The Iron King | 2. The Double Cross

This episode delves into the historical maritime conflicts between England and France in 1293, escalating into a war that would last for decades.

1. The episode highlights the brutality and unexpected tactics used in maritime warfare during the late 13th century.
2. It underscores the complex familial and political relationships between the English and French monarchies.
3. The narrative explores Philip the Fair's strategic acumen and his long-term vision for France's dominance.
4. It also details the implications of the naval battle, setting the stage for a prolonged conflict known as the Hundred Years' War.
5. The personal stories of the sailors and kings provide a human element to the historical events.

1: The Battle at Sea

This chapter vividly describes a naval battle where French and English ships clash off Normandy. The chaotic scene is marked by traditional and unconventional warfare. Danielle Cebulski: "As iron cauldrons filled with soap crash onto the decks, the battle takes a slippery turn, illustrating the desperate measures of warfare."

2: Royal Ambitions

Explores the historical backdrop of the French and English monarchies, detailing the political and familial ties that complicate their relationships. Danielle Cebulski: "Philip the Fair and Edward I, once bound by family and peace treaties, now find themselves on a collision course of war."

3: The Double Cross

Focuses on the strategic maneuvering post-battle, where deceit and alliances shift the balance of power between the nations. Danielle Cebulski: "With a single act of betrayal, Philip the Fair sets the stage for a broader conflict, turning family ties into strategic liabilities."

1. Learn from History: Use past conflicts to understand modern international relations.
2. Strategic Thinking: In personal and professional conflicts, think several steps ahead.
3. Understand Alliances: Evaluate how your alliances affect broader outcomes.
4. Adapt Tactics: Be prepared to change tactics in response to evolving situations.
5. Personal Relationships: Maintain clear communication in all relationships to prevent misunderstandings.

Philip the Fair begins his reign with a strange, robot-like attitude and a fevered dedication to restoring the glory of France. As naval skirmishes in the channel escalate with the most unusual war tactics, Philip is faced with his first real challenge as leader: a showdown with Plantagenet bully, King Edward I.

People

Philip the Fair, Edward I

Content Warnings:

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Danielle Cebulski
The waves pitch and roll, slamming into the sides of the wooden ship with a crash, spraying saltwater over the deck. A small vessel dips into the trough of one swell, lifting again to crest another. The french sailors aboard desperately try to keep their balance as they clutch their crossbows. The air is thick with the twang of bolts and the grunts and curses of the men as they hurry to reload. They are fighting for their lives.

One sailor takes a few steps back from the rail, then launches himself forward and hurls a spear high into the air. Its iron tip gleams as it arcs towards its target, disappearing into the bright light of the east. Hidden directly in the glare of the mid morning sun. An english ship approaches.

For months, french and english sailors have been at each other's throats. They've been cutting fishing nets, skirmishing and chasing each other off course, causing no end of annoyance and delay to one another. But on this morning in 1293, off the coast of Normandy, the long months of irritation have erupted into full blown battle.

As the french fire blindly at the shadowy silhouette of the enemy, they can't be sure whether the English intend to capture them or cut them down and cast them into the depths. Their ship is already splintered with crossbow quarrels and littered with bodies that slide across the deck with every motion of the sea. Suddenly, a panicked cry goes up from the spotter, up the mast. The english vessel is much closer than anyone expected, and it's headed directly towards their side. If it rams them at this angle, they'll be trapped and helpless.

The french helmsman wrenches the wheel in desperation. If he can turn the rudder fast enough, there's a chance the english ship might just clip the back of the boat instead. But it's too late. The french crew braces for impact as the english ship rams into the starboard side.

Within seconds, grappling hooks rain down onto the deck, leaving gouges in the wood. As they scrape along and catch the rail, the French draw their daggers to hack at the ropes. But before they can reach them, they're distracted by strange shadows falling across the boat. They look up and see some dark, dark objects hurtling through the air and have only a split second to wonder, are those cooking pots? Before the iron cauldrons slam into the deck, the pots crash over.

Liquid splashes high into the air and spills over the deck. The liquid is soap, and soon bubbles sweep over the soaking cords. The French are now filling fish in an extremely slippery barrel. They frantically cling to anything they can, but many slide overboard, disappearing into the foam. It's a humiliating way to go.

The English on the deck above seize their advantage with a vengeance. They shower the french ship with crossbow fire, spears and rocks.

