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Origin and history

The enclosure of Philippe Auguste, built between the end of the 12th and the beginning of the 13th century, was the second medieval wall of Paris whose route is precisely known. Commanded by the king before his departure for the third crusade (1190), it was designed to protect the capital from the attacks of the Plantagenets, whose territories spread from Normandy to the Pyrenees. The right bank, more exposed, was fortified as a priority (1190–1209), followed by the left bank (1200–1215). With a total length of 5,385 metres, it covered 253 hectares and housed approximately 50,000 inhabitants.

Funding was shared between the Crown (at least £7,020 for the left bank) and the Parisian bourgeois, the latter probably contributing a third to half the costs. The wall, 6 to 9 metres high and 4 to 6 metres thick, was flanked by 73 semi-cylindrical towers and pierced by 14 main doors, some of which, like the Saint-Honoré gate or the Saint-Antoine gate, played a key role in the control of commercial axes. In contrast to the later enclosures, the one by Philippe Auguste did not have any ditches outside the original area, since the Parisian roads were located nearby.

The enclosure accompanied the urban development of Paris, promoting the development of commercial districts (such as the Champeaux) and the creation of colleges on the left bank, making the city a major political and cultural centre. In the 14th century, despite the construction of Charles V's enclosure on the right bank, that of Philippe Auguste remained in place, reinforced by ditches and barbacans. It was not dismantled until the 16th century, under Francis I, to give way to the expansion of the city. Today, some 20 remains classified as historical monuments remain, embedded in buildings or visible in private courtyards.

Among the preserved portions are sections rue des Jardins-Saint-Paul (4th), where a 60-metre courtyard connects two towers, or rue d'Arras (5th), where remains are visible in basements and private properties. The Montgomery Tower, named after the Scottish captain who accidentally killed Henry II, is a notable example. The current streets such as the Fossés-Saint-Bernard or Monsieur-le-Prince follow the old route of the ditches filled in the seventeenth century. These relics bear witness to the lasting impact of this forum on Paris, despite its gradual disappearance.

The enclosure also played a defensive role in the river thanks to four imposing towers (turn of the Corner, tower of Nesle, tower Barbeau, tournelle Saint-Bernard) connected by chains to block navigation on the Seine. These adjustments reflected the strategic concerns of the time, where Paris became a major issue between Capetians and Plantagenets. Its urban heritage persists in the orientation of the streets (such as Rue Saint-Honoré) and the location of historic markets, such as Les Halles, transferred under Philippe Auguste from the Saint-Lazare enclosure.

Ranked as a historic monument in 1889, Philippe Auguste's compound illustrates the evolution of medieval military techniques and the affirmation of royal power. Its layout, although less visible than that of the boulevards from the later enclosures, remains an invisible yet fundamental marker of Parisian history, still influencing the morphology of the city today.

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