With the death of Richard in Chalus, the crown of England was tottering. John was supposed to be the next king. Eleanor of Guyenne his mother and most of the Anglo-Norman barons accepted but some barons (from Touraine, Maine and Anjou) thought that Arthur of Brittany, Geoffroi Plantagenet’s son was the true king according to the Norman law. King Philippe II of France seemed to help the young prince that stayed in Paris for a year. However King Philippe II with the treaty of peace in 1200 with John and recognized him as the true heir of the Plantagenet Empire. In late 1201, Arthur became Duke of Brittany when his mother died.
In early 1202, King Philippe II attacked Normandy ; Arthur rode with him and was honoured with knighthood by King Philippe II himself. The french king also promised his daughter to the young duke. Arthur also claimed the county of Anjou, Maine, Touraine and Poitou but he first had to conquest them.
In july 1202, the fifteen years old prince besieged the town of Mirebeau, a crossroad of Maine, Touraine and Poitou. Eleanor, Arthur’s grandmother was in the castle. Supported by lords of Brittany , with lords from Berry (like Andrew de Chauvigny or Hugues de Lusignan and Geoffroy de Lusignan) and Burgundy. Arthur forces captured the town but the castle resisted. Eleanor, seventy-eight, in the main tower, held the place.
Meanwhile John was in the city of Le Mans in Touraine. He gathered some loyal barons and lords for a rescue party. One of them was William des Roches, Seneschal of Anjou. This lord first supported Arthur but loyal to the Plantagenet, he considered him a pawn in King Philippe’s hand. So he joined John Lackland, trying to bring the uncle and the nephew back together. William des Roches led the english forces as King John gave his word that the young duke will be safe. The party made a forced march and in 36 hours the loyalists reached the town of Mirebeau. All the gates were closed to kept the inhabitants inside but one used by Arthur’s men was opened.
On the morning of the 1st of August, William des Roches and his men stormed the city through that gate. The defenders sounded the alarm as the royal army arrived. Geoffroi de Lusignan was taking his breakfast with two roasted pigeons.
The battle was fierce, many young knights were killed and many rebellious barons were captured William de Braose, baron of Kington was the one who captured Arthur, duke of Brittany. Hugues de Lusignan, count of La Marche, Geoffroi de Lusignan, Andrew de Chavigny or Raymond de Thouars, lord of Mauléon. Gerard de Furnival whose his father fought with King Richard at the Siege of Acre, captured Conan de Léon, a lord of Brittany.
All the captives were sent to Rouen and held imprisoned. Some of them were starved to death and died like Andrew de Chauvigny. Arthur was first kept in Falaise by William de Braose before being to Rouen under King John’s survey. He vanished in April 1203 in Rouen.
King Philippe II of France reacted and with the support of barons and lords that were still loyal to Arthur, he attacked Normandy, captured Château-Gaillard despite a strong resistance of Roger de Lacy in 1204. The magnificent fortress erected by King Richard was now in french hands.
In 1208, Maud de Braose accused King John of murdering Arthur. She was the wife of William de Braose, baron of Kington who was very close to King John and possibly knew things about Arthur’s doom. Even the king of France didn’t know what happened to Arthur at this time. The baron fell in disgrace in 1208, after these leaks and was forced to fled to France with his son Gilles while his wife and his elder son were imprisoned in Corfe castle and starved to death.
Eleanor of Brittany, Arthur’s sister, true heir of the Plantagenet, stayed imprisoned during nearly forty years before dying under the reign of Henry III. Alix de Thouars, Arthur’s half-sister married Pierre de Dreux, a king of France’s supporter in 1214. Pierre de Dreux became Duke of Brittany
I painted a lot of characters of this battle and I had the project to prepare a multi-players participation game for shows around this battle.
However the project was postponed and I still have a square Main tower to build from scratch and the town of Mirebeau’s walls to paint.
