There are two names in the title of this book: Enguerrand de Marigny, a humble Norman knight, and Philip the Fair, the great king of France. Both of these characters were inextricably linked with each other: the French kingdom entered the 14th century. under the rule of these people, one of whom was a powerful monarch of medieval Europe, the other his faithful minister. Together they decided the destinies of thousands of people: they sent troops to Flanders, negotiated with the papal curia, and sent the Templars to the stake. But only Enguerrand de Marigny paid the price for this.

How did it happen that a simple knight from the retinue of the French queen overnight gained the favor of the king and ascended to the pinnacle of power, and then just as quickly ended up in prison, and from there he went to the gallows at Montfocop? Who exactly was Enguerrand de Marigny for King Philip, a devoted assistant who zealously implemented the unspoken orders of his master, or an evil genius who bewitched the king and pushed him to commit unrighteous deeds, under whose harsh hand the entire kingdom suffered?

On These and other questions are answered by the famous French historian Jean Favier. On the pages of his book, the author creates to the smallest detail the daily life of the royal court, the mechanism of royal power, the rivalry of court groups, against the backdrop of which Enguerrand de Marigny made his ascent to power.