For Minois, the reign of Philip the Fair is first that of the liquidation of an idealized past, that of his great father Saint Louis before being marked by many challenges: relations with England's fate Flanders, the fight against the Pope Boniface VIII, the case of the Templars ... More than complete, the work will be comprehensive on all dimensions of a pivotal moment in the evolution of the kingdom of France: economics, institutions , culture and war.
Georges Minois however hardly make us love Philip the Fair, he describes as an austere person, a marble sphinx more than a king of iron, a handsome man more than a great ruler: taciturn, faithful husband, widower penitent ardent and effective promoter of the national monarchy, the price of a certain intransigence.
The book ends with the rays and shadows hanging over the last years one of the most important kingdoms in the history of France. Annexes (maps, including one in Paris, chronological and genealogical tables are made).
