Philip II of France

Philip was born on the 21st of August 1165 in Gonesse, a son of King Louis VII and his third wife Adela of Champagne, and was immediately nicknamed Dieudonné, meaning God-given, because he arrived late in his father's life as the first surviving son. This title marked him as a divine intervention in a dynasty that had struggled for a male heir for decades, yet his early years were shadowed by political instability and personal tragedy. In 1173, Emperor Frederick Barbarossa proposed a marriage between his daughter Beatrice and Philip, a union that would have elevated the Capetian dynasty to imperial heights, but Pope Alexander III blocked the match due to the schism over the rival pope Callixtus III. When Philip fell ill after a hunting trip, his father Louis VII undertook a pilgrimage to the shrine of Thomas Becket in Canterbury Cathedral to pray for his recovery, and upon hearing the news of Philip's recovery, the king suffered a stroke on his return journey. The dying Louis VII, in a move that broke with tradition, had his 14-year-old son crowned and anointed as king at Reims on the 1st of November 1179 by Archbishop William of the White Hands, transferring all real power to Philip while his own health continued to decline. Louis died on the 18th of September 1180, leaving Philip to rule alone at the age of 15, a position that immediately provoked the great nobles who were dissatisfied with his advantageous marriage to Isabella of Hainault, daughter of Count Baldwin V of Hainaut and Countess Margaret I of Flanders. The marriage, held at Bapaume with the bishops of Senlis and Laon in attendance, brought the County of Artois as a dowry, but the real power struggle began when Philip took the royal seal from his father, angering his mother and four uncles who had exercised enormous influence over Louis VII.

The Wall of Kings

Philip transformed the physical and administrative landscape of France, turning it from a loose collection of fiefdoms into a centralized state with a formidable infrastructure. He built a great wall around Paris, known as the Wall of Philip II Augustus, which enclosed the city and protected its growing population, and he paved the main thoroughfares to facilitate trade and movement. In 1185, Philip acquired the County of Amiens, and in 1218 he purchased the County of Clermont-en-Beauvaisis, while the death of Robert I, Count of Alençon, in 1219 allowed him to obtain the city and county of Alençon. His eldest son Louis inherited the County of Artois in 1190 after Queen Isabella died, but Philip's most enduring legacy was the creation of a standing army funded by the royal demesne. In times of conflict, he could immediately call up 250 knights, 250 horse sergeants, 100 mounted crossbowmen, 133 crossbowmen on foot, 2,000 foot sergeants, and 300 mercenaries, and by the end of his reign, the king could muster some 3,000 knights, 9,000 sergeants, 6,000 urban militiamen, and thousands of foot sergeants. Using his increased revenues, Philip was the first Capetian king to build a French navy actively, and by 1215, his fleet could carry a total of 7,000 men, including 10 large ships and many smaller ones within two years. He also reorganized the French government, bringing financial stability to the country and granting privileges and liberties to the emergent bourgeoisie, helping towns free themselves from seigneurial authority. The construction of the first incarnation of the Louvre as a fortress and the charter given to the University of Paris in 1200 marked the beginning of Paris as the first city of teachers the medieval world knew, while the central market Les Halles replaced the demolished Jewish houses that had been cleared to make way for the market in 1182.

When was Philip II of France born and what was his nickname?

Philip II of France was born on the 21st of August 1165 in Gonesse and was immediately nicknamed Dieudonné, meaning God-given. This title marked him as a divine intervention in a dynasty that had struggled for a male heir for decades.

What major infrastructure projects did Philip II of France build in Paris?

Philip II of France built a great wall around Paris known as the Wall of Philip II Augustus and paved the main thoroughfares to facilitate trade and movement. He also constructed the first incarnation of the Louvre as a fortress and established the central market Les Halles in 1182.

Why did Philip II of France expel the Jews from the royal demesne in 1182?

Philip II of France ordered the expulsion of all Jews from the royal demesne in April 1182 to confiscate their goods and fund his military campaigns and administrative reforms. The ransoms alone brought in 15,000 marks and enriched Christians at the expense of the Jewish community.

When did Philip II of France die and where was he buried?

Philip II of France died on the 14th of July 1223 in Mantes-la-Jolie after traveling to Paris on the 13th of July 1223. His body was carried to Paris and interred in the Basilica of St Denis in the presence of his son and successor Louis VIII.

What was the outcome of the Battle of Bouvines fought by Philip II of France?

The Battle of Bouvines on the 27th of July 1214 resulted in a decisive victory for Philip II of France over the allied forces of Otto IV and King John of England. This victory marked the end of the Angevin Empire and left the authority of the French king unchallenged.

