Second Phase
The warfare in 1196 and 1197 was short and sharp, but lower key. At first things did not seem to be going the Lionheart’s way. He had to attend to problems in Brittany, while at about that time his nephew and designated heir, Arthur of Brittany, was smuggled into Philip’s hands. This was a major blow — should Richard fail to sire a son, the Angevin empire would now be inherited by John.

Philip then won the Siege of Aumale, which Richard had tried unsuccessfully to relieve. Later, at the Siege of Gaillon, Richard was wounded by a crossbow bolt, putting him out of action for more than a month. Richard did have some diplomatic success in October 1196; he ended a 40-year war with Toulouse by marrying his sister Joan off to Count Raymond of Toulouse.

Richard was also building a majestic and powerful castle at Les Andelys-sur-Seine. Calling it Château Gaillard, Richard took two years and the then-immense sum of 11,500 pounds sterling to erect the castle, but he was so happy with the results that he confidently declared he could defend it even if its walls were made of butter. Les Andelys was not, however, a defensive bastion but an offensive one. It would become the base camp for Richard’s campaign to retake the lands that he had lost in Normandy.

Richard was keen to knock out one of Philip’s key allies, the count of Flanders, now Baldwin IX, and he managed this through a trade embargo. Flanders, one of Europe’s workshops, had far too many mouths to feed for the amount of land available; it had always imported grain from England to overcome the danger of starvation. The principal economy of the region, weaving, also relied heavily on English wool.

With English grain and wool slashed from the Flemish economy, Baldwin was under a great deal of pressure to come over to the Angevin side. As well as a stick — the embargo — Richard also offered a carrot: the promise of full payment in arrears of Baldwin’s English pension and the gift of 5,000 marks. In 1197 the count of Flanders switched his allegiance to Richard.

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Philip Outplayed
Richard had a major success on an unexpected front in 1198 when the Holy Roman emperor, Henry VI, died, leaving a 3-year-old heir. In his place the German electors of the empire settled on Otto of Brunswick — Richard’s nephew. With the empire and the coalition of Rhineland supporters backing him, Richard was in a good position to not only pressure Philip but also grab the pope’s attention. In addition, Richard had obtained support from the count of Boulogne and many other Norman lords who were again switching sides, hoping to back the likeliest winner.

Philip launched his campaign of 1198 with an extensive attack on the Vexin, reportedly sacking and burning 18 settlements. He was pushed back, however, and with Baldwin launching an attack into the Artois, Philip’s attention was distracted from fighting Richard.

On September 27, Richard’s forces struck into the Vexin, taking Courcelles-Chaussy and Boury before returning to Dangu. Philip, back in the region, mistakenly believed that Courcelles-Chaussy was still holding out and rode with 300 knights and sergeants to its relief. Mercadier and a local knight witnessed the French leaving and reported to Richard. Characteristically, the English king called for an immediate attack. Once again the French army was surprised and started to flee toward the nearest place of refuge — Gisors. Bunched together, the French knights and Philip attempted to cross the Epte River on a bridge that promptly collapsed under their weight. According to Anglo-Norman chroniclers, the French king drank of the river before being pulled out. About 18 of his knights drowned, but the bulk of his men made it to Gisors, a position far too strong for Richard to consider storming or besieging with the forces at his disposal.

Philip soon regrouped his army and raided Normandy anew, again targeting Evreux. Richard countered Philip’s offensive with a counterattack in the Vexin, while Mercadier led a raid on Abbeville.

By the fall of 1198, Richard had regained almost all that had been lost in 1193, and his power base and alliances seemed stronger than ever. To strive for a more permanent peace, Philip offered Richard the return of all the territories he had taken except Gisors. Richard refused to contemplate a separate peace without Count Baldwin being included, so a truce was arranged and a date set for further talks.

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