Tag: Medieval

Book Review: “Legenda: The Real Women Behind the Myths That Shaped Europe” by Janina Ramirez

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When we think of famous medieval European women, we often think of figures like Joan of Arc and Isabella of Castile. They are seen as women who broke the mold and challenged traditional stereotypes by becoming leaders in traditionally male-dominated fields. These women would be used to craft the identities of their respective nations, but they would help shape the identities of other women from the 18th and 19th centuries. We think we know the stories about these medieval women and their lives, but what new information can we learn from their lives when we examine their lives from their eras? Janina Ramirez takes the stories of seven medieval women and their contemporaries to show how their legacies have been transformed in her latest book, “Legenda: The Real Women Behind the Myths That Shaped Europe.”

This is the third book that I have read by Janina Ramirez, as I have read her book “Femina” and her biography on Julian of Norwich, which I loved. So when I saw that she was writing a new book about medieval women, I knew it was an instant buy for me.

While there have been centuries worth of amazing women from all over the world, Ramirez is focusing on seven countries/areas of interest: France, the Iberian Peninsula, Greece, the Low Countries, Germany, Italy, and Britain. In each chapter, Ramirez focuses on two women or groups of women, one from the medieval era and one from either the 18th or the 19th century. For the medieval period, she has selected: Joan of Arc, Isabella of Castile, Anna Komene, Marie of Oignies and the Beguines, Empress Adelaide of Bavaria, Catherine of Siena, and Lady Godiva. For the more modern women, Ramirez focuses on Charlotte Corday, Agustina Raimunda Maria Saragossa, Laskarina Bouboulina, the Sisters of Notre Dame de Namur, Lola Montez, Anna ‘Nina’ Morisi, and Queen Victoria. 

What is truly inspiring about this book is seeing these stories removed from the glossy veneer used to promote nationalism, to show that these women were real and they made a difference by being themselves. We get to see warriors, writers, queens, empresses, revolutionaries, and religious women. However, we also get to see them as daughters, sisters, wives, and mothers. These women did not live in a vacuum. They lived and were more than just symbols for their nations. They fought in their own ways for what they believed was right, whether it was to protect their families or their nations, or following the path set forward by their faith. These women were real, and they were not myths; they were human. 

This is another sensational book by Ramirez. While I did know a few of the medieval women featured in this book, I knew nothing about the 18th and 19th-century women, which was thrilling to see how Ramirez weaved these tales together. I loved this book so much, and I am excited to see what she will write next. If you love medieval women’s history and learning more about their legacies, I highly recommend you read  “Legenda: The Real Women Behind the Myths That Shaped Europe” by Janina Ramirez.

Book Review: “Canticle” by Janet Rich Edwards

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Have you ever believed in something or someone so much that you were willing to do anything to be with them? What if it meant isolating yourself from everyone and everything you loved? Aleys knows this all too well. Born near Bruges during the 13th century, Aleys believes that she is destined for great things and has religious visions. Can this young woman survive both religious and political challenges to make her aspirations of being closer to God a reality, or will she fly too close to the sun and lose everything? Janet Rich Edwards tells Alleys’ tale in her debut novel, “Canticle.”

I would like to thank Spiegel & Grau and Net Galley for sending me a copy of this novel. I am always looking for a fresh approach to the past, so when I read the premise of this novel, it sparked an interest in me. As it is a debut featuring a religious group of women that I was not familiar with, the beguines, I wanted to see how Edwards’s writing style would bring something new to medieval historical fiction.

“Canticle” is a novel that follows three main narrators: Aleys, the young woman who longs to have a deeper relationship with God; Friar Lukas, who wants to grow his monastery; and Jaan Smet, Bishop of Tournai, who wants to get closer to the pope and power. We begin with Aleys as a young woman. She lives with her mother, father, brothers, and sister. Her mother died during childbirth, leaving the family broken. Aleys’s father decides to marry her off to a rich merchant, but Aleys decides that she wants to live a religious life, so she runs away. It is here she meets Friar Lukas, a Franciscan, and she wants to become a Franciscan, but Lukas convinces her to join the community of beguines.

It is in the community of beguines that Aleys discovers her true self and a series of translations that will send shockwaves all the way to Rome. The Bishop wanted to take down this community so that he could earn the respect of Rome and possibly become a cardinal. However, it was Aleys who was about to change with a miracle that sent the town into a frenzy. It was Friar Lukas who convinced Aleys to take the ultimate step and become an anchoress. It was when Aleys became an anchoress that Edwards truly shines because she shows the isolation that an anchoress might feel in her cell. But life has a way of reaching even an isolated cell, and Aleys must choose whether to save herself or her beloved beguines.

