Philippe II Auguste (sep 19, 1180 – jul 14, 1223)

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son of Louis VII and Adele of Champagne. The Angevin kings of England (the line of rulers to which Henry II belonged), were Philip's most powerful and dangerous vassals as Dukes of Normandy and Aquitaine and Counts of Anjou. Philippe made it his life's work to destroy Angevin power in France. One of his most effective tools was to befriend all of Henry's sons and use them to foment rebellion against their father. Philippe travelled to the Holy Land to participate in the Third Crusade of 1189–1192 with King Richard I of England and Holy Roman Emperor Frederick I Barbarossa. After a twelve-year struggle with the Plantagenet dynasty in the Anglo-French War of 1202–14, Philippe broke up the large Angevin Empire presided over by the crown of England and defeated a coalition of his rivals (German, Flemish, and English) at the Battle of Bouvines in 1214. This victory would have a lasting impact on western European politics: the authority of the French king became unchallenged, while the English King John was forced by his barons to sign Magna Carta and deal with a rebellion against him aided by Philippe, the First Barons' War. Philippe transformed France from a small feudal state into the most prosperous and powerful country in Europe. He checked the power of the nobles and helped the towns to free themselves from seigniorial authority, granting privileges and liberties to the emergent bourgeoisie. He built a great wall around Paris ("the Wall of Philippe II Augustus") as well as the original Louvre fortress at a key defensive point, re-organized the French government, and brought financial stability to his country.

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