Richard the Lion-heart

Richard I (8 September 1157 6 April 1199) was King ! "ngland !rm 6 #$l% 1189 $ntil
his death in 1199& 'e als r$led as ($)e ! *rmand%+ ($)e ! A,$itaine+ ($)e ! -ascn%+
.rd ! Ireland+ .rd ! /%pr$s+ /$nt ! An0$+ /$nt ! 1aine+ /$nt ! *antes+ and
23erlrd ! 4rittan% at 3ari$s times d$ring the same perid& 'e was )nwn as /5$r de .in+ r
Richard the .inheart+ e3en be!re his accessin+ beca$se ! his rep$tatin as a great militar%
leader and warrir& 6he 1$slims (re!erred t as Saracens at the time) called him 1ele)7Ric r
1ale) al7In)itar (King ! "ngland)&
4% age 16+ Richard was cmmanding his wn arm%+ p$tting dwn rebellins in 8it$
against his !ather+ King 'enr% II& Richard was a central /hristian cmmander d$ring the 6hird
/r$sade+ e!!ecti3el% leading the campaign a!ter the depart$re ! 8hilip A$g$st$s and scring
cnsiderable 3ictries against his 1$slim c$nterpart+ Saladin&
9hile he sp)e 3er% little "nglish and spent 3er% little time in "ngland (he li3ed in his
($ch% ! A,$itaine+ in the s$thwest ! :rance)+ pre!erring t $se his )ingdm as a s$rce !
re3en$e t s$pprt his armies+

he was seen as a pi$s her b% his s$b0ects& 'e remains ne ! the
3er% !ew Kings ! "ngland remembered b% his epithet+ nt n$mber+ and is an end$ring+ icnic
!ig$re in "ngland&
Richard was the third sn ! 'enr% II and "leanr ! A,$itaine& 'e was gi3en the d$ch%
! A,$itaine+ his mther;s inheritance+ at age 11 and was enthrned as d$)e at 8itiers in 117<&
Richard pssessed precci$s plitical and militar% abilit%+ wn !ame !r his )nightl% prwess+
and ,$ic)l% learned hw t cntrl the t$rb$lent aristcrac% ! 8it$ and -ascn%& .i)e all !
'enr% II;s legitimate sns+ he had little r n !ilial piet%+ !resight+ r sense ! respnsibilit%& 'e
0ined his brthers in the great rebellin (117=7>) against their !ather+ wh in3aded A,$itaine
twice be!re Richard s$bmitted and recei3ed pardn& 6herea!ter Richard was cc$pied with
s$ppressing barnial re3lts in his wn d$ch%& 'is harshness in!$riated the -ascns+ wh
re3lted in 118= and called in the help ! the ?@$ng KingA 'enr% and his brther -e!!re% !
4rittan% in an e!!rt t dri3e Richard !rm his d$ch% altgether& Alarmed at the threatened
disintegratin ! his empire+ 'enr% II br$ght the !e$dal hst ! his cntinental lands t
Richard;s aid+ b$t the %$nger 'enr% died s$ddenl% (#$ne 11+ 118=) and the $prising cllapsed&
Richard was nw heir t "ngland and t *rmand% and An0$ (which were regarded as
inseparable)+ and his !ather wished him t %ield A,$itaine t his %$ngest brther+ #hn& 4$t
Richard+ a tr$e s$therner+ w$ld nt s$rrender the d$ch% in which he had grwn $p+ and e3en
appealed+ against 'enr% II+ t the %$ng )ing ! :rance+ 8hilip II& In *3ember 1188 he did
hmage t 8hilip !r all the "nglish hldings n :rench sil and in 1189 penl% 0ined !rces
with 8hilip t dri3e 'enr% int ab0ect s$bmissin& 6he% chased him !rm .e 1ans t Sa$m$r+
!rced him t ac)nwledge Richard as his heir+ and at last harried him t his death (#$l% 6+ 1189)&
Richard recei3ed *rmand% n #$l% <B and the "nglish thrne n September =B& Richard+
$nli)e 8hilip+ had nl% ne ambitin+ t lead the /r$sade prmpted b% Saladin;s capt$re !
