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Nemesis: Medieval England's Greatest Enemy
Bloomsbury presents Medieval England's Greatest Enemy by Catherine Hanley, read by Veronika Hyks.
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 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.
When Philip first succeeded to the throne in 1180, Henry II of England, thanks to his Angevin and Norman ancestry as well as his wife’s inheritance of Aquitaine, ruled more of France than Philip himself. By the end of Philip’s reign in 1223, the pendulum of power had swung the other way. Nemesis reveals how Philip exploited the constant familiar squabbles of the Plantagenets to secure his grip on France, his wily political manoeuvring combined with a mastery of the medieval battlefield turning France into a powerhouse of Europe.
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 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.
When Philip first succeeded to the throne in 1180, Henry II of England, thanks to his Angevin and Norman ancestry as well as his wife’s inheritance of Aquitaine, ruled more of France than Philip himself. By the end of Philip’s reign in 1223, the pendulum of power had swung the other way. Nemesis reveals how Philip exploited the constant familiar squabbles of the Plantagenets to secure his grip on France, his wily political manoeuvring combined with a mastery of the medieval battlefield turning France into a powerhouse of Europe.
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Published September 11, 2025
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September 16, 2025
Nemesis is a monumental achievement. It has the beating heart of a political thriller and the epic scope of a Shakespearean tragedy.
The King in the Shadows No More
History remembers the Plantagenets as a dynasty of larger-than-life figures—a tempest of ambition, charisma, and brutal family conflict. But in her magisterial new work, Nemesis, Catherine Hanley argues that for forty years, they were all caught in the gravitational pull of a single, dark star: Philip Augustus of France. Hanley drags this shadowy monarch from the historical wings and places him at the absolute center of the stage, and in doing so, completely re-engineers our understanding of the era.
This is Philip not as a mere adversary, but as the ultimate puppet master of a royal house seemingly programmed for self-destruction. Hanley brilliantly demonstrates how he treated the Plantagenets' infamous rivalries as his personal arsenal, weaponizing their own blood against them with chilling precision and patience. He is the political predator in the long grass, the constant, looming presence who turned the game of thrones into a masterclass of psychological warfare.
What elevates Nemesis to a monumental achievement is Hanley's sheer narrative prowess. This is not history mummified in academic dust; it has the beating heart of a political thriller and the epic scope of a Shakespearean tragedy. With prose that is both incisive and immersive, she resurrects these towering figures from the stone of their tombs, making their ancient enmities and desperate gambles burn with a fierce, contemporary fire. Nemesis is an impeccably researched work that reads with the velocity of a novel, revealing the unmovable object against which four explosive Plantagenet kings ultimately shattered. It is a magisterial work of history that will be considered essential reading for years to come.
Book Details
Publisher: Osprey Publishing
Publication Date: September 9, 2025
Language: English
Print Length: 304 pages
Review by Christopher Eric (Moon) Mullins
The King in the Shadows No More
History remembers the Plantagenets as a dynasty of larger-than-life figures—a tempest of ambition, charisma, and brutal family conflict. But in her magisterial new work, Nemesis, Catherine Hanley argues that for forty years, they were all caught in the gravitational pull of a single, dark star: Philip Augustus of France. Hanley drags this shadowy monarch from the historical wings and places him at the absolute center of the stage, and in doing so, completely re-engineers our understanding of the era.
This is Philip not as a mere adversary, but as the ultimate puppet master of a royal house seemingly programmed for self-destruction. Hanley brilliantly demonstrates how he treated the Plantagenets' infamous rivalries as his personal arsenal, weaponizing their own blood against them with chilling precision and patience. He is the political predator in the long grass, the constant, looming presence who turned the game of thrones into a masterclass of psychological warfare.
What elevates Nemesis to a monumental achievement is Hanley's sheer narrative prowess. This is not history mummified in academic dust; it has the beating heart of a political thriller and the epic scope of a Shakespearean tragedy. With prose that is both incisive and immersive, she resurrects these towering figures from the stone of their tombs, making their ancient enmities and desperate gambles burn with a fierce, contemporary fire. Nemesis is an impeccably researched work that reads with the velocity of a novel, revealing the unmovable object against which four explosive Plantagenet kings ultimately shattered. It is a magisterial work of history that will be considered essential reading for years to come.
Book Details
Publisher: Osprey Publishing
Publication Date: September 9, 2025
Language: English
Print Length: 304 pages
Review by Christopher Eric (Moon) Mullins
Displaying 1 of 1 review