Before long, the battle is over. As the remaining handful of french sailors hold out their arms to be bound by thick ropes, they look out across the water for their comrades. One french ship is on fire. Another sinks quickly beneath the waves and vanishes.

The victorious English set a course for home, celebrating their triumph and dreaming of what they'll do with the money they'll get. For the prisoners, their attack on the French was a resounding success. Little do they know, they've just ignited a firestorm that will engulf two of the most powerful kingdoms in Europe in a war that will last for a decade.

I'm Danielle Cebulski, and from Sony Music Entertainment, this is history presents the Iron King.

Episode two, the Double Cross.

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Danielle Cebulski
If you're an avid listener of this is history, you might not be shocked that England and France are at it again. But for more or less ordinary piracy to turn into full blown war was kind of unexpected in 1293. For decades, the english and french royal houses have actually been pretty tight. Henry III and Louis IX had married a pair of sisters, the formidable Eleanor and Margaret of Provence, and their kids, Philip the Bold and Edward I, were friendly first cousins, exchanging Christmas cards and having backyard barbecues together. The Treaty of Paris that their fathers had signed was supposed to guarantee eternal peace and harmony.

Rainbows and unicorns. So what happened? Youve heard the story of the fallout from Edwards side, how he was blindsided by his cousin while he was busy bullying the Scots. But Philip had always had what you might call grand ideas. To understand why, hed get into a shoving match with Edward in 1293, weve got to take a good look at Philip and the kind of king hes shaping up to be.

Philip never expected to rule, so maybe he always had something to prove. He was born a second son. Despair, as it were. His elder brother, another Louis, naturally, had been the heir, leaving Philip well and truly out of the spotlight. That is, at least until Louis died suddenly at the age of twelve.

By strange coincidence, the same month, May 1276, Phillips stepmother, Marie, gave birth to her own son, named, you guessed it, Louis. For many people, this was just too much of a coincidence.

Whispers of poison began to swirl, and Marie was accused of murdering the prince in order to place her own little Louis on the throne. Eight year old Philip was next in line, and he never stopped believing that God had spared him for a purpose. Although his so called evil stepmother was eventually exonerated, Philip spent the rest of his life giving her the side eye. When Philip became heir to the throne, he took on the responsibility with a fierce and single minded determination that was to be the hallmark of his character. While most teenagers were streaming top 40 hits, Philip was commissioning a book of advice, a sort of kingship for dummies, written by the renowned scholar Giles of Rome.

Leaning on centuries of venerable sources, Giles advised the prince to be dignified and reserved, to always act as if the entire world, including God, was watching and never to let his hair down in front of anyone. Of course, Giles also said that a king had to be at least a little bit warm and fuzzy. But it looks like Philip skipped that part. The only fun he ever allowed himself was hunting. And even then, part of his enjoyment seems to be how guilty it made him feel.

As soon as his father, Philip the bold, dies. Philip hightails it back to Paris, where he promptly replaces all his dads counselors with clever men he can count on. To support his twin obsessions, the glory of France and rigid moral purity. From the moment the crown touches his head, Philip becomes an ice cold example of kingly perfection. He has his minions deliver his edicts so he can keep his distance in case they turn out to be unpopular.

And he never makes a decision without a posse of lawyers, counselors or politicians to back him up with proof of his righteousness. Its almost as if he looks across the water at the temperamental, hot headed plantagenets and thinks, nope. As a result, no one knows quite what to make of this robot king. One contemporary says hes not a man or a beast, but a statue. But is he really an empty vessel led around by the nose by his chief counselors?

Or is he a master ventriloquist, making the dummies around him speak without ever moving his own lips?

The one thing everyone does agree on is that Philip is handsome, which is how he gets the moniker Philippe le Bel, or Philip the fair. His official effigy. As Saint Denis shows, he was a man with high cheekbones and symmetrical features. His blonde hair cut chin length, his face clean shaven. Under his magnificent robes, he rocks a dad bod.

After all, giles of Rome said, a king shouldnt have chiseled abs like some sort of gym rat peasant. Instead, he should exercise his mind, preferably by continuing to commission great books. In his quest to become chief of the french morality police, Philip was ably assisted by a deputy, his wife Joan. When Joan's father, the king of Navarre, died in 1274, two year old Joan and her mother Blanche fled to the court of Philip the Bold in Paris. Before long, the children were betrothed, giving Navarre a strong ally and the spare son his own kingdom.

