The open country of the Norman Vexin between Philip's Epte and Seine castles (Gisors and Neaufles since 1193; Vernon and Gaillon since January 1196) and John's line of the Andelle and the Seine (Chateau-Gaillard and Les Andelys, Lyons-la-Foret, Gournay to the north).
It was fought over every campaigning season from 1193 to 1198: Richard's raids into the French Vexin in September 1198 ended with Philip's rout at Gisors (28 September 1198), and both sides burnt villages in the plain. A truce has been in force since the autumn of 1199 and runs to about 13 January 1200, so there is no campaign this winter; but the garrisons face each other a few miles apart and the plain between them is a raided, half-deserted zone.
How things stand that morning
Truce in force; a raided belt, not a battlefield, this winter.
Who raids here
Philip's garrisons at Gisors, Neaufles, Vernon and Gaillon (Cadoc's routiers) raid west toward the Andelle; John's garrisons at Chateau-Gaillard, Les Andelys, Lyons and Gournay raid east toward the Epte.
Anchor castles
- Philip
- Gisors
- Neaufles-Saint-Martin
- Vernon
- Gaillon
- John
- Chateau-Gaillard (Les Andelys)
- Lyons-la-Foret
- Gournay-en-Bray
- Pont-Saint-Pierre
Last campaign
September 1198 (Richard's victory at Gisors). After Richard's death Philip struck at Evreux (April 1199) and the summer war of 1199 was fought mainly in Maine; how much raiding the Vexin saw in 1199 is not pinned. Truce in force on 1 January 1200.
What the year holds
What happened next, if nothing in play changes it. Each event carries what it depends on and what would stop it.
- 22 May 1200Le Goulet gives Philip the Norman Vexin except Les Andelys; the belt becomes a fixed frontier between Chateau-Gaillard and Philip's castles.Depends on: The peace Stopped by: No treaty
Where the sources disagree
- The date rule calls the Norman Vexin Angevin on 1 January 1200; the eastern Vexin castles are Philip's in fact (Gisors since 1193), the western Vexin John's.
Evidence: The war of 1193-98 is well documented; the state of the countryside in the winter of 1199-1200 is inferred.
On the map: A belt drawn between the castle lines; its edges are a judgement.
Sources and studies
Last revised 4 November 2026. Published 4 November 2026. Suggest a correction on the OMNIA Discord.