The Crusader's Betrayal

Philip traveled to the Holy Land to participate in the Third Crusade of 1189, 1192 with King Richard I of England and Holy Roman Emperor Frederick I Barbarossa, leaving Vézelay with his army on the 4th of July 1190, but the alliance quickly fractured. The French and English crusaders traveled together, but the armies split at Lyon after Richard decided to go by sea from Marseille, whereas Philip took the overland route through the Alps to Genoa. The French and English armies were reunited in Messina, where they wintered together, but on the 30th of March 1191, the French set sail for the Holy Land, and on the 20th of April Philip arrived at Acre, which was already under siege by a lesser contingent of crusaders. He started to construct siege equipment before Richard arrived on the 8th of June, and by the time Acre surrendered on the 12th of July, Philip was severely ill with dysentery, which reduced his zeal. Ties with Richard were further strained after the latter acted in a haughty manner after Acre fell to the crusaders, and the siege of Acre resulted in the death of Philip, Count of Flanders, who held the county of Vermandois proper. His death threatened to derail the Treaty of Gisors that Philip had orchestrated to isolate the powerful Blois-Champagne faction, and Philip decided to return to France to settle the issue of succession in Flanders, a decision that displeased Richard, who said, It is a shame and a disgrace on my lord if he goes away without having finished the business that brought him hither. But still, if he finds himself in bad health, or is afraid lest he should die here, his will be done. On the 31st of July 1191, the French army of 10,000 men, along with 5,000 silver marks to pay the soldiers, remained in Outremer under the command of Duke Hugh III of Burgundy, and Philip and his cousin Peter of Courtenay, Count of Nevers, made their way to Rome, where Philip protested to Pope Celestine III of Richard's abusive manner, and from there returned to France.

The War of Lies

Philip's conflict with Richard the Lionheart began in 1191 when Richard broke his betrothal with Philip's sister Alys at Messina, and Philip, to prevent the collapse of the Crusade, agreed that the territory of Vexin would remain in Richard's hands and would be inherited by his male descendants. Returning to France in late 1191, Philip began plotting to find a way to have those territories restored to him, and he was in a difficult situation, as he had taken an oath not to attack Richard's lands while he was away on a crusade. Philip was unsuccessful in requesting a release from his oath from Pope Celestine III, so he was forced to build his own casus belli, and on the 20th of January 1192, Philip met William FitzRalph, Richard's seneschal for Normandy, presenting some documents purporting to be from Richard, claiming that the English king had agreed at Messina to hand disputed lands over to France. Not having heard anything directly from their sovereign, FitzRalph and the Norman barons rejected Philip's claim to Vexin, and Philip at this time also began spreading rumors about Richard's action in the east to discredit the English king in the eyes of his subjects. Among the stories Philip invented included Richard being involved in treacherous communication with Saladin, alleging he had conspired to cause the fall of Gaza, Jaffa, and Ascalon, and that he had participated in the murder of Conrad of Montferrat. Finally, Philip made contact with John, Richard's brother, whom he convinced to join the conspiracy to overthrow the legitimate king of England. At the start of 1193, John visited Philip in Paris, where he paid homage for Richard's continental lands, and when word reached Philip that Richard had finished crusading and had been captured on his way back from the Holy Land, he promptly invaded Vexin, his first target being the fortress of Gisors, commanded by Gilbert de Vascoeuil, which surrendered without putting up a struggle. Philip then penetrated deep into Normandy, reaching as far as Dieppe, and to keep the duplicitous John on his side, Philip entrusted him with the defense of the town of Évreux. Meanwhile, Philip was joined by Count Baldwin IX of Flanders, and together they laid siege to Rouen, the ducal capital of Normandy, but here Philip's advance was halted by a defense led by the Earl of Leicester. Unable to penetrate this defense, Philip moved on, and at Mantes on the 9th of July 1193, Philip came to terms with Richard's ministers, who agreed that Philip could keep his gains and would be given some extra territories if he ceased all further aggressive actions in Normandy, along with the condition that Philip would hand back the captured territory if Richard would pay homage. To prevent Richard from spoiling their plans, Philip and John attempted to bribe Holy Roman Emperor Henry VI in order to keep the English king captive for a little while longer, but Henry refused, and Richard was released from captivity on the 4th of February 1194. By the 13th of March Richard had returned to England, and by the 12th of May he had set sail for Normandy with some 300 ships, eager to engage Philip in war.

