Château-Gaillard, in the Eure department, was built in record time, just over a year. It was erected by Richard the Lionheart, King of England and Duke of Normandy, in order to protect the Seine valley from the conquest attempts of Philip Augustus, King of France. In 1203, faced with the advance of the French who had taken Les Andelys, the surrounding population took refuge in the castle. But seven months of siege and an effective blockade weakened the Anglo-Normans. Within six years of its construction, Château-Gaillard had fallen to the French.