I found this a delightfully evocative novel about medieval religious life. It made me feel sympathy for the beguines and the anchoresses who were willing to risk it all to get closer to God. I really enjoyed Edwards’ writing style, and I can’t wait to see what she will write about next. If you want something medieval that focuses on religious life, I would recommend you read “Canticle” by Janet Rich Edwards.

Book Review: “Royal Childbirth in the Middle Ages: Fertility, Pregnancy and Birth” by Michele Schindler

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Throughout history, many aspects of life have changed drastically, but one thing has remained the same: the different stages of life—birth, youth, adolescence, adulthood, old age, and death. It is the first stage of life, birth, that tends to get the least amount of attention when it comes to historical research. In recent years, it has been gaining more and more attention, especially when it comes to royal births, which have the most amount of written records. Michele Schindler has chosen to focus on the aspects of medieval childbirth in her latest book, “Royal Childbirth in the Middle Ages: Fertility, Pregnancy and Birth.”

I would like to thank Pen and Sword Books and Net Galley for sending me a copy of this book. I have enjoyed the previous book that I have read by Michele Schindler, and so when I saw that she had a new book about the medieval period out, I was excited to read it. I have read a few books that featured childbirth, primarily in the Tudor period, but never when it comes to the medieval period, so I wanted to learn more.

Schindler has decided to divide her book into sections, each part focusing on a different stage of childbirth: conception, pregnancy, birth, baptism, infant care, and how society as a whole understood childbirth as part of a woman’s life. Each section has sub-sections that explore aspects like miscarriages, twins, confinement, stillbirths, wet nurses, and deaths during infancy. These are very heavy topics, but they are discussed in a respectful manner.

To give context to the topics discussed, Schindler uses examples from multiple centuries to show how royal and noblewomen dealt with childbirth and its struggles. Some of the women featured in this book include Margaret Beaufort, Margaret of Anjou, Eleanor Cobham, Isabella of Castile, Alice Chaucer, Anne Neville, and Elizabeth of York. She also compared these lives and how they experienced childbirth to the common people to show the difference in status and the importance of ceremonies like confinement to the nobility.

Overall, I found this book to be really well researched, as well as being pretty easy to follow along with. I found a deeper appreciation for medieval women and what they had to go through to have a child. If you want to learn more about medieval childbirth practices pertaining to the higher echelons of society, I would recommend you read “Royal Childbirth in the Middle Ages: Fertility, Pregnancy and Birth” by Michele Schindler.

Book Review: “Life in the Medieval Town” by Kathryn Warner

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Have you ever watched a movie, played a video game, or read a novel set in the Middle Ages and wondered if life was really like that? Was it super dirty, grimy, and deadly, or is this a fictional device to show how bad the past was compared to the present? Kathryn Warner has delved into the archives to uncover the truth about what life was like in an average medieval town for her latest book, “Life in the Medieval Town.”

I would like to thank Pen and Sword Books and Net Galley for sending me a copy of this book. I enjoyed the previous books that I have read by Warner about Medieval Europe, so when I saw this title available, it piqued my interest. I have read books about medieval life, so I wanted to see what new information she could provide to this area of social history.

As Warner explains at the beginning of this book, the modern world and the medieval world are opposites. While we in the modern era care about the latest gadgets and an excess of commodities, the medieval era cared about simplicity and owned very little. So, for those of us living in the modern world, Warner treats this book as a sort of time traveller’s guide to a medieval town. Warner chooses to highlight life in London, specifically between the reigns of Henry III and Henry VI, which is quite a range, but it shows how medieval England changed over time. 

We start with how medieval people partied after a particular knighting ceremony, before moving throughout the streets of London and exploring the different occupations one could have. We then explore the brothels and the different types of people and languages one might hear on an average day. It shows the diversity of medieval England at this time. Warner also shows her audience the importance of cleanliness and how modern medieval homes could actually be with glass windows, cellars, and latrines. We get to see the different popular names and how job titles were altered in their spelling due to gender. You get to see what curfew meant, what kinds of legal punishments were available, what people ate, drank, and wore on a typical day, plus how medieval people told time, how they handled health, and how they took care of one another, even during the Black Death.

