, swearing his staff members to secrecy, to ensure that it would never get out. The relationship between father and son would never recover.

## Comte de Champagne

### Succession

A stroke of luck, as he would see it, would come to Philippe on November 23rd, 1646. While riding with a small entourage in the forests surrounding the château de Champagne, Philippe’s father was killed after being thrown from his horse, which tripped upon a stray rock while on a particularly uneven path. As the horse tripped, the comte fell and suffered minor injuries. He would have survived, however, were it not for the full weight of the horse falling down upon him, crushing him and effectively destroying his torso. Philippe himself was not present for the incident, but later confided in his like-minded brother Xavier that he “wished he had been there to see the horse come down on top of that man.”

The scale of the injuries were cataclysmic, and there was nothing the entourage could do but rush the mortally injured comte back to the château, where his condition was the cause of shock and horror for those who gathered. What followed was three days of pure agony, with failed attempts to treat the comte only compounding upon his pain and torment. Finally, on November 26th, Philippe III, Comte de Champagne, died at the age of fifty-two, far sooner than anyone had expected. With his father dead, the former Marquis de Blois was now known to the world as Philippe IV, Comte de Champagne, inheritor to the legacy and fortune of the ancient House of Blois. Philippe did not at all grieve for his father, having loathed him for the previous five years, a result of the late comte’s treatment of Jourdain Aguillard.

### Marriage and Family

After his accession as count, Philippe was considered one of Grandelumière's most eligible bachelors, and a considerable number of noblemen came to offer him a daughter to wed. He rejected several potential brides on the grounds of personal dislike for them, usually coming down to disapproval of their looks, or negative reports he'd heard of their personalities and temperament. Eventually, his eye fell upon Charlotte Geneviève d'Estrées, daughter of the influential military figure François-Annibal d'Estrées, Marquis de Cœuvres, and when a proposal was brought forth, he accepted after some careful consideration. It was rumoured that Philippe's mother, Charlotte de La Trémoïlle, had objected - reportedly, the dowager countess believed that the bride was not of "significant enough status" for her son.

In spite of any such considerations, the marriage went ahead. Their nuptials were celebrated on April 25th, 1647, less than six months after the death of Philippe's father, which was the caused of a few raised eyebrows. In the illustrious Cathédrale Saint-Pierre-et-Saint-Paul de Troyes, Philippe IV, Comte de Champagne, was wed to Charlotte Geneviève d'Estrées in an atmosphere of great pomp and circumstance, with several notable names in Grandelumièrian aristocracy in attendance. The wedding ceremony was followed by significant festivities at the château de Champagne, including a feast, music, and dancing, which lasted very long into the night. The marriage was an early success - Charlotte fell pregnant shortly thereafter, and less than a year into their marriage gave birth to their eldest child, Marie Charlotte de Blois, styled *Mademoiselle de Champagne*. For a time, the marriage was happy enough on both sides, with a "genuine love" for her husband being observed on the part of the new comtesse. Characteristically, however, Philippe's eye began to stray - his habitual inability to commit to a relationship had extended to his marriage.

The couple's lack of a son and heir for the first eight years of their marriage was the cause of considerable strain within the Blois family, and indeed, the cause of much discussion about the potential for the Blois inheritance's division. With the births of three consecutive daughters, Mademoiselle de Champagne, Blois and Beauvais, there began to develop a very real possibility that Philippe would leave no clear heir. Plans were briefly discussed for the division of the Blois inheritance between Mademoiselle de Champagne and Philippe's younger brother, Monsieur de Brie. All of these proved to be unnecessary, however, when Madame de Champagne gave birth to identical twin boys in February 1656, much to the couple's relief. With a Marquis de Blois and a Comte de Dunois - an heir and a spare - the succession of Philippe's line was secured. Philippe proved to be a doting father, particularly to his twin sons, upon whom he placed all of his lofty hopes for the future of the prestigious Blois lineage, which the Comte held in high import.

### Blois-Talleyrand Conspiracy

    The sudden incapacity of Charles XI in a freak horse-related accident in 1654 initially seemed to spell disaster for Philippe. His sister, Madame de Moncontour, had been the Emperor's mistress, and with the appointment of Charles XI's wife, Mathilde de Bourgogne, to the regency, Philippe grew increasingly concerned for his family's position at court. After a brief period of despondence, Philippe regained his resolve and determined to oppose the new Empress Regent in any way he could - this was in spite of warnings of caution from his wife, and from the Queen of Navarre, Catherine II, who was at the time resident at the imperial court. As chaos soon began to envelop the imperial court and the realm at large due to Empress Mathilde's religious convictions and violence against the Huguenot minority, Champagne sensed an opportunity, both to ensure his own survival and to "liberate" the realm.

