Nemesis Medieval England's Greatest Enemy by Catherine Hanley

King Philip Augustus once said, according to a chronicler, that he was just a man, but he was also a man that is king of France. He became king at the tender age of fourteen, but clever, devious and Machiavellian, he soon set out to ‘divide and conquer,’ and destroy the power of his arch-enemy, the Plantagenets.

Amazingly, he did just that over a number of years, helping Henry II’s rebellious sons and defeating them one by one, even taking advantage of Richard the Lionheart. King John was the easiest and the weakest, but Philip still showed great military strength in eventually regaining the most important county Normandy, and taking control of several other provinces. 

He was also a good king as far as his people were concerned, improving the country’s prosperity and generally looking after them. He also prepared his son well for the succession, leaving the country in very capable hands. There was much mourning after he died.

He was complicated and ruthless, however, but his role as a medieval king demanded these attributes. He treated his long-suffering second wife Ingeborg extremely badly though, keeping her prisoner for several years for no good reason. He was also anti-Semitic, banishing the Jews from France.

This entrancing book about King Philip’s relationship with England, restores his reputation as a great military leader and good king,  and made me want to know more about this period of history. I will definitely read more of Catherine Hanley’s books. It’s a must for any medieval-history lover!

 

I received this book from NetGalley in return for an honest review.