Philip IV Handsome great king of the High Middle Ages. However, his reign remains a mystery, as does his character and his personality, driven by a true political genius. Was he truly the "Iron King" or did he have an undeserved reputation? Through dramatic events (the attack on Pope Boniface VIII, the trial and execution of the Templars, the adultery of three daughters-in-law, the struggle with England), a constant will is manifested, directed towards one goal: the greatness of the kingdom of France. His ingenuity and imagination are extraordinary, as is his disregard for moral standards. In short, he could have said, like Louis XIV, whom he in many ways resembled, three centuries later: "l'État, c'est moi" ("The State is I"), if he had not been a State in the full sense this word.