The Battle That Changed Europe

On the 27th of July 1214, the opposing armies suddenly discovered that they were quite close to one another, on the banks of a little tributary of the River Lys, near the bridge at Bouvines, and it being a Sunday, Philip did not expect the allied army to attack, as it was considered unholy to fight on the Sabbath. Philip's army numbered some 7,000, while the allied forces possessed around 9,000 troops, and the armies clashed at what became known as the Battle of Bouvines. Philip was unhorsed by the Flemish pikemen in the heat of battle, and were it not for his mail armor he would have probably been killed. When Otto was carried off the field by his wounded and terrified horse, and the Count of Flanders was severely wounded and taken prisoner, the Flemish and Imperial troops saw that the battle was lost, turned, and fled the field. The French did not pursue as it was late in the day and nearly dark, and Philip returned to Paris triumphant, marching his captive prisoners behind him in a long procession, as his grateful subjects came out to greet the victorious king. In the aftermath of the battle, Otto retreated to his castle of Harzburg and was soon overthrown as Holy Roman Emperor, to be replaced by Frederick II, and Count Ferdinand remained imprisoned following his defeat, while King John's attempt to rebuild the Angevin Empire ended in complete failure. Philip's decisive victory was crucial in shaping Western European politics in both England and France, and in England, the defeated John was so weakened that he was soon required to submit to the demands of his barons and sign Magna Carta, which limited the power of the crown and established the basis for common law. The Battle of Bouvines marked the end of the Angevin Empire, and the authority of the French king became unchallenged, while John, King of England, was forced by his barons to assent to Magna Carta and deal with a rebellion against him aided by Philip's son Louis, the First Barons' War. The military actions surrounding the Albigensian Crusade helped prepare the expansion of France southward, and Philip did not participate directly in these actions, but he allowed his vassals and knights to help carry them out.

The King's Personal Wars

After the early death of Isabella of Hainault in childbirth in 1190, Philip decided to marry again, and he chose Ingeborg, daughter of King Valdemar I of Denmark, who received 10,000 marks of silver as a dowry. Philip met her at Amiens on the 14th of August 1193 and they were married that same day, and at the feast of the Assumption of the Virgin, Archbishop Guillaume of Reims crowned both Philip and Ingeborg. During the ceremony, Philip was pale, nervous, and could not wait for the ceremony to end, and following the ceremony, he had Ingeborg sent to the convent of Saint-Maur-des-Fosses and asked Pope Celestine III for an annulment on the grounds of non-consummation. Philip had not reckoned with Ingeborg, however, as she insisted that the marriage had been consummated, and that she was his wife and the rightful queen of France. The Franco-Danish churchman William of Äbelholt intervened on Ingeborg's side, drawing up a genealogy of the Danish kings to disprove the alleged impediment of consanguinity. In the meantime, Philip had sought a new bride, and initial agreement had been reached for him to marry Margaret, daughter of Count William I of Geneva, but the young bride's journey to Paris was interrupted by Thomas, Count of Savoy, who kidnapped Philip's intended new wife and married her instead, claiming that Philip was already bound in marriage. Philip finally achieved a third marriage in June 1196, when he was married to Agnes of Merania from Dalmatia, and their children were Marie and Philip, Count of Clermont. Pope Innocent III declared Philip Augustus' marriage to Agnes of Merania null and void, as he was still married to Ingeborg, and he ordered the king to part from Agnes, and when he did not, the pope placed France under an interdict in 1199. This continued until the 7th of September 1200, and due to pressure from the pope, Ingeborg's brother King Valdemar II of Denmark and ultimately Agnes' death in 1201, Philip finally took Ingeborg back as his wife, but it would not be until 1213 that she would be recognized at court as queen. The marital problems were a source of constant political tension, and Philip's personal life was as much a battlefield as his military campaigns, with the pope and the nobility using his marital status to challenge his authority.

The Final Journey

Philip II fell ill in September 1222 and had a will made, but carried on with his itinerary, and traveling in hot weather the next summer resulted in a fever. The king recovered and felt well enough to resume his restless activity of touring his kingdom, and the partial return of his health prompted him to travel to Paris on the 13th of July 1223, against the advice of his physician. The journey proved too much for him, and he died en route the next day, in Mantes-la-Jolie, at the age of 57. His body was carried to Paris on a bier, and he was interred in the Basilica of St Denis in the presence of his son and successor, Louis VIII, as well as his illegitimate son Philip I, Count of Boulogne, and John of Brienne, the King of Jerusalem. Philip's death marked the end of an era, and his legacy was one of transformation, as he had turned France into the most prosperous and powerful country in Europe. He checked the power of the nobles and helped the towns free themselves from seigneurial authority, granting privileges and liberties to the emergent bourgeoisie, and he built a great wall around Paris, reorganized the French government, and brought financial stability to his country. The only known description of Philip describes him as a handsome, strapping fellow, with a cheerful face of ruddy complexion, and a temperament much inclined towards good-living, wine, and women. He was generous to his friends, stingy towards those who displeased him, well-versed in the art of stratagem, orthodox in belief, prudent and stubborn in his resolves. He made judgments with great speed and exactitude, and fortune's favorite, fearful for his life, easily excited and easily placated, he was very tough with powerful men who resisted him, and took pleasure in provoking discord among them. Never, however, did he cause an adversary to die in prison, and he liked to employ humble men, to be the subduer of the proud, the defender of the Church, and feeder of the poor. Philip's death in 1223 left a kingdom that was stronger, more centralized, and more prosperous than it had ever been, and his son Louis VIII would continue to expand the royal domain, but the foundation had been laid by Philip II Augustus, who had transformed France from a loose collection of fiefdoms into a centralized state with a formidable infrastructure and a powerful army.