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Which French territories did King John lose during his reign?
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John
John of England, from an early 14th-century illumination.
During his reign, King John of England lost the majority of the continental territories that comprised the Angevin Empire. Following his refusal to answer a summons from his feudal overlord, King Philip II of France, his French lands were declared forfeit, leading to a series of military failures.12
The territories lost during this period included:
- Normandy: Following the fall of Château Gaillard in 1204, the region collapsed quickly.12
- Anjou, Maine, and Touraine: These regions were wrested from John by Philip II early in his reign.3
- Poitou: Large portions of this territory were lost to the French crown by 1206.1
By 1206, the only remaining vestige of the Norman kings' inheritance in the region was the Channel Islands. Johnâs subsequent attempts to reclaim these lands, including the failed coalition that led to the Battle of Bouvines, ultimately confirmed Philip II in possession of most of the former English lands in France.24