Philippe IV of Lyncanestria

Philippe IV
Emperor of Lyncanestria
Reign	8 July 2013 – present
Investiture	20 July 2013
Predecessor	Guillaume II
Prime Ministers	See list Luc Mariard Serge Moulins Luc Mariard
King of Barrois
Reign	6 July 2013 – present
Predecessor	Guillaume V
Heir apparent	Guillaume, Prince Royal of Barrois
Minister-President	See list Robin Beaugendre Thibaud Girard Luc Lièvremont Nathan Dupont Théo Escoffier
Born	(1973-08-19) August 19, 1973 Hôtel-Dieu de Montroi Montroi, Lyncanestria
Spouse	Alys of Aldéon (m. 1995)
Issue	Prince Guillaume Princess Marie-Sophie Prince Philippe Princess Élisabeth
Full name Samuel Philippe Alexandre
House	Villeneuve-Lugarne
Father	Guillaume II of Lyncanestria
Mother	Princess Elizabeth of Ghant
Religion	Church of Lyncanestria

Philippe IV of Lyncanestria (born Samuel Philippe Alexandre; 19 August 1973) is the reigning constitutional monarch of Lyncanestria, having ascended to the throne 8 July 2013. He is the ninth monarch of Lyncanestria.

Known publicly as Prince Samuel of Barrois until his ascension, he was born in Montroi, the second child of Prince Guillaume, later Guillaume II of Lyncanestria, and his wife Elizabeth of Ghant. He and his siblings were the first generation of the royal Villeneuve family to be educated at a state school, first attending the Collège Segné and the Lycée Philippe l'Empereur in Honfleur. In 1992, his brother, Prince Guillaume, died in a boating accident after which Philippe became second in-line to the throne of Barrois after his father, and in a position that could not be displaced in the succession. He went on to attend the Imperial Military Academy and graduated 1995, after which he was commissioned into the Fusiliers of the Imperial Life Guards as a captain, a commission which he served until 2003. In 1994, following two years of courtship, he married his third cousin once removed, Alys de Vignerot, daughter of the Marquis of Aldéon. They have four children, Prince Guillaume, Princess Marie-Sophie, Prince Philippe and Princess Élisabeth.

Early life

Childhood

Philippe was born at 20:40 (LST) on 19 August 1973 in the Hôtel-Dieu de Montroi, the second son and child born to his parents. His father was Prince Guillaume of Barrois, eldest son of the Prince Royal of Barrois, Prince Philippe, who in turn was the eldest son and heir apparent to the reigning emperor Guillaume II. His mother, Princess Elizabeth, was a daughter of the Ghantish Emperor Michael I, a scion of the agnatically-related Gentry dynasty. According to firsthand accounts, at birth, he was named Jean Philippe Samuel Alexandre, though this name was changed weeks later at his christening. On 3 September 1973, he was baptised by Hebert Lissieux, the Archbishop of Montroi, in a ceremony held in the private chapel of the Château de Montroi, christened with the name Samuel, after his great-great-grandfather, former Prime Minister Samuel Toussaint, Philippe after his grandfather, the reigning emperor, and Alexandre after Saint Alexander of Angers.

Philippe was the second child of six, and in his youth had an especially close relationship with his older brother, Prince Guillaume despite their differing personalities. He and his siblings received primary education at home, being cared for by governess Isabelle Ressaud and tutored by scholar and polymath Jean Villancourt in history, language, literature and music up to the age of eight. As a child, Philippe was described physically as having a gentle air about him; he had fair hair that eventually darkened to brown, and a light complexion. By his elders, he was considered a jolly and energetic child, yet quiet and well-mannered.

Education

After primary education at home, Philippe went to state school, following in the steps of his elder brother. He first attended the Collège Segné and, with his siblings, became the first generation in the history of the royal Villeneuve dynasty to attend public school. Noted by his professors for having a genuine love for learning, he achieved good marks and was admitted into the prestigious preparatory school Lycée Philippe l'Empereur. After completing his bac in 1991, he went in pursuit of higher studies in political administration at the Université impériale, where his brother had begun studying two years prior.

Unlike his brother, Philippe took well to the university's strict academic atmosphere, and received academic distinctions during his time there. However, he did not complete his studies there, as his brother's death prompted him to leave the university. He would later admit his reason for leaving was that certain places on campus would remind him of his brother, saying "it was an overbearing reminder of loss." Philippe would go on to enroll at the École impériale militaire in 1993.

Military training and career

After being elevated to heir-apparent to the Barroese crown and enrolling at the École impériale militaire, Philippe underwent two years of military training alongside his academic studies. During this time, the prince was trained as an infantryman, though by all accounts desired to be a cavalryman or tank crewman. Upon finishing military school in 1995, Philippe was commissioned into the Fusiliers of the Imperial Life Guards with the rank of captain. In this capacity, the prince participated in the mostly ceremonial duties of the regiment in Mortain and Villeneuve. In 1998, he was temporarily deployed in a joint-B.C. base in Latium, but was redeployed domestically after his elevation to heir-apparent with his grandfather's death in 1999.

