Siege of Château Gaillard
Encyclopedia
The Siege of Château Gaillard was a part of Philip II
's Campaign to conquer the king of England's continental properties. The French king besieged Château Gaillard, a Norman
fortress, for six months. The Anglo-Normans were beaten in the battle and the consequence was the fall of Normandy.
, a mixture of naphtha
, pitch
, and other ingredients that burst into flames when exposed to air. Strapping a number of clay canisters of flammable material to his body, a Frenchman named Galbert was able to swim to the island behind the castle and place his charges. The resulting inferno enabled the French to storm the island and complete the isolation of the castle. The siege was going to be a long one, so Philip had housing in the form of a crude huts for his troops. He ordered that the trenches he dug to defend the camp and that a 'covered way' be set up to allow his men to approach the castle without danger. The covered way allowed his men to approach the castle without danger. Philip set up his siege engine
s in prepared positions. He ordered that the tops of the hills be leveled off to provide good emplacements for them. These threw heavy rocks at the Anglo-Normans. Meanwhile, Roger de Lacy
was concerned that his supplies might not last until a new relief effort could be mounted. He therefore sent all non-combatants out of the castle. In some ways this might be a merciful gesture, but it was also good sense, in that it meant several hundred fewer people to feed. At first the French let the refugees through their siege lines, but after a time began to refuse them passage. The result was several hundred people ended up trapped between the besiegers and the castle as siege engines and archers exchanged fire over their heads. There they remained for some time, starving until Philip relented and gave them food. His men let them through the lines and they dispersed. King John of England
made another attempt to break the siege, this time by raiding Brittany
to draw off the French. But Philip declined to give up his hard work to chase the English around the countryside, and remained where he was. Disheartened, King John took ship for England and did not return. Throughout the winter of 1203/1204, the defenders made do with what they had as Philip's men received more supplies. They built belfries, mobile structures designed to protect men while they used rams or other equipment to attack walls and gates. By February, the first assault was ready.
, including Anjou
and Touraine
. Plantagenet holdings in France were diminishing. Château Gaillard's commander, Roger de Lacy
, returned to England to begin work reinforcing his own castle at Pontefract
. In England, where King John was already unpopular, the fall of Château Gaillard meant the loss of even more prestige. A king who could not even keep control of his own castles, and who failed to come to the assistance of loyal lords holding out under siege in his name, was a weak king. It is likely that the humiliation of Château Gaillard played a part in the decision of English Barons to challenge
King John. This in turn led to one of the most important events in English history: the signing of Magna Carta
.
Philip II of France
Philip II Augustus was the King of France from 1180 until his death. A member of the House of Capet, Philip Augustus was born at Gonesse in the Val-d'Oise, the son of Louis VII and his third wife, Adela of Champagne...
's Campaign to conquer the king of England's continental properties. The French king besieged Château Gaillard, a Norman
Normans
The Normans were the people who gave their name to Normandy, a region in northern France. They were descended from Norse Viking conquerors of the territory and the native population of Frankish and Gallo-Roman stock...
fortress, for six months. The Anglo-Normans were beaten in the battle and the consequence was the fall of Normandy.
