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Political achievements of Philip II

Philippe II Augustus (French: Philippe II Auguste, August 21, 1165 – July 14, 1223), nicknamed “The Fox”, was the ninth king of the Capetian dynasty of France (1180 – 1223) Reign), son of King Louis VII of France, mother Adele of Champagne.

Before him, the Capetian dynasty had gone through nearly 200 years, but the king was trapped like a prisoner on the “Ile de France”, helpless to the surrounding ocean. The so-called “Ile de France” refers to the actual area that the early Capetian kings could effectively control, including the narrow strip of the middle reaches of the Seine and Loire, with Paris and Orleans as the center, and its area only accounts for about 1/15 of the territory of France.

Outside the “island”, there are many princes who are stronger than the royal family, such as the Duchy of Normandy, the Duchy of Burgundy, and the Duchy of Aquitaine. Even in the “island”, there are many castle owners who do not obey the control.

Through his efforts, Philip II turned the French monarchy from weak to strong, and the royal domain expanded threefold, making France the most critical step towards centralization .

life
Philip II was the son of King Louis VII of France, and his mother was Adele of Champagne, born in Paris. His father, due to ill health, had 14-year-old Philip crowned at Reims in 1179. On April 28, 1180, Philip married Isabella of Hainault, daughter of the Count of Hainault, which resulted in Artois being incorporated into the French crown as a dowry.

After Louis VII died on September 18, 1180, 15-year-old Philip II became the only king of France. His uncles Henry I, Count of Champagne, Guillaume de Blois, Archbishop of Reims, and Thibaud V, Count of Chartres, were proclaimed regents of France.

Philip II succeeded at the age of 14, initially by his uncle Henry, Count of Champagne, Guillaume, Bishop of Reims, Blois, and Tibe, Count of Chartres. Later, he married Isabelle, the niece of the Count of Flanders, and the dowry brought by his wife was the territory of Artois.

His wings gradually grew hard, and he finally got rid of the control of the rulers of Champagne and took the power alone. It was the first time he showed a talent for political struggle.

Governing achievements

News of Saladin’s capture of the holy city of Jerusalem in 1187 (the siege of Jerusalem) reached Western Europe, triggering a new wave of public outrage calling for a crusade. So Philip and Lionheart made an appointment to temporarily put aside their grievances and set off to participate in the Crusades together.

But when Philip II arrived in Acre and fought with Saladin’s army for nearly a year, the Lionheart arrived. Philip II felt that it was an unbearable task to live with the arrogant Lionheart. Leaving more than 10,000 French troops, he withdrew halfway, rushed back to France and launched an attack on the British king’s territory in France, forcing Richard the Lionheart to return home.

When Lionheart died in 1199, Philip’s opponent was replaced by John, the landless king. Philip also used his usual means of leveraging his strength, provoking Arthur, the nephew of the Landless King, to confront him and benefit from it. Later, the landless king married the fiancee of the Lyzion family of Poitou, annoyed the Lyzion family, so Philip took this opportunity to form an alliance with the Lyzion family, and in 1202 announced the cancellation of the English king’s territory in the French territory and attacked Normandy.

The most glorious stage of Philip’s life came. In the following series of battles, he captured the Port of Calais, Rouen, Maine, Anjou and other places. Not to be outdone, the Landless King pulled up an anti-French king alliance. In addition to several princes such as the Count of Flanders, the members also included the Holy Roman Emperor Otto IV, while Philip and Otto IV’s opponents, Pope Innocent III and King Frederick II of Sicily allied.

The contradictions between Britain, France, Germany and Italy have been historically linked together.

In 1214, the anti-French alliance organized by John landed in western France. Philip fought back and won the famous Battle of Bouven, completely defeating John. This victory also led to the end of the Welf family’s rule in Germany.

During the reign of Philip II, the French king’s domain expanded threefold. The most direct effect of the expansion of the territory is the expansion of income, and the royal family with deep pockets can also act on a larger scale.

Philip II has a great connection with the ancient name of Paris. The early Capetian kings have been oscillating between Paris and Orleans. Philip II actively built the city of Paris, building roads and city walls. During his reign, the city of Paris took on a new look. He started to build the famous Louvre Museum, which was mainly used to protect the city of Paris.

Philip also actively supports the University of Paris, such as granting its teachers and students tax-exempt rights and independent civil and criminal judicial rights. From the time of Philip II, Paris’s capital status has been unshakable.

Since France did not establish the principle of hereditary throne before Philip II, all French kings had to crown their sons during their lifetimes to prevent the noble group from electing someone else to be the king. Beginning with Philip II, this superfluous form was also abolished as the royal family was strong enough. From then on, the formal form of the princes electing the king came to an end.

The evolution of France from the establishment of feudal lords to the formation of a centralized nation-state is a long process of quantitative change, and the key qualitative change occurred during the reign of King Philip II.

In his long 40-year career as a king, Philip II, a young, mature and scheming king, fought wits and courage with various opponents at home and abroad, and finally turned the French monarchy from weak to strong, tripled the royal territory, and made France to the centralization of power. The most crucial step has been taken to avoid the long-term secession of the feudal lords and endless wars like Germany.

In his era, Paris also established its status as the capital of the country, which has never been shaken. He really deserves the name “Augustus”. For these reasons, Philip II was included in the list of the 100 most influential emperors, ranking 91st .