The death of Duke Geoffrey brought yet another transformation to the Angevin regime in Brittany, introducing its final phase. The new situation was largely a return to that prevailing between 1156 and 1166; a native ruler was allowed to govern with minimal interference provided his (now her) loyalty to the Angevin lord was assured. This chapter is divided into two parts. The first will discuss the government of Brittany under the last dukes to be subject to Angevin rule, Duchess Constance and her son, Duke Arthur. The second part will proceed by way of a narrative account of political relations between the Angevin kings and the province of Brittany to 1203.

As a general principle, after 1186, the Angevin kings permitted the dukes to rule Brittany in their own right. Angevin sovereignty did not extend to direct government, as it had between 1166 and 1181. On the other hand, Angevin sovereignty was vigorously asserted in specific acts of royal intervention. In 1187, Henry II entered Brittany, led a military campaign in the far western barony of Léon and, after this show of force, according to one source took oaths of allegiance from the Breton magnates. In 1196, Richard I sought the custody of Arthur, the young heir to Brittany, and when the Bretons refused, invaded the duchy while Constance was held captive. Apart from these episodes, Henry II and Richard I in turn were content to allow Duchess Constance to rule Brittany without interference.