Review: Nemesis: Medieval England's Greatest Enemy by Catherine Hanley

Nemesis: Medieval England's Greatest Enemy

by Catherine Hanley

Release Date: September 11, 2025

2025 Osprey Publishing

Ebook ARC; 304 Pages

ISBN: 978-1472867445

ASIN: B0DXBZZKBL

Audiobook: B0F9FY93R6

Genre: Non-Fiction / History / Medieval

Source: Review copy from publisher

 

4 / 5 Stars

 

Summary

The extraordinary tale of Philip Augustus, one of medieval Europe's greatest monarchs, and the part he played in the downfall of four Plantagenet kings of England.

Philip II ruled France with an iron fist for over 40 years, expanding its borders and increasing its power. For his entire reign his counterpart on the English throne was a member of the Plantagenet dynasty, and Philip took on all of them: Henry II, Richard the Lionheart, John and Henry III. And yet we know so little about medieval England's greatest enemy.

Historian Catherine Hanley, author of the critically acclaimed 1217, redresses this imbalance, bringing Philip out of the shadows in this fascinating new history. Delving into French medieval archives, Nemesis explores Philip's motives for attacking England and in doing so we learn not only about him but discover so much more about England's most colourful and controversial of rulers - the Plantagenets.

 

My Thoughts

Nemesis: Medieval England's Greatest Enemy is not a biography about Philip Augustus, but is a look at how he manipulated four Plantagenet kings of England in order to increase France's power and to capture land previously held by the English kings. I knew going into this book that this was more political in nature and would focus on the battle of wits between England and France as well as actual battles that occurred. This is a look at Philip and his relationships with King Henry II, Henry the young King, King Richard, King John and King Henry III.  

 

Philip came to power at a relatively young age, fourteen years old, and that determination and iron-will were there right from the beginning, as typically a young man of that age would have a regent until the age of 21. Not for Philip however, as he took control right from the beginning, and proved himself to be methodical and quite intelligent, and while he was merciful when dealing with others, he could also be quite ruthless and knew how to play the game quite well. He had the ability to see greatness in other people and wasn't above promoting someone to a position of power despite their humble origins.  He ruled with an iron-fist for over 40 years and his political acumen allowed him to exploit weakness in others, and this is where the Plantagenet family comes into play.

 

Philip was a medieval king, therefore he wasn't just a force to be reckoned with in the political arena, but also a force on the battlefield. He had to be strong in all areas as this is something that is expected in a medieval king, and the pressure to succeed would be immense. So, while he won numerous battles, his political acumen allowed to see the grand game, and he developed patience so that his plans could come to fruition, some of those plans taking years to develop. This didn't include just his international relationships, but also his personal ones in order to have a stable dynasty to rely on, knowing the crown would be secure in the future.  That this caused him a lot of trouble was included in this book, but only in how it pertained to the political climate. 

 

This book is very well-researched and very readable, one that even someone with limited knowledge of the time period would be able to comprehend. It is very informative, and I spent a lot of time reading the footnotes at the end of each chapter because they were just as interesting.  I have read a lot about this time and even studied it at university, but I thought the focus on Philip's relationship with the Plantagenets to be quite fascinating as I don't think I realized how much planning and manipulating Philip actually did during this time period.  I was never really pro-Philip before, but I wasn't pro-Plantagenet either, and this book has made me much more pro-Philip; and to be fair, the author didn't really play sides and talked about the strengths and weaknesses of all the kings mentioned in this book. Philip was like the grand chessmaster while the others were just learning how to move their pieces. And the other kings were not necessarily weak kings, just outmaneuvered by someone stronger. 

 

Verdict

Nemesis: Medieval England's Greatest Enemy zeroes in on King Philip and how he was the most powerful opponent to England during this time period, and how he used the weaknesses in the sons of King Henry II to manipulate and exploit situations to France's advantage, and he did this for over 40 years. To borrow a phrase, he outwitted, outplayed, and outlasted King Henry II and his four sons as well as conquered a lot of the lands originally held by them. If you are looking for an in-depth book about King Philip, this is not what you are going to find here, but it is a worthy canon to add to the literature about the people who ruled during this time period.