Henri II and Philippe Auguste had been given go under the walls of Gisors, to conclude a truce.

The interview degenerated into combat: the English, made the first, had put themselves at the shelter of the sun under a large elm, and when Philippe Auguste came with his continuation, they refused to make him place; but the French, who did not intend to be played by the English, threw on them the sword with the hand, reflect them in escape and cut the tree to the short-nap cloth of the ground (August 1188).

The war was re-ignited at once.

The town of Mantes, besieged by Henri II, had as a garrison only its communal militia, but it was defended valiantly, and gave king de France time to run: then it delivered under the walls a furious combat, where the French knight Guillaume of the Bars illustrated itself: it fought initially against Richard Lion Heart in singular combat and reversed it, then a long time only fought against a crowd of enemies "like a wild boar surrounded of a barking pack".

The English were reduced to raising the seat (1188).

Richard Lion Heart was almost in all the opposite of Philippe Auguste: it as impetuous and was carried as Philippe was cold and circumspect; both were of a great bravery, but one made the war by passion, to kill enemies, the other by calculation, to increase the royal field; both sought the money with greed, but Philippe saved it to increase his treasure, Richard lavished it to maintain his luxury.

In a word, the king of France was a skilful policy, and the king of England an ebullient knight.

Richard Lion Heart became with time a legendary, favorite hero of the poets and artists; Philippe Auguste was less brilliant, but it made more good with its country.

The war between Richard and Philippe was a keen fight which extended from Normandy in Berry and the Flanders.

Richard had with its service of bands of lorry drivers, "which did not count for nothing overflowing human blood, plundering and the fire" Philippe, which had only knights and communal militia, often the lower part had.

In 1194, it was surprised in the surroundings of Blois, and it lost all its luggage, its money, its royal seal, a part of its files.

Another time, in 1196, it fell into a ambush in Courcelles, close to Gisors; the French were only two hundreds against several thousands: Philippe sprang bravely on the English and managed to clear a passage, but the majority as of the his companions perished.