Dispositions
King Philip wished to take control of Normandy. The Castle at Château Gaillard was the key to the campaign, but he did not move against it directly. Instead he attacked a number of lesser castles in the surrounding area, effectively isolating Château Gaillard and ensuring that his operations were not threatened by nearby forces. Having done as much as possible to prevent the relief of the castle, Philip then set about reducing it by siege. It would be a slow process, for Château Gaillard was a powerful fortress. The defenders were of course tied to their base, the castle. They could come out to make local counterattacks, but for the most part they had to simply remain within the defenses and try to counter the moves that Philip made. The Anglo-Normans took the precaution of destroying the bridge, making a river crossing difficult. Philip's forces first filled the ditch and broke through the palisade that defended it. This gave access to the castle proper, and it was necessary before any real operations could be undertaken. A bridge of boats, defended by ingenious floating towers mounted on boats, was set up to allow the French army to move back and forth. With his communications secure and access to the castle now gained, Philip began the work of reducing its defenses.Relief attempts
The Anglo-Normans sent two forces to relieve the castle. One force was to advance up the river in ships and destroy the bridge of boats. The second would fall on the French land forces and defeat them. Like so many other plans, the relief went awry. The land attack went under cover of darkness, but it was heavily unsuccessful. Instead of dividing the attention of the French, the two ill-timed attacks enabled them to concentrate against each in turn and defeat them in detail. By dropping weights on the Norman ships and concentrating archery against them, the French were able to drive off the attack. As the fleet withdrew, cheekily pursued by a handful of Frenchmen sailing in captured vessels, Philip made his opening moves against the castle.Preparations
Even in the medieval period, the successful application of technology allowed a small force to achieve results out of all proportion to the size of the unit. The tool in this case was Greek fireGreek fire
Greek fire was an incendiary weapon used by the Byzantine Empire. The Byzantines typically used it in naval battles to great effect as it could continue burning while floating on water....
, a mixture of naphtha
Naphtha
Naphtha normally refers to a number of different flammable liquid mixtures of hydrocarbons, i.e., a component of natural gas condensate or a distillation product from petroleum, coal tar or peat boiling in a certain range and containing certain hydrocarbons. It is a broad term covering among the...
, pitch
Pitch (resin)
Pitch is the name for any of a number of viscoelastic, solid polymers. Pitch can be made from petroleum products or plants. Petroleum-derived pitch is also called bitumen. Pitch produced from plants is also known as resin. Products made from plant resin are also known as rosin.Pitch was...
, and other ingredients that burst into flames when exposed to air. Strapping a number of clay canisters of flammable material to his body, a Frenchman named Galbert was able to swim to the island behind the castle and place his charges. The resulting inferno enabled the French to storm the island and complete the isolation of the castle. The siege was going to be a long one, so Philip had housing in the form of a crude huts for his troops. He ordered that the trenches he dug to defend the camp and that a 'covered way' be set up to allow his men to approach the castle without danger. The covered way allowed his men to approach the castle without danger. Philip set up his siege engine
Siege engine
A siege engine is a device that is designed to break or circumvent city walls and other fortifications in siege warfare. Some have been operated close to the fortifications, while others have been used to attack from a distance. From antiquity, siege engines were constructed largely of wood and...
s in prepared positions. He ordered that the tops of the hills be leveled off to provide good emplacements for them. These threw heavy rocks at the Anglo-Normans. Meanwhile, Roger de Lacy
Roger de Lacy (1170-1211)
Roger de Lacy , 6th Baron of Pontefract, 7th Lord of Bowland, Lord of Blackburnshire, 7th Baron of Halton and Constable of Chester was formerly Roger le Constable. He was also known as Roger FitzJohn and during the time that he was hoping to inherit his grandmother's de Lisours lands as Roger de...
was concerned that his supplies might not last until a new relief effort could be mounted. He therefore sent all non-combatants out of the castle. In some ways this might be a merciful gesture, but it was also good sense, in that it meant several hundred fewer people to feed. At first the French let the refugees through their siege lines, but after a time began to refuse them passage. The result was several hundred people ended up trapped between the besiegers and the castle as siege engines and archers exchanged fire over their heads. There they remained for some time, starving until Philip relented and gave them food. His men let them through the lines and they dispersed. King John of England
John of England
John , also known as John Lackland , was King of England from 6 April 1199 until his death...
made another attempt to break the siege, this time by raiding Brittany
Brittany
Brittany is a cultural and administrative region in the north-west of France. Previously a kingdom and then a duchy, Brittany was united to the Kingdom of France in 1532 as a province. Brittany has also been referred to as Less, Lesser or Little Britain...
to draw off the French. But Philip declined to give up his hard work to chase the English around the countryside, and remained where he was. Disheartened, King John took ship for England and did not return. Throughout the winter of 1203/1204, the defenders made do with what they had as Philip's men received more supplies. They built belfries, mobile structures designed to protect men while they used rams or other equipment to attack walls and gates. By February, the first assault was ready.