Philippe soon partnered with Adrien Blaise de Talleyrand-Périgord, Marquis d'Excideuil and Grand Provost of the Empire, in a conspiracy against the regency of Empress Mathilde. In a series of clandestine meetings at Philippe's country residence, the Château de Champagne, the two plotted a *coup d'état* to depose the Empress. The plot went into action on May 13th, when Excideuil rallied the palace guards of Montrouge to detain the Empress - Champagne, playing his part, then presented the Empress with a document of resignation, which would hand the regency off to her son, the Dauphin. After some coaxing and threatening from Excideuil and Champagne, Empress Mathilde reluctantly signed the document, and the success of the brazen coup was assured. With the regency in the hands of the Dauphin, Philippe reaped the rewards.

## Character Synopsis

### Appearance

Philippe was considered a conventionally handsome man, often described as fair and comely, though seldom thought of as particularly remarkable. He wore his dark brown hair long, flowing beyond his shoulders, a feature he was particularly proud of. His eyes were, similarly, a very dark brown - they were thought, at times, to more closely resemble a pure black in a certain light. In his late twenties, Philippe grew a thin moustache, believed by some to be an attempt to make himself look less youthful as his political career truly developed after his appointment as First Minister of State. He was somewhat ruddy in complexion, his cheeks in particular often having a red tint to them, to some degree or another. He stood ever-so-slightly above average height, at 5’7 (roughly 170cm), and was fairly lithe in build.

Philippe’s outward appearance was something he meticulously crafted on a day-to-day basis. Outside of his fixation on his hair, he also spent great time on clothing, in an effort to develop his own signature, or style. He was fond of wearing rich colours, particularly blues, golds, reds and greens. In one of his more unique “signature” innovations, he frequently wore a specially cultivated white rose. The creation of the rose was the result of a few years of consultation and experimentation with expert botanists, but eventually a finalised product was created which was to Philippe’s liking - the Blois Blanc. The flower, as he had wished, would become inextricably linked with his identity and appearance.

### Personality

Philippe was a complex man, and it was often difficult for others to come to a solid perception of him. Intelligent but overconfident, Philippe’s inherent arrogance, undoubtedly a result of his heritage and upbringing, often did him more harm than good. Not averse to conniving towards the means to advance his position, or that of his family, he had a deep sense of family pride and loyalty, in spite of - or perhaps as a result of - his difficult relationship with his late father. Outwardly, Philippe attempted to display confidence, dignity, strength and, to some extent, intimidation towards others, all in a carefully crafted persona which, while serving the purpose he intended it to, did not entirely reflect the man within.

Inwardly, Philippe could be more sensitive and emotional than he liked to let on in the public eye. He maintained a melancholic streak, less prevalent than it had been in his teenage years, but still known to cause him occasional swings in mood. He could be genuinely compassionate (outside of his public performances), but only for a very small number of people, almost exclusively family. Undoubtedly still marked by the events of his youth, Philippe often struggled to maintain romantic relationships for any substantial length of time. It was quietly said of the Comte de Champagne that he was known to wander from bed to bed, and had been with a significant number of women (and, it was commonly assumed though difficult to prove, men) in his time. Owing to the difficulty of keeping so many secrets, Philippe developed a perhaps unwanted reputation as a playboy.

## Issue

With his wife, Charlotte Geneviève d'Estrées, he had five children, including a set of identical twins:

* Marie Charlotte de Blois, Mademoiselle de Champagne (9th March 1648 - present)
* Marguerite Gabrielle de Blois, Mademoiselle de Blois (27th November 1651 - present)
* Claude Isabelle de Blois, Mademoiselle de Beauvais (23rd May 1654 - present)
* Philippe Xavier de Blois, Marquis de Blois (16th February 1656 - present)
* François Gabriel de Blois, Comte de Dunois (16th February 1656 - present)

## Titles, Styles, Honours and Heraldry

### Titles and Styles

* **18th February 1626 - 26th November 1646:** *Monsieur le Marquis de Blois*
* **26th November 1646 - present:** *Monsieur le Comte de Champagne*
	+ **26th March 1652 - present:** *Monsieur le Grand* (honorific, as Grand Equerry)

### Honours

* Chevalier de l'Ordre de Saint-Michel (awarded June 18th, 1655)