This is such a fantastic resource for medieval novices, writers, and medievalists alike. I knew quite a bit of the information in this book, but I still found some fascinating facts. Warner has an immense knowledge of the medieval era, and it shows throughout this book while maintaining an easy-to-follow writing style. If you are a medieval nerd who wants to learn more about the social history of a medieval town, I highly recommend you read “Life in the Medieval Town” by Kathryn Warner.

Book Review: “Queen Isabella: Treachery, Adultery, and Murder in Medieval England” by Alison Weir

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Throughout medieval English history, there have been some famous queens who left their marks. Empress Matilda, Eleanor of Aquitaine, Eleanor of Castile, Philippa of Hainault, and Margaret of Anjou each left an impression on English history, either good or bad. However, there was one queen whose negative reputation came with the nickname “She-Wolf of France,” and her name was Queen Isabella of France. The wife of Edward II and mother of Edward III, she left her husband for Roger Mortimer and overthrew her husband in favor of her son. For centuries, she has been viewed as a horrible villainess, but is that a fair assessment of her life? Alison Weir dives into the archives to find the truth about Isabella of France, and she presents her findings in her biography, “Queen Isabella: Treachery, Adultery, and Murder in Medieval England.”

As a fan of Alison Weir, I am trying to read every book she has written so far, so when I saw this book in a used book store, I jumped at the chance to read it. I have read books that have featured Isabella of France, but I have never read a biography about her until now. I wanted to see if this book would change how I feel about her.

Isabella of France was the daughter of Philip IV, King of France, and Jeanne I, Queen of Navarre, born in 1295. As the only surviving daughter of Philip and Jeanne, she was expected to make a match that would create an alliance, which she did when she married Edward II of England. On paper, it should have been an ideal match, but Edward II had his favorites. The first was Piers Gaveston, whom Edward II knew before he married Isabella. Edward paid more attention to advancing Gaveston than governing, which led to the great men of England (known as the Ordainers) enacting the Ordinances of 1311 and Gaveston’s execution in 1312. Edward II swore revenge against those who killed Gaveston.

For a while, Edward and Isabella had a loving relationship. They had four surviving children: Edward III of England, John of Eltham, Earl of Cornwall, Eleanor Countess of Guelders, and Joan Queen of Scots. Unfortunately, Isabella’s happiness would not last long as Hugh Despenser the Younger would take the place as Edward’s new favorite. Things got so bad for Isabella that she decided to leave for France, stay there with her son Edward III, and start a relationship with Roger Mortimer. It would end with an invasion of England, the death of the Despensers, Edward II captured, and Edward III becoming King of England.

Isabella of France’s reputation may have been marred for centuries for her role in overthrowing her husband in favor of her son, and for what happened to Edward II afterward, but I think Weir does a decent job in rehabilitating her reputation. I don’t necessarily agree with her assessment of Edward II, but I felt like, when it came to Isabella herself, I appreciate her story and feel a bit sympathetic for what she had to deal with. If you want a biography about Isabella of France, I would recommend you read “Queen Isabella: Treachery, Adultery, and Murder in Medieval England” by Alison Weir.

Book Review: “Bloody Crowns: A New History of the Hundred Years War” by Michael Livingston

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Medieval Europe was a time of conflicts and change. While smaller disputes between countries or civil wars would define borders, the most prominent conflict during this period was the Hundred Years’ War. A conflict that has been traditionally taught to have lasted 116 years between England and France. It is often told from the English perspective, with battles such as Agincourt, Crecy, and Poitiers celebrated. But what if we look at the bigger picture and expand our lens to the whole of Europe while keeping a neutral approach to the France vs England conflict? What if the conflict did not last a mere hundred years, but in fact two hundred years? What type of story would this kind of approach tell when it comes to medieval European history? Michael Livingston takes on the mammoth challenge of telling the tale of how this war changed European history forever in his latest book, “Bloody Crowns: A New History of the Hundred Years War.”

I would like to thank Basic Books and Net Galley for sending me a copy of this book. I enjoyed the previous book that I read by Michael Livingston on the Battle of Crecy, so when I heard that he was writing a new book about the Hundred Years’ War, I was intrigued. I wanted to see what new information he could provide for a conflict that has been discussed heavily for centuries.

Livingston delivers with a plethora of information. He begins by explaining that the term Hundred Years’ War came from a French textbook in 1823. We often think that it began when King Philippe VI of France declared English lands forfeit on May 24, 1337, so King Edward III declared that he was the rightful king of France; and the end of the war was when the French seized the city of Bordeaux on October 19, 1453. However, Livingston argues that the war began in 1292 and ended in 1492, which means it was a two-hundred-year war. Livingston then goes into explaining the origins of France and England to explain how on earth they even got to a state of strife.