Joan and Philip grew up together in the french royal household, marrying when Philip was 16 and Joan eleven. While this arrangement gives us the creeps, it made sense to medieval minds. Luckily for the bride and groom, if not for those who would cross them, their union became a love match. For Philip, marriage to Joan of Navarre was a delicious affair, since she also brought with her champagne and brie, not just the foods, but the entire counties. This was the beginning of Philips mission to collect territories like monopoly squares, bringing more and more french counties under his direct control.

Its Philips obsession with a united France that puts him on a collision course with the Plantagenet king Edward, but its actually his brothers obsession that kicks the whole conflict off. As youll remember from last episode, Philips brother Charles was promised the kingdom of Aragon by the pope. Trying to actually take it was a total disaster and claimed the life of their dear old dad. But Charles cant let it go. Hes convinced that he can still win Aragon if only his big brother will back him.

But despite his bringing it up at the dinner table nearly every night for the better part of a decade, Philip wont budge. At this point, pretty much everyone in Europe is tired of trying to figure out who is actually supposed to be ruling Aragon. So in 1291, delegations are sent from France, Aragon and the pope to sort out the mess. As just about the only kingdom without a dog in the fight, England is chosen to mediate. This is good news to Charles.

After all, the king of England, Edward I, is his cousin, and family is family. Aragon will finally be his. Charles should have known better, given how the Plantagenets treat family, because when the meeting ends and the cigars are passed out, Aragon has officially been handed back to the Aragonese. Charles dreams of ruling his very own kingdom go up in smoke. Hes hurt and embarrassed, and he blames England.

So when Charles sees an opportunity to stir things up, he does. He starts to encourage the escalation of piracy between french and english ships along the french coastline. A bit of aggression has always been part of life at sea, but now things get nasty. Back in Paris, Philip the fair receives news of the skirmishes with interest. While hes never cared much about Charles claim to Aragon, one of the counties hes always itched to collect is English owned Gascony.

So when his little brother baits the English into sacking a french port, Philip pounces.

Gascony is one of the few counties left in Plantagenet control. After a series of blunders by King John and Henry III see seasons three and four of this is history. The Plantagenets have always ruled Gascony as vassals. Technically, that means that at least where this particular county is concerned, Philip the fair is Edwards overlord.

And if theres one thing Philip loves above all, its lording over, when he hears about french citizens being captured and held for ransom, Philip summons Edward to Paris with the words people in just about any relationship never want to hear. We need to talk. But Edward isnt worried. Philip has been on the throne for almost ten years, while Edward has been ruling since his cousin was just out of diapers and they had a great family reunion a few years back, hanging out and going glamping together. Philip, he thinks, needs to flex a little bit.

Fair enough. What Edward doesnt expect is that his cousin is playing the long game.

When Philips summons arrives, Edward is in the middle of strong arming the Scots so he doesnt have time to head across the sea at the snap of Philips fingers. Instead he sends his brother Edmund to make his apologies for him. Philip welcomes Edmund with open arms as a beloved cousin and begins the negotiations. With an uncharacteristic warmth he asks for Edward to agree to place Gascony in his hands. Only for a minute, you understand?

Just long enough for Philip to show his counsel. Hes still top dog. Then Philip promises hell. Give it right back. Oh, and Edward is welcome to Mary Philips gorgeous sister Margaret to seal the deal.

Considering this little mousetrap is a page straight out of Edwards own playbook for Scotland, its truly unbelievable that he falls for it. Longshanks was one of the smartest, most wily plantagenets ever to sit the english throne. And yet he plays directly into Philips hands delivering Gascony without protesting what could possibly go wrong. The second he has a grip on Gascony, Philip declares no take backs and confiscates the whole county on the grounds that Edward never showed up personally for his appointment. Edward is gobsmacked.

To make matters worse, he slowly realizes that the fleet that Philip said hed been building to help out his brother Charles was actually being prepared for this war. According to one chronicle, the king went red and became very afraid because he had acted less than wisely. Philip, on the other hand, is in an ecstasy of delight, although hed never let it crack his handsome mask. When the king of Scotland secretly sends envoys to Paris to ask for help in their fight against England, Philip is only too happy to oblige. He promises to have Scotlands back in a deal now known as the Old alliance.

Its a shrewd move that will end up haunting England for centuries. Philip knows that with Edward distracted by the Scots its only a matter of time before Gascony is his. But like the guy who picks a fight with the toughest con in the prison yard just to show he isnt afraid, Philip has just thrown down with the hardest king the Plantagenet dynasty has ever produced. Its a showdown at the ok corral and the fate of both nations is held in the balance.

