King John’s Trade Policy and the Strengthening of Gascon Loyalty (1203–1204)

In 1203, King John of England, struggling to maintain control over his family’s Angevin possessions in Aquitaine, made a strategic economic decision to exempt the merchants of Bordeaux from the Grande Coutume—the principal tax on exports. In return, the regions of Bordeaux, Bayonne, and Dax pledged their loyalty to John against the expanding French Crown under Philip II.

This decision was a major turning point for Gascony, as it opened English ports to Gascon wine merchants, forging a commercial relationship between Gascony and England that would last for centuries.

Impact of the 1203 Tax Exemption

1. Loyalty of Key Gascon Cities

   • By removing the Grande Coutume, John ensured that Bordeaux, ...