| The Hot Hunks of History | The Kingdom of France was surrounded by enemies, and since Louis VII was a good man, he was often a weak king. France needed a strong man to take the reins of government, and Philippe Auguste had both strength and political ambition. First a friend and “brother king” of another of my favorites, Richard the Lionhearted of England, Philippe Auguste later became his greatest rival. Philippe Auguste left the Third Crusade early when it was clear that Richard was going to take all the glory for himself.
So all of this begs the question, was Philippe Auguste actually hot? I’m sorry to say that we don’t know for sure. But strength in a man is a good quality, so I am going to include him in our collection of Hot Hunks of History.
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Back at home, while Richard was off fighting, Philippe did his best to shore up his own position politically with both the Holy Roman Emperor and Richard’s younger brother, Prince John of England. With Richard’s death in 1199, Philippe Auguste continued to gain power on the political stage of Europe. He even went so far as to build one of the most beautiful palaces in Christendom, the Louvre. The first Louvre was not built for beauty but for defense with high walls and a deep moat. But the fact that Philippe Auguste was the first king to build a palace off the central island of Ile de la Cite showed that he was strong enough politically and militarily to have a walled fortress 76 | btsemag.com
on the right bank of the Seine without having it overrun by barbarians. The kings of France continued to live there for centuries to come.
Christy English is happiest when she is dreaming. Her dreams have taken her to the royal court of Henry II in The Queen’s Pawn, to medieval Paris in To Be Queen, and now to Regency England in Much Ado About Jack, Love on a Midsummer Night, and How to Tame a Wilfull Wife, where she loves to watch her characters find true love, often in spite of themselves. Please visit her on her blog, on Twitter, or on Facebook.