Philip II ruled France with an iron fist for over 40 years, expanding its borders and extending its power. Throughout his reign, his opponent on the English throne was a member of the Plantagenet dynasty, and Philip took them all on: Henry II, Richard I the Lionheart, John the Landless and Henry III. And yet we know so little about medieval England's greatest enemy. Historian Catherine Hanley, author of the book 1217, redresses this imbalance and brings Philip out of the shadows in this history. Delving into the French archives of the Middle Ages, "Nemesis explores Philip's motivations for his attack on England, and in the process we not only learn about him, but also discover much more about England's most colourful and controversial rulers - the Plantagenets. When Philip ascended the throne in 1180, Henry II of England ruled over a larger part of France than Philip himself, thanks to his Angevin and Norman ancestry and the dominion over Aquitaine inherited from his wife. At the end of Philip's reign in 1223, the pendulum of power swung in the other direction. Nemesis shows how Philip exploited the Plantagenets' constant family squabbles to secure his rule over France. His cunning political manoeuvring combined with his mastery of the medieval battlefield made France a major European power.