While the study of the conflict between France and England tends to focus on these countries, Livingston expands his view to include a pirate war between English and Norman merchants, wars in Portugal, the Burgundian Wars, fights between England, Scotland, and Wales, peasant revolts of all varieties, and wars with the Flemish. We also see a few civil wars in both France and England, including the Wars of the Roses. There are also colorful characters, including a couple of mad kings, the Black Prince, Henry V, Joan of Arc, William Wallace, earls and dukes of every variety, knights who were loyal to a fault, queens who fought for their families, heiresses fighting for their land rights, and a ton of family squabbles. And of course, Livingston focuses on the battles that defined the period, including Crecy, Poitiers, Agincourt, and Orleans, as well as lesser-known battles that helped shift the momentum for either side. Livingston can provide such vivid details that it feels like you are on the battlefield, even when it comes to the more obscure battles.

In my opinion, Livingston is one of the finest medieval military historians right now, and this is his magnum opus. I learned so much by reading this book that it kind of redefined what I think of the Hundred Years’ War. This is one of the best books I have read this year. If you want a book about medieval Europe that will challenge your way of thinking about one of the biggest conflicts of the age, I highly recommend you read “Bloody Crowns: A New History of the Hundred Years War” by Michael Livingston.

Book Review: “The Formidable Women Who Shaped Medieval Europe: Power and Patronage at the Burgundian Court” by Susan Abernethy

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Throughout European history, we tend to think about the countries as a whole when it comes to the political sphere of influence. We think of the big countries like France, Spain, Italy, Germany, Austria, and England as having the most impact, but we have to consider that during the Middle Ages, duchies held immense power. Take, for example, the Duchy of Burgundy, also known as the Burgundian Empire. It was a part of France, but that does not mean that the dukes stayed on the side of the French. The Burgundians used their influence to expand and marry into the medieval European families, affecting European history as a whole. While we tend to focus on the Dukes of Burgundy, we should be paying attention to the women of this duchy. That is why Susan Abernethy chose to focus on these women in her latest book, “The Formidable Women Who Shaped Medieval Europe: Power and Patronage at the Burgundian Court.”

I would like to thank Pen and Sword Books and NetGalley for sending me a copy of this book. I enjoyed Susan Abernethy’s first book about Catherine of Braganza. When I heard that she was writing a book about medieval Burgundian women, I was intrigued. I know a little bit about historical figures connected to Burgundy, but I didn’t know much about the history of the duchy itself, so I was excited to learn more.

Abernethy begins by giving her readers a brief history of how Burgundy became a kingdom and a duchy of France. While the history of Burgundy is extensive, we are mainly focusing on the Valois Dukes of Burgundy and the women in their lives. The Valois Dukes of Burgundy were Philip the Bold, John the Fearless, Philip the Good, and Charles the Bold. While this is primarily about the women of Burgundy, it is important to understand the political and military landscape that these women had to deal with in Burgundy and other countries during this time.

The bulk of this book focuses on the women of the Burgundian empire, starting with Margaret of England, Duchess of Brabant, in the 13th century, and ending with Queen Juana of Castile, in the 16th century. We get to hear stories about duchesses and queens, countesses and diplomats, and even a saint. They had to deal with wars, international diplomacy, family drama, and husbands who were not faithful. There were some familiar figures like Mary of Guelders, Queen of Scots, Jacquetta of Luxembourg, Margaret of York, Duchess of Burgundy, and Margaret of Austria, but the majority of these women were new to me, which was very exciting.

It’s a lot of ground to cover, but Abernethy has a way of telling the stories of women comprehensively. I thoroughly enjoyed learning about Burgundy and these extraordinary women who made the duchy an empire. If you are someone who wants to learn about the Duchy of Burgundy, I would recommend you read “The Formidable Women Who Shaped Medieval Europe: Power and Patronage at the Burgundian Court” by Susan Abernethy.

Book Review: “Medieval Christmas: The Origins and Traditions of Christmas in the Middle Ages” by Toni Mount

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The weather is getting colder, and life is getting a bit busier in preparation for winter and family gatherings. It’s time to get ready for the holiday season, and there is one that is universally loved. No, it’s not Halloween, even though it is October when I am writing this review. No, I am talking about Christmas. But one wonders what the origins of Christmas and how our traditions evolved? Toni Mount explores this most important holiday time in her latest book, “Medieval Christmas: The Origins and Traditions of Christmas in the Middle Ages.”

