page_title: Capetian–Plantagenet rivalry
section_title: The success of Philip Augustus
hierarchical_section_title: Capetian–Plantagenet rivalry / The success of Philip Augustus
caption_attribution_description: Français&#160;: Philippe Auguste ramenant Ferrand de Portugal, comte de Flandre, et Renaud, comte de Boulogne, faits prisonnier à la bataille de Bouvines. Enluminure des Grandes Chroniques de France, XIVe siècle, Paris, Bibliothèque nationale de France, Département des manuscrits, Français 2813, folio 258 verso.
context_page_description: The Capetian–Plantagenet rivalry was a series of conflicts and disputes that covered a period of 100 years, during which the House of Capet, rulers of the Kingdom of France, fought against the House of Plantagenet, rulers of the Kingdom of England in order to suppress the growing power of the Plantagenet-controlled Angevin Empire. Some historians refer to that series of events as the "First Hundred Years War".
  During this period, the English kings' respective continental possessions were considered more important than their island possessions, and significantly greater than even those of the French sovereign, despite the latter being the respective overlords of the former, in the context of most of the possessions respective English kings held on continental Europe. This conflict was primarily a French one, since 1159
  both dynasties were French,
  the nobles who made up the English army were essentially of French origin and with a foreign minority,
  the foot soldiers of the English king were local recruits in "France".
  Their rivalry, and the many wars that accompanied it, saw the gradual "re-conquest", by the Capetians, of their own kingdom.
context_section_description: The incredible success of Philip Augustus soon brought all of his rivals to unite against him. The opposition formed in 1212. John allied with his nephew, Otto IV, Holy Roman Emperor, who was currently facing an internal crisis within the Empire in which the French supported Otto's opposition, Philip of Swabia. Renaud de Dammartin was the real architect of the coalition. He had nothing to lose when he went to Frankfurt to seek the support of Otto and England, where he paid homage to John. Hostilities between Philip and John resumed immediately.
  At the same time, the first operations of the Albigensian Crusade, led by French barons, saw the quarrel between the Raymond VI, Count of Toulouse and the Crusaders. Philip Augustus refused to intervene and focused on the English danger. He gathered his barons in Soissons on April 8, 1213, ordering his son Louis to lead the expedition against England and won the support of all his vassals, except one, Ferdinand, Count of Flanders, whom he himself had installed two years earlier. Philip then sought further support, particularly with Henry I, Duke of Brabant. After some hesitation, Pope Innocent III on the other hand chose to support John, which provided moral support, but no direct military advantage. The preparations of the conflict persisted: the initial project of Philip, who wanted to invade England, was thwarted when his fleet was attacked by the enemy coalition at Damme in May 1213. The following month saw Philip and Louis strive against the counties of Boulogne and Flanders. The northern cities were almost all devastated.
  In February 1214, John finally arrived on the continent, in La Rochelle, hoping to take Philip unawares. The strategy worked at first, since John won supporters among the barons of Limousin and Poitou. In May 1214, he returned to the Loire Valley and took Angers. Philip, already engaged with the combined coalition force of English, Flemish, and German forces in Flanders, ordered his son Louis to head west and fight John who was currently besieging Roche-au-Moine. Although John had outmaneuvered the Prince and thus forced him to give battle when John had a clear numerical advantage, the support of Poitevin and Angevin barons vacillated and they forced the king to retreat for unknown reasons, however due to the military culture and the concept of chivalry at the time, this was not uncommon. It is not clear if the remaining mercenaries under John's leadership ever engaged the enemy. The king of England fled on July 2; the English defeat was total. But the coalition was not yet lost: everything depended on the eastern theatre of the war.
  The final confrontation between the armies of Philip and the coalition led by Otto, was now inevitable, after several weeks of approach and avoidance. On Sunday, July 27, 1214, the army of Philip, pursued by the coalition, arrived at Bouvines to cross the bridge over the Marque. At that Sunday, the prohibition to fight is absolute for Christians, but Otto decides to go on with the offensive, hoping to surprise the enemy while crossing the bridge. Philip's army was greatly surprised from the rear, but he quickly reorganized his troops before they could be engaged on the bridge. They quickly turned against the coalition. The French right wing fought against the Flemish knights, led by Ferdinand. At the center where fiercest of the fighting occurred, Philip and Otto fought in person. In the cavalry melee, Philip was unseated, and he fell, but his knights protected him, offered him a fresh horse, and the king resumed the assault until Otto ordered a retreat. Finally, on the left, the supporters of Philip ended the career of Renaud de Dammartin who was leading the knights from Brabant, as well as William Longespée who led the English knights, both of whom were captured by the French after a long resistance. Fate had turned in favor of Philip, despite the numerical inferiority of his troops. The victory was decisive: the Emperor fled, Philip's men captured 130 prisoners, including five counts, including the reviled traitor, Renaud of
caption: Battle of Bouvines: Philip captured Ferdinand, Count of Flanders and Renaud I, Count of Dammartin (Grandes Chroniques de France, 14th century)
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