At the edge of the wood, the french soldiers crouch on the frozen ground, the plumes of their breath mingling with the early morning mist. They shuffle their feet, flexing their hands around the hilts of their swords to keep the blood circulating. Archers idly run their fingers across the fletching of their arrows, knocked but not drawn. No one speaks as they peer through the fog that hovers above the road it's January 30, 1297, and theyve heard the english army is headed eastward from the coastal city of Bayonne to Bonnegarde to set up a stronghold there. Since Philip I confiscated Gascony and started garrisoning its castles, the English have been desperately trying to claw back their territory without much help from their brethren back home.

As Philips soldiers crouch by the roadside, they try not to think about the rumors. Theyve heard that the king is running short on cash. No one wants to risk his life for free. But as they hear the crunch of english feet on the gravel road and see the glint of armor through the fog, the men put such thoughts aside.

There is the quiet creak of bowstrings as the archers draw, the soldiers look anxiously towards their commander. To move too soon is to give away the element of surprise, their best weapon in the coming skirmish. As the English come up alongside their position, the french commander, a burly lord named Robert of Artois, drops his hand, and the archers loose.

Their arrows punch through the chainmail of the enemy soldiers. At this range, dozens of english soldiers are killed. Before they realize what's happening.

The surviving men draw their weapons and try to fight their way towards the French. But the arrows continue to rain death upon the road. Panicked, they look for cover, but there's nowhere to hide. They're totally exposed. Some of the English turn and run, crashing into their fellow soldiers and causing chaos.

The french soldiers chase after them, cutting down anyone who trips or slows. Only a handful of the English escape.

This victory in the south is definitely worth celebrating for the French, but Englands not yet down for the count. On the same day, Robert of Artois wrotes the Gascons. Edward plays an ace. He forms an alliance with a coalition of rebels in Flanders.

At this moment in time, Flanders is to France basically what Scotland is to England. Both are northern territories a swaggering southern king wants to control, and both are not having any of it. Flanders has been in low level rebellion for years, chafing against Philips rule and his taxes. But alliance with England means the Flemings now have a lot more firepower. It also means Edward has access to France from the north.

Suddenly, Philip is fighting on two fronts. His Plantagenet cousin has given Philip a taste of his own medicine. Its a dangerous position to be in, and its getting perilously expensive to pay for war. Philip has taxed the people again and again. Like Edward, hes even taxed the church, something that is only supposed to be done for crusading purposes.

The year before the ambush in Gascony Pope Boniface VIII had sent out a scathing letter threatening any king who stole from the church with excommunication. He didnt name names, but he was definitely looking down his spectacles at both Philip and Edward. When Philip brazenly cuts off exports from France. In response crippling the popes own ability to pay the bills, Boniface grudgingly reverses his position. Taxing the clergy is okay, he writes, but only in emergencies.

He even canonizes Louis IX to appease the french king. But even in defeat, Boniface cant help but be massively condescending towards Philip. Its something he will soon bitterly regret.

In the meantime, Philip shamelessly calls his greed for Gascony an emergency and goes right on squeezing the church for money. In 1298, Edward takes a hard hit at the battle of Stirling Bridge, while Philip is still bleeding money to keep soldiers in both Gascony and Flanders like prizefighters panting in their corners between rounds, the two kings call a temporary truce, and then they extend it and extend it again. With the pope serving as referee, the cousins finally agree that everything should just go back to the way it was before Philip picked a fight. Gascony will remain in english hands, with Edward continuing to serve as a vassal to Philip. To show their good faith, both cousins promptly dump their allies.

Philip ghosts Scotland conveniently forgetting about the old alliance, and Edward sends ships to support Philip in Flanders. Philip sends his sister Margaret off to marry Edward and betroths his favorite child, Isabella, to Edwards son, Edward of Carnarvon. The union of the two royal houses is to bring eternal peace to both England and France again, and it works just about as well as any other treaty youve heard about on this is history.

But for now, Edward Longshanks is relieved. Finally, he can turn his full attention to hammering the Scots without looking over his shoulder. Pope Boniface is thrilled to have been able to boss around the most important men in Europe. Hes also completely oblivious to the fact that in threatening Philip and talking down to him, hes kicked a hornets nest of epic proportions. Behind his expressionless mask, Philip is nursing a bone deep resentment against the pope.

Its a grudge match that will leave one of them dead and the Catholic Church in confusion for 100 years.

But that's next time on this is history presents the Iron King.