The Deeds of Philip Augustus , by rigord

This chapter presents a translation of Rigord's Deeds of Philip Augustus (Gesta Philippi Augusti). the first decade of the reign of King Philip II of France was characterized by his assault on the Jews and his struggles with Henry II. French Jews had participated in the twelfth century's rising prosperity, establishing or expanding communities in northern France while thriving particularly in Paris. However, in Philip II's generation, a Christian backlash was epitomized by the “blood libel,” the claim that Jews ritually murdered Christian babies. the Jews of the Capetian royal domain were arrested in 1181 and expelled in 1182, and their properties and a portion of their outstanding loans were absorbed into the royal treasury. Meanwhile, Philip continued to support the rebellions of Henry II's sons Richard and Geoffrey; but Richard I “the Lionheart” of England proved every bit as skillful as his father in fending off French aggression. Richard took the cross as early as 1187, and Philip II pledged to go on crusade in 1188. Across the 1190s, Philip's battles with King Richard seesawed until Richard was succeeded by his brother, the infamous King John. the chapter then details the completion of Philip's conquest of Normandy, the ancestral heart of the Anglo-Norman territories.