The outer bailey falls
In order to get to the bailey, it was necessary to either breach the walls or open a gate. The latter was not likely, though it was possible to eventually batter through one. Philip's assault came from several directions. While siege engines and archers caused casualties on the walls, other engines and archers caused casualties among the defenders on the walls themselves, covered by belfries with a thick sloping roof to protect the men working inside. Miners worked to undermine the walls. There were many dangers, ranging from early collapse of the tunnel to counter-mining by the enemy, which would result in a desperate close-quarters battle for possession of the tunnels. Philip's assault on the outer bailey also included the most basic of castle assault techniques: escalade. Foot soldiers ran up to the walls with ladders, and began to climb them. Unfortunately, the ladders were too short. Men were under attack by the wall guards, unable to move due to the person behind them. Some of the attackers were able to create footholds in the stonework, and some of them gained the wall. There was bitter hand-to-hand fighting. More men came up the walls. As more Frenchmen gained the outer bailey, it became obvious it could not be held. Those of the defenders who could fled back to the inner bailey prepared themselves for a new assault.The inner bailey falls
The cost in time and lives to gain the outer bailey had been high, but Philip was prepared for this. He decided to attack the last position, the second Bailey. Philip's men climbed up a garderobe (toilet chute) and entered the chapel above. They then let their fellow soldiers into the central bailey, which was captured. The inner bailey was surrounded by a moat, crossed by a natural rock bridge. Using the bridge as cover, the French took the inner bailey. The forces of King John surrendered on March 8, 1204.Aftermath
Having captured Château Gaillard, Philip launched a campaign into English-held territory. Plantagenet prestige and morale had suffered badly. Not only had they lost their fine castles, but their relief attempt had resulted in total defeat. Normandy did not put up much of a fight, and afterwards Philip took Rouen and pushed on all the way to the coast. His campaign gained him several principalitiesPrincipality
A principality is a monarchical feudatory or sovereign state, ruled or reigned over by a monarch with the title of prince or princess, or by a monarch with another title within the generic use of the term prince....
, including Anjou
Anjou
Anjou is a former county , duchy and province centred on the city of Angers in the lower Loire Valley of western France. It corresponds largely to the present-day département of Maine-et-Loire...
and Touraine
Touraine
The Touraine is one of the traditional provinces of France. Its capital was Tours. During the political reorganization of French territory in 1790, the Touraine was divided between the departments of Indre-et-Loire, :Loir-et-Cher and Indre.-Geography:...
. Plantagenet holdings in France were diminishing. Château Gaillard's commander, Roger de Lacy
Roger de Lacy (1170-1211)
Roger de Lacy , 6th Baron of Pontefract, 7th Lord of Bowland, Lord of Blackburnshire, 7th Baron of Halton and Constable of Chester was formerly Roger le Constable. He was also known as Roger FitzJohn and during the time that he was hoping to inherit his grandmother's de Lisours lands as Roger de...
, returned to England to begin work reinforcing his own castle at Pontefract
Pontefract
Pontefract is an historic market town in West Yorkshire, England. Traditionally in the West Riding, near the A1 , the M62 motorway and Castleford. It is one of the five towns in the metropolitan borough of the City of Wakefield and has a population of 28,250...
. In England, where King John was already unpopular, the fall of Château Gaillard meant the loss of even more prestige. A king who could not even keep control of his own castles, and who failed to come to the assistance of loyal lords holding out under siege in his name, was a weak king. It is likely that the humiliation of Château Gaillard played a part in the decision of English Barons to challenge
First Barons' War
The First Barons' War was a civil war in the Kingdom of England, between a group of rebellious barons—led by Robert Fitzwalter and supported by a French army under the future Louis VIII of France—and King John of England...
King John. This in turn led to one of the most important events in English history: the signing of Magna Carta
Magna Carta
Magna Carta is an English charter, originally issued in the year 1215 and reissued later in the 13th century in modified versions, which included the most direct challenges to the monarch's authority to date. The charter first passed into law in 1225...
.