The underlying fragility of Angevin rule in Normandy was starkly exposed in the decade following the Third Crusade, and in 1204 the king of France overthrew ducal power in Normandy completely. This total collapse cannot be explained by conditions on the Norman frontier alone, but many of the events which culminated in that upheaval took place there; indeed, it was later asserted that the Normans abandoned John because he allowed his mercenaries to behave in central Normandy as they did in the marches. Although the political situation and the limits of the duchy both altered considerably between 1193 and 1204, all these wars had a grim unity for the frontier baronage because they raised problems of divided loyalty, changing overlords and control of castles. Moreover, the attitude of Philip Augustus remained constant: whether or not he now had greater resources than his rival, the king of France now wished not merely to support Normans in revolt, encourage dissension between Plantagenet princes, or recover the Norman Vexin, but also to impose his direct rule over extensive areas of the duchy. In 1193 he attempted to seize Rouen; in January 1194 he asked Count John of Mortain for almost all of Upper Normandy; and in 1202 Arthur of Brittany effectively promised the entire duchy to him.