Philip Ii 1165-1223

PHILIP II. (1165-1223), known as PHILIP AUGUSTUS, king of France, son of Louis VII. and Adela, daughter of Theobald II., count of Champagne, was born on Aug. 21, 1165. On Nov. 1, 1179, he was associated with his father as king by being crowned at Reims, and at once his father's illness threw the responsibility of government on him, the death of Louis on Sept. 19, I18o, leav ing him sole king. His long strip of royal domain was hemmed in by the Angevin Empire on the west and by the kingdom of Arles on the south-east. Henry II. of England was feudal lord of the greater part of France, practically all west of a line which began at Dieppe and ended a t the foot of the Pyrenees more than half-way across to the Mediterranean, while at one point it nearly touched the Rhone. Philip's predecessors had consoli dated the Capetian power within these narrow limits, but he him self was overshadowed by the power of his uncles, William, arch bishop of Reims; Henry I., count of Champagne; and Theobald V., count of Blois and Chartres. He secured an ally against them, and an addition to the royal domain, by marrying, on April 28, 118o, Isabella or Elizabeth, daughter of Baldwin V., count of Hainaut, and of Marguerite, sister of Philip of Alsace, the reign ing count of Flanders, who ceded, as Isabella's dowry, the district afterwards called Artois. On June 28, 118o Philip made a treaty with Henry II. at Gisors, but from 1181 to 1185 he had to struggle against a feudal league of his Champagnard uncles and other great barons, whose most active member was Stephen I., count of Sancerre (1152-1191). Having secured his position at home, the king turned against Henry II., and by the truce of Ch5.teauroux in June 1187, gained Issoudun and the seigniory of Freteval in the Vendomois. Though the truce was for two years, Philip assembled an army in 1188 to invade Normandy, demand ing Gisors and the conclusion of the marriage which had been arranged between his sister Alice and Richard of England, who had meanwhile deserted his father. But Richard took the cross, and Philip seized the county of Berry, part of his dukedom.

Further reconciliations and conferences followed, and Henry II., just before his death, did homage and surrendered the territories of Gracy and Issoudun. Henry died two days later. Pledges of mutual good faith and fellowship were exchanged between Philip and Richard of England on Dec. 3o, 1189, and they both prepared to go on the crusade.

The

setting out Philip arranged for the government of France during his absence by the testament of I19o, by which he proposed to rule France as far as possible from Palestine. On the way to Palestine the two kings quarrelled. At the siege of Acre Philip fell ill, and he returned to Paris at Christ mas 1191, having concluded on his way an alliance with the em peror Henry VI. against Richard, despite his pledges not to molest his lands. Philip did his utmost by offers of money to prolong Richard's captivity, and, allied with the English king's brother John, attacked Richard's domains. But upon Richard's return the Normans rallied to him, and Philip was defeated at Freteval on July 3, 1194. He continued the war, generally with ill success, for the next five years. Again a formidable coalition was formed against him, including Baldwin IX., count of Flanders and Hain aut, Renaud of Dammartin, count of Boulogne, Louis, count of Blois, and Raymond VI., count of Toulouse. In Germany, Otto of Brunswick, afterwards the emperor Otto IV., allied himself with Richard, while Philip was supported by Otto's rival, Philip of Swabia. Richard's death, in April 1199, removed his arch enemy, and Richard's successor, John, concluded the treaty of Le Goulet with Philip on May 22, 1200, ceding to him the county of Evreux, Gracy and Issoudun, and the suzerainty of Berry and Auvergne. John renounced his suzerainty over Brittany and the guardianship of his nephew, Arthur ; he engaged not to aid the count of Flanders or Otto IV. without Philip's consent, paid him a relief of 20,000 marks, and recognized himself as his vassal for his continental fiefs.