The Barons’ War: King John - Flanders and Poitiers: Allies, Ambition and the Collapse of Empire
Our tour of The Barons’ War: King John now carries us back across the Channel, to a fractured and contested France that looked very different from the nation we recognise today. As the thirteenth century dawned, King Philip II ruled only part of what we would now call France. Normandy, Brittany and Aquitaine were Angevin territories, Toulouse charted its own course in the south, and Provence lay within the orbit of the German emperor. It was a landscape defined by rival loyalties, overlapping claims and constant war.
When Richard I died in 1199, John was swiftly recognised as duke of Normandy, but much of the Angevin world rallied instead to his nephew Arthur of Brittany, the son of John’s elder brother Geoffrey. King Philip seized the opportunity, backing Arthur with men and money in the hope of breaking Angevin power for good. For a moment, John seemed to have the upper hand. In August 1202, he achieved a spectacular victory at Mirabeau, surprising his enemies and capturing Arthur along with a host of prominent prisoners.
It should have secured his continental rule. Instead, John squandered the moment. His brutal treatment of captives and his failure to reward loyal supporters alienated friends and foes alike. When Philip renewed the pressure, the Angevin empire collapsed with alarming speed. Anjou and Brittany submitted to the French king, Norman resistance ebbed away, and by the summer of 1204, John’s rule on the Continent had shrunk to Aquitaine and Gascony alone.
For the next decade, John sought to reclaim what he had lost. He attempted to reconstruct the network of alliances that had served Richard so well, though their rapid dissolution after Richard’s death spoke volumes about how John was regarded. At the heart of this renewed coalition were Ferrand, count of Flanders, and Renaud of Dammartin, count of Boulogne. Philip, meanwhile, was tightening his grip on Flanders, determined to curb the independence of its wealthy and powerful rulers. A destructive French campaign in 1213 drove many northern nobles into alliance with the German emperor Otto IV, who was also John’s nephew.
In 1214, John launched an ambitious and carefully coordinated plan. He sailed to La Rochelle, gathered the lords of the south and advanced into Anjou, while Otto and his allies were to strike Philip from the north-east. It was bold, and it failed completely. John lost his nerve and faith in his allies, while Otto’s army was crushed at the Battle of Bouvines. Philip emerged triumphant, and John’s hopes of restoring the Angevin empire were shattered.
These dramatic events provided the perfect opportunity to introduce two new factions to The Barons’ War. The Flemish represent the heavily urbanised north-east, where rich and densely populated cities raised formidable militia forces. Civic pride and mutual support defined their way of war, and this is reflected on the tabletop by the Flemish Ability, which allows them to ignore a Morale Penalty for each nearby friendly Flemish Group. Deployed well, they form a solid, resilient infantry core supported by knights, but careless commanders who allow their troops to become isolated may see that strength unravel.
If the Flemish are an anvil, the Poitevins are a hammer. Southern France was a world apart, defined by its own language, the langue d’Oc, and a culture in which central authority was weak and warfare was a way of life. Noble families routinely split their inheritances, leaving kinsmen to share castles and carve out livelihoods by the sword. To capture this volatile mix of chivalric ideals and endemic violence, the Poitevin retinue lacks access to a Baron. Instead, their Proud and Quarrelsome faction Trait allows a second Lord to issue a Command Action each round, reflecting the rival leaders and fractious loyalties of the region.
Poitevins also gain access to Paladins, seasoned commanders with a choice of martial Abilities, and they can replace Priests with Troubadours, extending the reach of Inspire, or Jongleurs, who bolster nearby troops with extra attack or defence dice. For those who want even more flavour, Gascon skirmishers from the far south can be recruited, wielding javelins in a style that may be old-fashioned, but remains lethally effective.
Flanders and Poitiers show two very different responses to the chaos of King John’s age: disciplined civic solidarity in the north, and fiercely competitive aggression in the south. Both now stand ready to take the field in The Barons’ War: King John, offering new challenges, new playstyles and new stories to tell on the tabletop.
New to The Barons' War? Check out the Starter Box set here.
Previous articles about The Barons' War: King John book
The Barons’ War: King John – Bringing the Angevin World to the Tabletop
The Barons’ War: King John – Crowns in Conflict: England, France and the Angevin Struggle
The Barons’ War: King John - Scotland and Wales: Power on the Celtic Fringe
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