|
|
Philip Augustus was one of the most successful of French medieval kings, reigning for over 40 years and massively increasing the power of the French monarchy.
This is an unusual biography of a French king, in that it is structured by the reigns of his English rivals, the four Plantagenets Henry II, Richard I, John and Henry III. Philip Augustus’s reign overlapped with all for of these English kings, and in that time he successfully transformed the balance of power in France. When Philip came to the throne in 1180 Henry II controlled more than half of the territory of France, including the entire Atlantic coast, most of the Channel coast and more than half of the Mediterranean coast, and even split the area under Philips’ rule in half! By the time Philip died Henry III only controlled the core of Aquitaine, in the far south-west.
The majority of these gains came under the first three English kings. Part I shows how skilfully Philip was able to manipulate Henry II’s four adult male children – Henry, Richard, Geoffrey and John against their father and against each other. Perhaps the most impressive feature of this period is how he continued to be able to convince different brothers to side with him at different times, despite having demonstrated that he was not a reliable ally. It must be said Philip was lucky in his enemies – Henry had too many active adult sons to be able to keep them all happy, while his sons were ambitious, warlike and argumentative – during the ten years in which Henry and Philip’s reigns overlapped, there were three civil wars between Henry and various of his sons!
The picture changes slightly under Richard, starting with the two monarchs going on crusade together. This did not go well, and any hope of a smooth relationship between the two monarchs quickly disappeared, leaving them as bitter rivals. Philip came home first, and Richard was famously captured by a European rival on his way home, allowing Philip to start nibbling away at his holdings. Once again we see a clash between Plantagenet brothers, with John attempting to replace his brother (with Philip’s support). When Richard died there was a brief civil war between John and his cousin Arthur I of Brittany (who now had Philip’s support). Even without family rivals John was unable to stand up to Philip, and this is where the biggest collapse of Plantagenet power happened, with John losing Normandy, then suffering defeat at Bouvines, his last attempt to restore the situation.
This is an excellent biography of Philip, contrasting his consistent policy and stable family live with the chaotic lives and rivalries of his Plantagenet rivals. A valuable way to look at this period, with a focus on the French side rather than the more usual Anglocentric view.
Part I: Henry II, 1179-89
1 – A Nest of Vipers
2 – From the Devil He Came
Part II: Richard I, 1189-99
3 – Crusading Kings and Rivals
4 – A Clear Field
5 – War Most Grand and Cruel
Part III: John, 1199-1216
6 – The Last of the Plantagenets
7 – Philip the Conqueror
8 – The Battle to End all Battles
9 – Thinking the Unthinkable
Part IV: Henry III, 1216-23
10 – Passing the Torch
Author: Catherine Hanley
Edition: Hardcover
Pages: 304
Publisher: Osprey
Year: 2025