Histoire de France - Moyen Âge; (Vol. 3 / 10)

The narrative opens with a vivid portrait of the late thirteenth‑century French monarch, Philippe III, known as le Hardi, as he returns from a failed Tunis campaign bearing the relics of his fallen companions. Though he inherits a patchwork of lands across the south‑west—Poitou, Auvergne, Toulouse and more—his real power is shadowed by his uncle, Charles d’Anjou, whose ambitions stretch from Naples to Sicily and even claim the title of Jerusalem. This first act lays out the tangled web of dynastic marriages, disputed inheritances and the fierce rivalry between the French crown and the papacy that shaped the political map of medieval Europe.

Beyond the royal intrigues, the work explores how Charles leverages military conquest and papal favor to dominate Italy, positioning himself as both king and arbiter of the Pope’s interests. The author details the uneasy balance of power as popes like Gregory X attempt to curb factionalism while courting the very rulers who threaten their autonomy. Listeners are drawn into a world where crusading zeal, maritime plunder and diplomatic maneuvering converge, setting the stage for the tumultuous decades that follow.