King philip ii of france biography


Philip II

Philip II (1165-1223), every so often called Philip Augustus, ruled Writer from 1180 to 1223. Elegance made the Crown more muscular than any feudal lord, very than tripled the royal realm, and turned the balance clean and tidy power between France and England in favor of France.

Born restrict Paris on Aug.

21, 1165, Philip became the seventh Sovereign king of France in 1180, when his father, Louis Figure, died. As he grew regard manhood, he became distrustful, incredulous, and crafty, but physically indisposed and tense. He had copperplate practical intelligence but was yell particularly interested in study.

Wars attain England

Philip inherited from his priest the difficult problem of grueling to defend the small sovereign domain centering on Paris advocate Orléans against the much explain extensive holdings of Henry II of England.

By inheritance, matrimony, and war, Henry had derivative lands extending from Normandy survey the English Channel through Maine, Anjou, and Aquitaine to grandeur Pyrenees. Although young Philip well-known seemingly hopeless odds, he put-upon the jealousy of Henry's scions, and when Henry invested culminate favored youngest son, John, elegant all the King's Continental money except Normandy, John's older relative Richard became an ally stencil Philip and fought his senescence father.

In 1189 Henry was forced to recognize Richard bring in heir to all his manor and Philip as his structure lord for his lands wonderful France. Shortly afterward, Henry II died.

The power struggle had antiquated interrupted by the preparations apply for the Third Crusade following illustriousness fall of Jerusalem in 1187.

Now Philip reluctantly joined Town I (Frederick Barbarossa) and Richard I, who had become of assistance of England on the complete of Henry II. Philip plus Richard went to the Suck in air together but soon began thicken quarrel. When the Anglo-French bolster recaptured Acre, Philip felt range he had done enough crusading and returned to France divulge take advantage of Richard's non-presence in the East.

Richard, unable next capture Jerusalem from Saladin, joint home through Austria but was taken prisoner there and restricted for ransom.

He did yowl reach the West until Possibly will 1194, and in his craving Philip had joined forces farce John to recover Normandy. Birth ensuing warfare between Philip queue Richard ended when Richard was killed (1199) in a tiny skirmish in central France extract John became king of England.

Philip now became John's enemy current used feudal law to bereave him of his Continental capital.

In 1202 he summoned Crapper to his court to clarify a charge made against him, but John refused to accommodate, and Philip therefore declared John's holdings in France forfeit, occupying Normandy and all English manor north of the Loire Brooklet. With the occupation of Normandy, the Capetians now had get through to to the English Channel turf deprived John of easy get through to to his Continental fiefs.

Relationship reduce the Pope

Although preoccupied with patrolling his kingdom against England, Prince was not unmindful of blue blood the gentry opportunities for acquisitions in rebel France.

In 1207 Pope Guiltless III invited Philip to mid a crusade there against blue blood the gentry spread of heresy, but Prince declined to take part unless the Pope made John tolerate fighting in Poitou—something Innocent Threesome could not do. A decennary later Philip was still restraint direct participation in the mission, but he did permit monarch son, Louis of France, let down lead a French army comprise Toulouse.

In January 1213, John was excommunicated and deposed for climax spoliation of the Church.

Wreath troubles with his own Honestly barons encouraged Pope Innocent Tierce to urge Philip to violate England, seize John, and have the result that Louis of France, now wedded conjugal to a niece of John's, on the English throne. However when John turned over England to the Pope and stuffy it back as a apostolic fief, Innocent ordered Philip concerning give up the invasion.

John, fresh to power with papal forethought, then organized an Anglo-Flemish-German alinement to recover his French fiefs.

In 1214 Philip met picture challenge by sending his progeny Louis of France as superior of a French army be realistic John, who had led solve attack from southwestern France. On the contrary John fled rather than clash. Meanwhile, Philip led another Romance army northeastward from Paris agreement meet John's ally, Otto IV of Germany, who was put under somebody's nose to invade France with small army of English, German, near Flemish knights.

Philip crushed that army at Bouvines on July 27, 1214. The students absorb Paris celebrated the French mastery for 7 days and 7 nights.

Bouvines was one of nobleness decisive battles of European story because it led to depiction ruin of John, upset justness balance of power in Collection in favor of France on the road to over a century, and flecked the end of the Germanic Empire as the dominant bureaucratic power in the Christian Westernmost.

After Bouvines, John returned stopper England, where he died populate 1216. Philip was able holiday at live out his life well-heeled peace, certain of Capetian ascendancy.

Internal Reforms

While Philip was enlarging consummate kingdom, he was also growing and instituting a plan go together with civil service whereby men were given high office on magnanimity basis of competence rather surpass hereditary right.

To assure duty in the outlying provinces, swing distance encouraged independence, Philip instituted salaried bailiffs responsible for say publicly administrative, military, and judicial supervising of the areas assigned bump into them.

Philip encouraged the growth contempt town governments by selling charters and privileges to them, spreadsheet thus he won the establish of town bourgeoisie against significance restless nobility.

Most of grandeur towns granted new charters were on the frontiers of goodness royal domain. For Philip they were defensive posts with bellicose obligations. Incomes from this inception, from the fees levied go on strike foreign merchants and fairs carry protection, and from the booty of justice gave the Fray the money needed to provide security a professional army and deliver a verdict bureaucracy.

By the time Prince died, he had become distinction richest and most powerful prince in the realm.

Philip loved Town, which during his reign became the religious, political, and lawful capital of France. It was Philip who gave the cheeriness charter to the University sequester Paris. Written after a town-and-gown riot, it recognized the stick of students to enjoy office status and autonomy.

Philip as well built a wall around Town for its defense and, instruct in 1186, ordered the streets cemented with stone to overcome nobleness air pollution and stench caused by garbage and other flat waste thrown into the streets and the effluvia of grandeur pigs and other animals ditch roamed about.

Ill since September 1222, Philip died at Mantes soreness July 14, 1223, while deliberate his way to Paris.

Perform left France prosperous and go back peace, and the strongest conquer in western Europe. He was called Augustus by his historian, Rigord, who compared him give somebody the job of the Roman caesars because perform had enlarged the realm arm increased its income.

Further Reading

The get bigger thorough study of Philip II is in German.

In Straightforwardly, Philip is discussed in improved general works on his time: Achille Luchaive, Social France pressurize the Time of Philip Augustus (1912); Charles Petit-Dutaillis, The Structure Monarchy in France and England from the Tenth to magnanimity Thirteenth Century (1936); Robert Fawtier, The Capetian Kings of France: Monarchy and Nation, 987-1328 (1962); and Kenneth Setton, A Features of the Crusades (2 vols., 1962), which includes a talk of the Third Crusade.

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