I would like to thank Toni Mount for sending me a copy of her latest book. I am always interested in learning the origins of holidays, especially Christmas, so when she sent me a copy of her book, I was excited to read it so that I can get into the holiday mood a bit early.

Since this book is relatively short, I will keep the review short. Mount explores the different aspects of Christmas and its origins in short sections. We begin with the origins of the holiday itself and how it went from Midwinter/ the Winter Solstice/ festival of Yule and Saturnalia to Christmas through the expansion of the Christian faith. In England, the first Christian Christmas was celebrated in 597 AD with Saint Augustine and King Aethelberht, but it was not until King Alfred that Christianity became the religion of England.

Christmas is not only a solemn day in the Christian calendar, but in the Middle Ages, it was an entire season full of feasting, music, and pageants. We also see how the concept of Santa Claus morphed overtime from Father Christmas and Old Man Winter to Saint Nicholas. We also learn the importance of gift giving and how politics would play a huge part in how Christmas was celebrated, or in the case of the Puritans, banned for many years.

I found this book enjoyable and extremely cozy in the vibes. I did wish it was a bit longer as I did enjoy learning about this topic and did not want it to end. Overall, I think “Medieval Christmas: The Origins and Traditions in the Middle Ages” by Toni Mount, was a delightful book and the perfect choice for medievalists who want to get into the holiday spirit.

Guest Post: “Researching Renaissance Italy” by Ken Tentarelli

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Today, I am pleased to welcome Ken Tentarelli to share information about his research into Renaissance Italy for his novel, “The Blackest Time.” I would like to thank The Coffee Pot Book Club and Ken Tentarelli for allowing me to participate in this blog tour.

Readers expect historical fiction to be authentic, and that aligns well with my passion for research. Often, I spend more time doing research than writing. The fun comes in discovering little-known bits of history. As an example, when you look at maps of Renaissance Italy, you’ll find brightly colored drawings showing the Republic of Florence, the Duchy of Milan, and the other major city-states, but those simplifications ignore the small independent jurisdictions. 

Prepping for my fourth book, Conspiracy in Bologna, I came upon an item describing how the border was established between the Papal States and the Republic of Florence. Both agreed to use the course of a stream as their border, and both sent out teams of surveyors to create maps. As luck would have it, the two teams of surveyors identified different streams, leaving land and a town between the two streams unclaimed by either side. The land and the town became the Republic of Cospaia, which remained an independent republic for four hundred years. You’d be hard pressed to find a map of Renaissance Europe showing that tiny republic or the many other independent jurisdictions sprinkled throughout Italy. 

We are blessed today with the internet, where we can find copies of original source documents written a thousand years ago. Many have been translated into English. I’m fortunate that I can read the ones that are still available only in Italian. One helpful resource for my latest book, The Blackest Time, was a journal written by Giorgio Villani, a banker in Florence. He wrote about life in Florence at the time of the Black Plague until he finally succumbed to the plague. His writings are available on the Internet in Italian. 

Though extensive, the internet is not all-encompassing. In one of my books, a group of men was following an ancient Roman road through central Italy. The road ran alongside the Tiber River—the same river that flows through the center of Rome, but the story is set close to its source in the Apennine Mountains. The men wanted to cross the river to a town on the opposite bank, and for them to get across, I needed to know how they could cross the river. Today, a bridge spans the river, but nowhere on the internet could I find whether a bridge or a ferry was used during the Renaissance, so I emailed the town’s historical society asking whether their records held the answer. They kindly responded with information saying that not only was there a bridge during the Renaissance, but the Romans had built the first bridge at that site nearly two thousand years ago. I could have just picked one of the possibilities, bridge or ferry; after all, the book is fiction, but I felt better knowing the story accurately reflected the history. 

Tidbits I found while doing research for a book in my Renaissance mystery series are what led me to write a book set during the time of the Black Plague. Although the mysteries are set during the 1400s, I got carried away at one point, looked further back in time, and came upon three significant events: a triple conjunction of planets, which was taken as an ill omen by astrologers, two years of incessant rain that destroyed farm crops and caused famine in the cities, and the Black Plague. Those three events happening within a brief span of time convinced me there had to be a story worth telling. 

Blurb:   

Set in the 1300s during the devastating black plague, The Blackest Time is a powerful tale of compassion, love, and the human spirit’s ability to endure immense adversity. 

Gino, the central character, is a young man who leaves his family’s farm to find work in a pharmacy in Florence. His experiences show us how people coped in the most horrific time in history. 

