Anglo-French War (1202–1214)

The Anglo-French War was a war between the Kingdom of France and the Kingdom of England. The war was mainly fought in Normandy, where John of England fought King Philip II of France for domination. The end of the war came at the decisive Battle of Bouvines, where Philip defeated England and its allies.

The English territory in Normandy was one of the hot spots of wars between France and England. In the past, Richard I of England fought Philip II of France here. When his successor, John of England, rose to the throne, he fought to expand his empire. First, he launched his campaign in Normandy to rival Philip in control of all the lands. He lost so much territory, leading up to the major battle at Château Gaillard from 1203 to 1204.

The English army retreated to the castle, holding their position. Though all of their relief attempts failed, they held out for years. Soon, Philip ordered his men to climb up garderobes, or toilet chutes. The sneak attacks resulted in the fall of the castle.

In 1214, when Pope Innocent III assembled an alliance of states against France, John registered in. The allies met Philip near Bouvines. The Battle of Bouvines saw Philip win with the smaller amount of troops due to using couched lances. The victory for France ended in the conquest of Flanders and the defeat of any attempt from John to regain his lost territories.

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