Kings, queens, bishops, knights, and castles. The Medieval period is often viewed as a chess match between European kingdoms. In Catherine Hanley’s new book, “Nemesis: Medieval England’s Greatest Enemy,” Philip Augustus, king of France, proves to be a grandmaster.
Hanley books presents an ongoing match between King Philip, of the Capetian line, and members of the Plantagenets, the ruling family in England. Beginning with Henry II, followed by Richard the Lionheart, King John, and rebellious noblemen in between, Philip was consistently at least one step ahead of his adversaries, if not many steps. The work demonstrates how the French king’s prudence, cunning, and power enabled him to undermine, outwit, and defeat one king or nobleman (and even a Holy Roman emperor) after another.
