Philippe II de Croÿ succeeded to the County of Porcéan upon his father's death in 1514.
Like his predecessors, he was Governor of Hainault and Senior Knight of the Order of the Golden Fleece, but it is as Charles V's general that he is best remembered.
He fought against the French in the Italian War of 1521–1526, and played an important role in the conquest of Tournai (1521).
[2] On 1 April 1533 Charles V created Philippe ("our cousin", as he styled him) Duke of Aarschot[3] and Grandee of Spain First Class.
Earlier, he had become Marquess of Renty and exchanged the lordship of Longwy in Lorraine for that of Havré, which his descendants would develop as a family nest.