The key of Normandy on the Seine: Richard's castle, built in about two years against the 1196 treaty clause that Andely should not be fortified, with the old town of Le Grand-Andely, the new town of Le Petit-Andely and the island fort that closes the river.
Le Goulet will leave Les Andelys to John when the rest of the Norman Vexin goes to Philip.
Who holds it
- Name
- John
- Title
- Duke of Normandy
- Since
- 1199 (ducal since the exchange of 1197)
- Confidence
- high
Lord in 1200
John as duke. Richard took the manor of Andely from the archbishop of Rouen in the exchange of 1197 and built Chateau-Gaillard (1196-98) on the Rock of Andeley with the new walled town of Le Petit-Andely and the fortified island in the Seine. The constable of Chateau-Gaillard this winter is not pinned (Roger de Lacy commands it in 1203-04).
How things stand that morning
John's frontier fortress on 1 January 1200, facing Philip's Gaillon a few miles upstream.
Threats
- Philip at Gaillon and Vernon
Charter
The new town of Le Petit-Andely was founded by Richard; its franchises are not pinned.
Council
Ducal officers; no commune known.
Militia
The castle garrison.
Walls and castle
Chateau-Gaillard with its keep and concentric baileys (built 1196-98); the walled Petit-Andely; the island fort and bridge; a stockade across the Seine.
Trade and crafts
River traffic and tolls on the Seine.
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.
- Mid-January and 22 May 1200The kings meet between Les Andelys and Le Goulet; the treaty keeps Les Andelys for John.Depends on: The peace Stopped by: No treaty
Places of note
- Chateau-Gaillard: Richard's castle on the Rock of Andeley
Where the sources disagree
Evidence: One of the best-known castles of the age.
Primary sources for Angevin lands
Chronicles, registers, sagas and inscriptions written in or near 1200 that cover this entry. Each has its own page with editions, translations and where to read it.
- Chronicle of Alberic of Trois-Fontaines, Alberic of Trois-Fontaines (about 1227 to 1241, at the Cistercian abbey of Trois-Fontaines in Champagne). The widest net of any Latin chronicle for 1200, compiled from dozens of sources, many now lost. Read online
- Chronicles of Saint-Martial of Limoges, Bernard Itier and other monks of Saint-Martial; Geoffrey of Vigeois for the earlier chronicle (Geoffrey's chronicle to 1184; Bernard Itier's notes about 1195 to 1225). Bernard Itier, librarian of Saint-Martial, kept dated notes through 1200 of what reached Limoges: Richard's death at Chalus in 1199, the viscounts of Limoges and the lords of the Limousin, John's passage through Aquitaine in 1200 and the affairs of Angouleme and the Lusignans, and the abbey's own elections and prices. Read online
- Chronicles of the Churches of Anjou (Saint-Aubin, Saint-Serge, Saint-Florent and others), Various (monks of Angers and the Loire) (11th to 13th centuries; the Saint-Aubin annals run to the 1220s). The Angevin houses' own annals of the succession crisis in their city: Arthur received at Angers in 1199 with Constance and the Breton and Angevin barons, John's counter-moves, the defection of William des Roches and the Angevin lords to John, and the peace of 1200 that left Arthur John's vassal. Read online
- The Great Chronicle of Tours, Anonymous (a canon of Saint-Martin of Tours) (about 1227). The Loire valley's view of the Angevin succession. Read online
- Universal Chronicle of the Anonymous of Laon, Anonymous (an English-born canon of Laon) (about 1219). A Picard chronicle whose author had lived in England and keeps an eye on both kingdoms. Read online
- Chronicle of Roger of Howden, Roger of Howden (about 1192 to 1201). The fullest single narrative for the year. Read online
- Chronicle; Deeds of the Kings, Gervase of Canterbury (Chronica about 1188 to 1199; Gesta Regum about 1199 to 1210). The Chronica stops in 1199, so for 1200 the witness is the briefer Gesta Regum, which notes John's peace with Philip, the coronation of Isabella at Westminster on 8 October 1200, and matters touching Canterbury: the archbishop Hubert Walter as chancellor, the cathedral priory's quarrel with him, and the Lambeth college dispute lately settled by the pope. Read online
- English Chronicle of Ralph of Coggeshall, Ralph of Coggeshall (about 1200 to 1224, in stages). Short but independent entries for 1200 from a Cistercian house in Essex: John's levy on the Cistercians and the carucage, the peace with Philip, the king's new marriage and the queen's coronation, and the death of Hugh of Lincoln. Read online
14 more in the sources library for France and Iberia.
Sources and studies
Last revised 4 November 2026. Published 4 November 2026. Suggest a correction on the OMNIA Discord.