Normandy | Page 8

cloud. The stone of the towers and heavily buttressed walls
appears almost as white as the chalk which crops out in the form of
cliffs along the river-side. An island crowded with willows that
overhang the water partially hides the village of Le Petit-Andely, and
close at hand above the steep slopes of grass that rise from the roadway
tower great masses of gleaming white chalk projecting from the vivid
turf as though they were the worn ruins of other castles. The whiteness
is only broken by the horizontal lines of flints and the blue-grey
shadows that fill the crevices.
From the hill above the Chateau there is another and even more striking
view. It is the one that appears in Turner's picture just mentioned, and
gives one some idea of the magnificent position that Richard Coeur de
Lion chose, when in 1197 he decided to build an impregnable fortress
on this bend of the Seine. It was soon after his return from captivity
which followed the disastrous crusade that Richard commenced to

show Philippe Auguste that he was determined to hold his French
possessions with his whole strength. Philippe had warned John when
the news of the release of the lion-hearted king from captivity had
become known, that "the devil was unchained," and the building of this
castle showed that Richard was making the most of his opportunities.
The French king was, with some justification, furious with his
neighbour, for Richard had recently given his word not to fortify this
place, and some fierce fighting would have ensued on top of the threats
which the monarchs exchanged, but for the death of the English king in
1199. When John assumed the crown of England, however, Philippe
soon found cause to quarrel with him, and thus the great siege of the
castle was only postponed for three or four years. The French king
brought his army across the peninsula formed by the Seine, and having
succeeded in destroying the bridge beneath the castle, he constructed
one for himself with boats and soon afterwards managed to capture the
island, despite its strong fortifications. The leader of the English
garrison was the courageous Roger de Lacy, Constable of Chester.
From his knowledge of the character of his new king, de Lacy would
have expected little assistance from the outside and would have relied
upon his own resources to defend Richard's masterpiece. John made
one attempt to succour the garrison. He brought his army across the
level country and essayed to destroy the bridge of boats constructed by
the French. This one effort proving unsuccessful he took no other
measures to distract the besieging army, and left Roger de Lacy to the
undivided attention of the Frenchmen. Then followed a terrible struggle.
The French king succeeded in drawing his lines closer to the castle
itself and eventually obtained possession of the outer fortifications and
the village of Le Petit-Andely, from which the inhabitants fled to the
protection of the castle. The governor had no wish to have all his
supplies consumed by non-combatants, and soon compelled these
defenceless folk to go out of the protection of his huge walls. At first
the besiegers seemed to have allowed the people to pass unmolested,
but probably realizing the embarrassment they would have been to the
garrison, they altered their minds, and drove most of them back to the
castle. Here they gained a reception almost as hostile as that of the
enemy, and after being shot down by the arrows of the French they
remained for days in a starving condition in a hollow between the

hostile lines. Here they would all have died of hunger, but Philippe at
last took pity on the terrible plight of these defenceless women and
children and old folks, and having allowed them a small supply of
provisions they were at last released from their ghastly position. Such a
tragedy as this lends terrible pathos to the grassy steeps and hollows
surrounding the chateau and one may almost be astonished that such
callousness could have existed in these days of chivalry.
The siege was continued with rigour and a most strenuous attack was
made upon the end of the castle that adjoined the high ground that
overlooks the ruins. With magnificent courage the Frenchmen
succeeded in mining the walls, and having rushed into the breach they
soon made themselves masters of the outer courtyard. Continuing the
assault, a small party of intrepid soldiers gained a foothold within the
next series of fortifications, causing the English to retreat to the inner
courtyard dominated by the enormous keep. Despite the magnificent
resistance offered by de Lacy's men the besiegers raised their engines
in front of the gate, and when at last they had forced an entry they
contrived a feat that almost seems