Shortly after Gino arrived in the city, two years of incessant rain destroyed crops in the countryside, leading to famine and despair in the city. Gino offers hope and help to the suffering— he secures shelter for a woman forced to leave her flooded farm, rescues a young girl orphaned by the plague, and aids others who have lost everything. 

The rains had barely ended when the plague hit the city, exposing the true character of its people. While some blamed others for the devastation, the story focuses on the compassionate acts of neighbors helping each other overcome fear and suffering. Doctors bravely risk infection to care for their patients. A woman healer, wrongly accused of witchcraft and driven from the city, finds a new beginning in a village where her skills are appreciated.  

Despite the hardships, love blossoms between Gino and a young woman he met at the apothecary. Together they survive, finding strength in each other and hope in a world teetering on the edge. 

The Blackest Time is a testament to the strength of the human spirit in overcoming unimaginable tragedy. 

Buy Link: 

Universal Buy Link:  https://books2read.com/u/bPO08J  

Author Bio: 

Ken Tentarelli is a frequent visitor to Italy. In travels from the Alps to the southern coast of Sicily, he developed a love for its history and its people. 

He has studied Italian culture and language in Rome and Perugia, a background he used in his award-winning series of historical thrillers set in the Italian Renaissance. He has taught courses in Italian history spanning time from the Etruscans to the Renaissance, and he’s a strong advocate of libraries and has served as a trustee of his local library and officer of the library foundation. 

When not traveling, Ken and his wife live in beautiful New Hampshire. 

Author Links: 

Website:   https://KenTentarelli.com  

Facebook:  https://www.facebook.com/ken.tentarelli.3/  

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/kententarelliauthor/  

Book Bub:  https://www.bookbub.com/authors/ken-tentarelli  

Amazon Author Page:   

https://www.amazon.com/stores/Ken-Tentarelli/author/B07PDYZ34Q  

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/18920645.Ken_Tentarelli  

 

Book Review: “Nemesis: Medieval England’s Greatest Enemy” by Catherine Hanley

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The Plantagenets, one of England’s most dynamic dynasties, were always in the middle of some sort of conflict. Whether they were fighting foreign adversaries, their own people, or their own family, it felt like the Plantagenets were always getting into some sort of trouble. And there was one king who knew how to use the weaknesses of the kings of England to his advantage. He was King Philip II of France, also known as Philip Augustus. He had to deal with four different Plantagenet kings and had a strategy for each one of them. Just what were Philip II’s strategies, and how did his reign affect English/French relationships as a whole? These questions are answered in Catherine Hanley’s book, “Nemesis: Medieval England’s Greatest Enemy.”

I would like to thank Osprey Publishing and Net Galley for sending me a copy of this book. I enjoy reading about the Plantagenets and their impact on England and Europe as a whole. When I saw that this book took a French approach to the Plantagenets and focused on Philip Augustus, it was an intriguing premise to me.

As Hanley states in the introduction, this book is not your typical biography, as she focuses on the relationship between Philip Augustus and his Plantagenet opponents. That does not mean that we do not get biographical information for Philip, who was the son of Louis VII and Adela of Blois. Per tradition, as the heir to the French throne, Philip was crowned as Junior King of France on November 1, 1179, which meant that his father was still alive when he was crowned, and he trained to become the proper King of France.

While Philip knew that he had factions to deal with inside of France, his main concerns were overseas with the Plantagenets, primarily King Henry II and his sons. Over the course of his forty-year reign, Philip dealt with Henry II, Richard I the Lionheart, John, and Henry III. Each English king presented his own challenges for Philip, but Philip took them in stride and worked hard to make France stronger. At the same time, Philip had to deal with his own family dramas. He was married three times to Isabelle of Hainault, Ingeborg of Denmark, and Agnes of Merania. It was his marriage to Agnes of Merania that gave Philip his heir, the warrior King Louis VIII of France. However, it was Ingeborg of Denmark who gave Philip the biggest headache as she never gave up fighting for her marriage.

From military to political strategies, Hanley shows how Philip maneuvered against the English, and yet she shows that he was not a perfect person or a king. Philip was a flawed human who had to deal with the cards he was dealt like anyone else. Hanley presents a comprehensive book that explores the complex nature of medieval politics and how one man battled against an entire dynasty during his reign. If you are someone who wants to explore the early Plantagenets from the eyes of their enemy, King Philip II of France, I recommend you read “Nemesis: Medieval England’s Greatest Enemy” by Catherine Hanley.