Part 3, The Hand of God; Chapter's 4-5 Summary and Analysis

Chapter Four, "The King's Summer' continues the mood previously described, of King Philip the Fair loosing his surety of authority. The writer reveals in Chapter Four how, during the summer following Nogaret's death the king took to journeying to his summer residences (his 'escapes') in a seeming quest for peace of mind, but could find none. He is constantly beset by problems of state, in particular the problems with the treasury and the question of Flanders.

In Chapter Four it is revealed that the Kingdom of France is involved in a decades long rivalry with the province of Flanders, who refuse to join the young Nation_state and periodically are either occupied or emerge into open revolt. The constant war with Flanders has cost the Treasury dearly, and the...