Personal life

Marriage and family

Philippe met Alys de Vignerot in his childhood. Both their fathers were good friends and they would often see each other at domestic high-profile events. The two grew close mid-1992 following his brother's death and began formal courtship soon after. After a little less than two years of courtship, the two of them were wed in the chapel of the Château de Montroi on 20 May 1995. Their first child, Guillaume, was born the following year. The couple have three other children, Marie-Sophie, Philippe, and Élisabeth.

Titles, styles, honours and arms

Titles and styles

Styles of Philippe IV
75px
Reference style	His Imperial Majesty
Spoken style	Your Imperial Majesty
Alternative style	Sire

Upon his birth, Philippe was a Prince of Barrois by virtue of being an agnatic grandson of the heir to the throne. When his grandfather died, his father ascended to the Barroese throne and, given the death of his elder brother Guillaume, Philippe retained his title as Prince. In 1992, Philippe became heir apparent to the throne of Barrois upon his brother's death, thereby making him Prince Royal. He assumed the throne upon his father's death in 2013, and was subsequently elected as emperor of Lyncanestria by the Federal Council.

• 19 August 1973 – 15 March 1992: His Royal Highness Samuel, Prince of Barrois
• 15 March 1992 – 17 August 1999: His Royal Highness Prince Samuel of Barrois
• 17 August 1999 – 6 July 2013: His Imperial Highness Prince Samuel of Lyncanestria
• 6 July 2013 – 8 July 2013': His Majesty King Philippe VIII of Barrois
• 8 July 2013 – present: His Imperial Majesty Philippe IV, Emperor of Lyncanestria

Honours

• Grand Master of the Order of the Imperial Lion
• Grand Master of the Order of the Golden Sceptre
• Grand Master of the Order of Saint Robert

Foreign decorations

• Ghant: Knight of the Order of the Imperial Eagle File:Order of the Imperial Eagle Knight.png, 5 May 2015
• Latium: Knight of the Ancient Equestrian Order
• Vannois: Grand Cross of the Most Excellent Order of the Dodo File:MostHolyDodoOrder.png 1 January 2015

Arms

Philippe has borne four arms throughout his life, the first as a prince of the blood, the second as an Imperial prince of Lyncanestria, bearing the traditional arms of the Villeneuve lion; the third and fourth arms as the Prince Imperial and Emperor, which are variants with additional mantling and minor heraldic differences.

Coat of arms of Samuel, Prince of Barrois (1973–1974)		Coat of arms of Prince Samuel of Barrois (1974–1999)		Coat of arms of Samuel, Prince Royal of Barrois(1999–2013)		Coat of arms of Philippe IV, Emperor of Lyncanestria (2013–present)

Issue

In 1995, Philippe, as Prince Imperial, married his third cousin once removed, Dephine Alys de Vignerot, daughter of Jean-Louis de Vignerot, Marquis of Aldéon. They have four children together.

Children	Birth	Notes
HIH Prince Guiillaume Guillaume Amédée Philippe Alexandre	5 February 1997	Heir apparent to the Barroese throne.
HIH Princess Marie-Sophie Marie-Sophie Catherine Élisabeth	12 November 1998
HIH Prince Philippe Philippe Henri	4 April 2001
HIH Princess Élisabeth Élisabeth Mathilde	20 September 2009

Ancestry

Family of Philippe IV of Lyncanestria

16. Robert II of Lyncanestria 8. Guillaume IV of Lyncanestria 17. Marie-Charlotte of Vannois 4. Philippe VII of Lyncanestria 18. Benoît de Tournay, 9th Count of Rizy 9. Thérèse de Tournay 19. Étienette de Neufuys 2. Guillaume V of Lyncanestria 20. Alexandre du Moitier, 4th Seigneur of Ayonne 10. Robert du Moitier, 1st Marquis of Guézaphe 21. Antoinette de Neuvar 5. Émilie du Moitier 22. Claude-Samuel Toussaint 11. Martine Toussaint 23. Louise Caréfort 1. Philippe VIII of Lyncanestria 24. Nathan III of Ghant 12. Robert, Crown Prince of Ghant 25. Edaalya of Onneria 6. Michael I of Ghant 26. Ferdinand VI of Garza 13. Luz of Garza 27. Corazón Marina Porres 3. Elizabeth of Ghant 28. Ajax Kellis 14. Theoclymenus of Messenia 29. Isaura, Grand Duchess of Messenia 7. Sarah of Lihnidos 30. Philip Samaras 15. Stella I of Lihnidos 31. Desdemona, Crown Princess of Lihnidos

See also

• List of Lyncanestrian monarchs

Philippe IV of Lyncanestria House of Villeneuve-Lugarne Cadet branch of the House of Gentry Born: 19 August 1973
Regnal titles
Preceded by Guillaume II of Lyncanestria	Emperor of Lyncanestria 8 July 2013 – present	Incumbent Heir: No designated heir
	King of Barrois 6 July 2013 – present	Incumbent Heir apparent: Guillaume, Prince Royal of Barrois