Construction began in 1196 under the auspices of Richard the Lionheart, who was simultaneously King of England and feudal Duke of Normandy.

Henry IV of France ordered the demolition of Château Gaillard in 1599; although it was in ruins at the time, it was felt to be a threat to the security of the local population.

[3] Perched high above the River Seine, an important transport route, the site of Château Gaillard, in the manor of Andeli, was identified as a naturally defensible position.

[4] Its purpose was to protect the duchy of Normandy from Philip II[6]—it helped fill a gap in the Norman defences left by the fall of Château de Gisors and above all Château de Gaillon, a castle which belonged to Philip and used as an advanced French fortification to block the Seine valley—and to act as a base from which Richard could launch his campaign to take back the Norman Vexin from French control.

[4] When Philip besieged Aumale in northern Normandy, on the border with Picardy, Richard grew tired of waiting and seized the manor,[4][8] although the act was opposed by the Church.

[9] In an attempt to get Pope Celestine III to intercede, Walter de Coutances left for Rome in November 1196.

[10] Walter de Coutances meanwhile issued an interdict against the duchy of Normandy which prohibited church services from being performed in the region.

Roger of Howden detailed "the unburied bodies of the dead lying in the streets and square of the cities of Normandy".

[16] The Pipe rolls for the construction of Château Gaillard contain the earliest details of how work was organised in castle building and what activities were involved.

Amongst those workmen mentioned in the rolls are miners, stone cutters, quarrymen, masons, lime workers, carpenters, smiths, hodmen, water carriers, soldiers to guard the workers, diggers who cut the ditch surrounding the castle, and carters who transported the raw materials to the castle.

While some of his advisers thought the rain was an evil omen, Richard was undeterred:[19] the king was not moved by this to slacken one whit the pace of work, in which he took such keen pleasure that, unless I am mistaken, even if an angel had descended from heaven to urge its abandonment he would have been roundly cursed.After just a year, Château Gaillard was approaching completion and Richard remarked "Behold, how fair is this year-old daughter of mine!

[13] Richard did not enjoy the benefits of the castle for long, however, as he died in Limousin on 6 April 1199, from an infected arrow wound to his shoulder, sustained while besieging Châlus.

[23][24] After Richard's death, King John of England failed to effectively defend Normandy against Philip's ongoing campaigns between 1202 and 1204.

As Philip continued the siege throughout the winter and King John made no attempt to relieve the castle, it was only a matter of time before the castellan was forced to capitulate.

Philip was not present, and when he learned of the safe passage of the civilians, he forbade further people being allowed through the siege lines.

The group was not allowed through, and the French opened fire on the civilians, who turned back to the castle for safety, but found the gates locked.

They sought refuge at the base of the castle walls for three months; over the winter, more than half their number died from exposure and starvation.

They gained access to the next ward when a soldier named Ralph found a latrine chute in use through which the French could clamber into the chapel.

David, then nine years old, and his bride Joan of the Tower, the twelve-year-old daughter of Edward II, were granted the use of Château Gaillard by Philip VI.

David did not stay out of English hands for long after his return; he was captured after the Battle of Neville's Cross in 1346 and endured an eleven-year captivity in the Tower of London.

[36] Étienne de Vignolles, a mercenary (routier) known as La Hire, then recaptured Château Gaillard for the French in 1430.

[40] By 1573, Château Gaillard was uninhabited and in a ruinous state, but it was still believed that the castle posed a threat to the local population if it was repaired.

After Philip II took Chateau Gaillard, he repaired the collapsed tower of the outer bailey that had been used to gain access to the castle.

[19] The division into three wards bears similarities with the design of Château de Chinon, built by Henry II in the mid-12th century on a promontory overlooking a town.

[45] The outer bailey is the southernmost feature of the castle; it is pentagon shaped and there are five towers spaced along the wall, three of which are at corners.

The gatehouse from the middle of the inner bailey was one of the earliest examples of towers flanking the entrance to remove the blind spot immediately in front of the gate.

The reputation of its builder, Coeur de Lion, as a great military engineer might stand firm on this single structure.

He was no mere copyist of the models he had seen in the East, but introduced many original details of his own invention into the stronghold.Despite Château Gaillard's reputation as a great fortress, Liddiard highlights the absence of a well in the keep as a peculiar weakness, and the castle was built on soft chalk, which would have allowed the walls to be undermined.