As well as providing the invaluable feudal system that aided Philip throughout his reign, his predecessors were also responsible for a continued good relationship with the papacy and a loyal Frankish church. Although not as important to the same extent as the feudal system, the advantage of a favourable papacy should not be underestimated. The underlying theme that dominated Philip’s relationship with the pope was that concerning his marriage, especially to Ingeborg of Denmark, whom he despised and wished to divorce. The argument, which was made more severe by Philip’s “adulterous” marriage to Aignes of Meran, certainly cooled relations, but the actions of the papacy against Philip were far less severe when compared to the situation of John, who suffered both excommunication and a papal interdict with regards to the election of the archbishop of Canterbury. Indeed Philip often received support from the Pope, especially with regards to his attacks on heretics and participation in the crusades. Furthermore Philip continued the Capetian role of protector of the church; this can be seen as a strong two-way relationship for whilst Philip funded the church and encouraged monastic reform, he received in return a strong set of ecclesiastical advisers and a loyal Frankish church which was willing to defend his rights. Strong papal and ecclesiastical support was important in heightening the prestige of the French monarchy and certainly contributed to the increase in power of the French monarchy.
Another strong reason for the increase in French power was the relative weakness of their opponents in Medieval Europe at the time. The obvious example of this is John, whose reign saw the speedy disintegration of the Angevin continental holdings. However Philip’s desire to capture the Angevin lands predates the reign of John. Philip was able to take advantage of the absences of key nobles in France in order to press forward with French expansionism, such as was seen with the situation regarding Richard I. Philip took advantage of Richard’s prolonged absence from Normandy due to crusades and then later due to his incarceration under Henry VI by obtaining the support of many Norman lords who were uncertain of Richard’s return and with the use of prompt military action. Despite Philip’s apparent failure to hold any parts of Normandy permanently with most lands being returned to Richard by the close of 1195, what this episode does show us is Philip’s ability to use rapid military force in order to secure an advantage as well as the political duplicity in order to secure alliances with opponents. Such techniques were deployed not just against the Angevin monarchs but also against powerful Counts and Dukes bordering France like Blois and Champagne. Philip took advantage of the death of Theobald of Champagne in order to perform a political intervention due to his connections through his mother; a similar situation arose in Burgundy with the death of Duke Odo II in 1218. These direct attempts to assert royal authority not only increased the geographical extent of royal control but also increased the reliance placed on the French monarchy in monitoring affairs and selecting successors and thus creating an ideal environment for Philip to govern within Europe. Philip’s aggravation of the Angevin disputes, which continued through the reigns of Henry II and Richard, should not be considered a new concept but rather a continuation of Capetian policy towards the Angevin monarchs, this was certainly successful in weakening the Angevin empire internally which would have made later conquests easier. What is however a change is Philip’s continued use of military support in invasions; this can be seen through his invasion of Berry in 1187 and confrontations in Le Mans in 1189.
Philip achieved his greatest successes against John; his experience, reputation and popularity were key to success in Angevin continental lands. John had little experience of military command and war compared not just to Philip but to his predecessors; Henry II and Richard. Unlike the other three figures, John has never been on crusade and had limited experience in military campaigns, for example his campaign in Ireland during the reign of Henry II was ultimately a disaster. His reputation too was against him, being virtually unknown in certain parts of his empire such as Aquitaine, where the reputation of his mother alone served to hold him in place and after her death in 1201, his position there was precarious. His position was further undermined in the early stages of his reign by the presence of Arthur of Brittany, his nephew, who was considered by some to be the legitimate heir to Richard instead of John. Although Arthur was probably killed by John in spring 1202, his position certainly gave Philip a vital pretext to invade Normandy, as well as John’s marriage to Isabelle of Angouleme, which infringed the Lusignan family, previously vassals of John who appealed to Philip. What is striking in Philip’s capture of Normandy is the lack of defence that John used within Normandy and the ease in which Philip carried out this invasion. John left Normandy in 1204 and did not return there throughout Philip’s invasion, the lack of military confrontation as well as the abandonment of nobles whose power base was situated in Normandy gave Philip the easy advantage not only to reclaim land, but to forge alliances with the key noblemen, which would secure his position. Furthermore, Philip’s position was consolidated by John’s baronial and financial difficulties. The relative safety of Philip’s hold in Normandy is shown by the fact that he was willing to prepare cross-channel invasion of England against John suggest his considerable hold over these captured territories and reflects on John as a weak leader in comparison. The result of this aggressive leadership style is evident, with John having virtually no actual power outside of Britain.
Of course, legal authority and aggressive leadership style does not succeed nearly to the same extent without a strong military presence. Here, Philip held an advantage against both John and German Emperor Otto IV, highlighted best by the Battle of Bouvines. The importance of this battle in the reign of Philip is undeniable. Had he lost to the combined forces of his opponents it is arguable that all lands gained would have been recaptured and the power of France checked. But as history shows, Philip’s forces won a resounding victory placing Otto on the backfoot and providing a disastrous political situation for John on his return to England. Therefore, the fact that Philip was able to beat so many of his opponents at once shows his clear military strength and provided Philip the opportunity to consolidate all personal gains. The result of this battle is therefore one of the key reasons that Philip was able to retain his major power in Europe. All major towns in the area controlled by the monarchy were provided with additional defensive measures such as walls and towers. Not only does this show the strength of Philip’s protection against invaders and military power, it also shows us that Philip was spending vast quantities of money on improving his military strength, a sign of financial stability and economic success. This is further shown through Philip’s establishment of the first proper French Navy.
Financial improvements came with a larger population which could be taxed, hence why Philip’s invasions of Angevin lands proved to be so economically successful. However, Philip’s improvements to the administrative systems within his demesne improved the efficiency of his administration and improved financial and political stability. This was achieved in two ways; firstly, Paris was made the permanent administration centre from the French monarchy. Previously all records had travelled with the King as he went round his demesne, this meant that in the event of damage and destruction in battle, Philip would have no records for taxation and property ownership which would allow for fraud and financial loss. Therefore, the move to Paris of all records can be seen as immensely beneficial to the financial stability and economic wealth of the monarch. Secondly, Philip broke the power of key influential families within the offices of administration. Such families had seen the positions as hereditary and used it to gain power and wealth, therefore by appointing lesser nobles, and in some cases leaving positions such as chancellor vacant, Philip was asserting his own power amongst those in his demesne and establishing himself as overlord.
In conclusion, the combination of legal authority obtained from the feudal system established by his predecessors, and military force, proved to be incredibly successful in expanding the French demesne and increasing the sphere of influence. In some ways Philip was fortunate to receive advantageous circumstances for expansion such as the political backdrop of the third and fourth crusades and the weakness of his enemies in both the Angevin and German Empires. However, Philip capitalised on these advantages through aggressive leadership, both politically and militarily, and the culmination of this at the battle of Bouvines helped consolidate France’s position as a major power. Further improvements were made to the administrative system which aided financial wealth of the empire which could be used to continue these foreign policies, which is why it is said that Philip was the last “king of the franks” and first “king of France”, such was his impact on establishing a major power in Europe.