Philippe Auguste

Philippe II is one of the most well known king of France. But at the beginning, it was not won ! When he goes up on the throne, at only 15, he had for legacy a fragile kingdom, not bigger than the now Paris Region.  

But at the time of his death, he will let to his heirs a kingdom almost as big as today's France. For this reason, during his lifetime, we called him Auguste (the one who upgrade his kingdom) in the image of Romans emperors.

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Yet there is nothing to do, he is less telegenic than Richard. He mainly stays a king for the historians. His reign, longer than the king of England, is the one of a wise, strategic and persevering monarch, who understands that a serious administration and a good diplomacy is a method no less effective than war. In that way, he is modern. He is the one that made Paris a true capital. 

 

Serious, even austere, Philippe II is not one kind to laugh everyday. He moves away poets and troubadours off his court. Knights novels, is not his thing, too futile ! Contrary to Richard, he doesn't do adventures for adventure. For instense, he doesn't wait on the third Crusade. It's true that he has been ill. But he is in a hurry to came back in France to take things back in order and to enjoy Richard's missing. 

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His first wife, Isabelle de Hainaut, dead since 1190 (before that he tried to repudate her for political reason). In 1193, he thinks about remarrying. Ingeburge seems to be the perfect candidate. She is the daughter of Voldemar le Grand, King of Danemark, who does not like English either. Seems that this alliance can be great. 

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Ingeburge is 17."Her complexion was glowing and her majestic air full of pride  that look so right to the lords" write Rigord, Phillipe Auguste's biograph. But, he adds : "She was cold, inanimate and full of discourtesy and this is not whats is needed at the France's court". Yet, like evryone, he stays puzzeled facing Philippe's attitude : "either the new queen has some secret defect, either a trick prevents the king to possess her, he sent an amazing aversion and didn't throw his eyes on her again".She will spend the next 20 years of her life between nunnerys and jails. Even for that time, it is a bit cruel ! 

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But here we are, on the 27th july 1214 ! Radiant, like Austerlizt. It's Sunday, so what ? 

Transgressing religious forbidden of that time. Philippe engage in combats. Facing, there is Otton Empereur du Saint-Empire Romain Germanique, flemish lords, english and french. But they win.

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Georges Duby, well-know Middle-Ages historian : "After Bouvines, nothing could call into question the prodigious expansion of the royal domain. Nothing could prevent the bailiffs from fully exploiting the subjugated provinces. (...) Throughout the kingdom, no principality was now in position to balk 

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Philippe gain from his father's legacy a weak domain, threaten from all sides. Throughout his reign he reverses the tables and set the bases of a royal power who will impose France until Absolutisme... and the Revolution.

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The Historian Fernand Braudel will say about him : " He is a modern Ulysse, who founded an empire in a couple of years".