Philippe Monsieur, as he was called, married in 1485 Francisca of Luxembourg, daughter of Peter II, Count of Saint-Pol, Lord of Enghien.

According to Molinet, the French troops, seeing the young rider "dressed in a manteline of golden cloth, rich and elegant", riding a magnificent horse, thought that it was Maximilian himself.

He did not return until the next day (later he explained that he had to persuade people who thought the battle was lost), when Maximilian was in a jubilated mood after the victory and did not give the slightest reproach, only delighted by the fact that his right-hand man (who was also his wife's relative) was still alive.

When Maximilian of Austria was called to Germany in 1486 to arrange the succession of his father Frederick III, Philip of Cleves took over the government of the Netherlands, together with Engelbert II of Nassau and chancellor Jean Carondelet.

Haemers note that the Flemings had known in advance that a released Maximilian would not simply accepted the term, so the treaty stipulated that in the case the oath was broken, Philip, as the regent, would defend the countries against all invaders.

"[11] In the same vein, Henri Guillaume saw Philip as the courageous leader who unified the Belgian opposition against "the tyrannical pretensions of a foreign prince who exercised no legitimate power in Belgium.

[14] In 2004, Louis H.J.Sicking notes that in more recent research, Philip, as a forerunner of William, appears as a man who was motivated by class consciousness and his sense of honour, rather than by "national" interests.

He respected the code of the feudal society and was the defender of the traditional hierarchical structure (associated closely with the privileges of the nobility), which he accused Maximilian and his supporters of trying to usurp.