#er$salem in 1187& 'e had n cnceptin ! planning !r the !$t$re ! the "nglish mnarch% and
p$t $p e3er%thing !r sale t b$% arms !r the /r$sade& @et he had nt becme )ing t preside
3er the dismemberment ! the Ange3in empire& 'e br)e with 8hilip and did nt neglect
Ange3in de!enses n the /ntinent& 2pen war was a3erted nl% beca$se 8hilip als t) the
/r$sader;s crss& Richard dipped deep int his !ather;s treas$re and sld sheri!!dms and ther
!!ices& 9ith all this he raised a !rmidable !leet and an arm%+ and in 119B he departed !r the
'l% .and+ tra3eling 3ia Sicil%&
Richard !$nd the Sicilians hstile and t) 1essina b% strm (2ctber >)& 6 pre3ent
the -erman emperr 'enr% CI !rm r$ling their c$ntr%+ the Sicilians had elected the nati3e
6ancred ! .ecce+ wh had imprisned the late )ing;s wi!e+ #an ! "ngland (Richard;s sister)+
and denied her pssessin ! her dwer& 4% the 6reat% ! 1essina Richard btained !r #an her
release and her dwer+ ac)nwledged 6ancred as )ing ! Sicil%+ declared Arth$r ! 4rittan%
(Richard;s nephew) t be his wn heir+ and pr3ided !r Arth$r t marr% 6ancred;s da$ghter& 6his
treat% in!$riated the -ermans+ wh were als ta)ing part in the 6hird /r$sade+ and it incited
Richard;s brther #hn t treacher% and rebellin& Richard 0ined the ther /r$saders at Acre n
#$ne 8+ 1191+ ha3ing cn,$ered /%pr$s n his wa% there& 9hile at .imassl in /%pr$s+ Richard
married (1a% 1<) 4erengaria ! *a3arre&
Acre !ell in #$l% 1191+ and n September 7 Richard;s brilliant 3ictr% at ArsD! p$t the
/r$saders in pssessin ! #ppa& 6wice Richard led his !rces t within a !ew miles !
#er$salem& 4$t the recapt$re ! the cit%+ which cnstit$ted the chie! aim ! the 6hird /r$sade+
el$ded him& 6here were !ierce ,$arrels amng the :rench+ -erman+ and "nglish cntingents&
Richard ins$lted .epld C+ d$)e ! A$stria+ b% tearing dwn his banner and ,$arrelled with
8hilip II+ wh ret$rned t :rance a!ter the !all ! Acre& Richard;s candidate !r the crwn !
#er$salem was his 3assal -$% de .$signan+ whm he s$pprted against the -erman candidate+
/nrad ! 1nt!errat& It was r$m$red+ $n0$stl%+ that Richard cnni3ed at /nrad;s m$rder&
A!ter a %ear;s $nprd$cti3e s)irmishing+ Richard (September 119<) made a tr$ce !r three %ears
with Saladin that permitted the /r$saders t hld Acre and a thin castal strip and ga3e /hristian
pilgrims !ree access t the hl% places&
Richard sailed hme b% wa% ! the Adriatic+ beca$se ! :rench hstilit%+ and a strm
dr3e his ship ashre near Cenice& 4eca$se ! the enmit% ! ($)e .epld he disg$ised himsel!+
b$t he was disc3ered at Cienna in (ecember 119< and imprisned in the d$)e;s castle at
(Ernstein n the (an$be& .ater+ he was handed 3er t 'enr% CI+ wh )ept him at 3ari$s
imperial castles& It was ar$nd Richard;s capti3it% in a castle+ whse identit% was at !irst
$n)nwn in "ngland+ that the !am$s rmance ! 4lndel was w3en in the 1=th cent$r%&
Fnder the threat ! being handed 3er t 8hilip II+ Richard agreed t the harsh terms
impsed b% 'enr% CIG a clssal ransm ! 15B+BBB mar)s and the s$rrender ! his )ingdm t
the emperr n cnditin that he recei3e it bac) as a !ie!& 6he raising ! the ransm mne% was
ne ! the mst remar)able !iscal meas$res ! the 1<th cent$r% and gi3es stri)ing pr! ! the
prsperit% ! "ngland& A 3er% high prprtin ! the ransm was paid+ and meanwhile (:ebr$ar%
119>) Richard was released&
'e ret$rned at nce t "ngland and was crwned !r the secnd time n April 17+ !earing
that the independence ! his )ingship had been cmprmised& 9ithin a mnth he went t
*rmand%+ ne3er t ret$rn& 'is last !i3e %ears were spent in war!are against 8hilip II+
interspersed with ccasinal tr$ces& 6he )ing le!t "ngland in the capable hands ! '$bert 9alter+
0$sticiar and archbishp ! /anterb$r%& It was Richard;s impet$sit% that br$ght him t his
death at the earl% age ! ><& 6he 3icmte ! .imges re!$sed t hand 3er a hard ! gld
$nearthed b% a lcal peasant& Richard laid siege t his castle ! /hHl$s and in an $nl$c)%
mment was w$nded& 'e died in 1199& 'e was b$ried in the abbe% ch$rch ! :nte3ra$lt+
where 'enr% II and I$een "leanr are als b$ried+ and his e!!ig% is still preser3ed there&
Richard was a thr$ghging Ange3in+ irrespnsible and ht7tempered+ pssessed !
tremend$s energ%+ and capable ! great cr$elt%& 'e was mre accmplished than mst ! his
!amil%+ a sldier ! cns$mmate abilit%+ a s)ill!$l plitician+ and capable ! inspiring l%al
ser3ice& 'e was a l%ric pet ! cnsiderable pwer and the her ! tr$bad$rs& 6he e3idence
that he was a hmseJ$al seems pers$asi3e b$t has been strngl% challenged& Richard had n
children b% I$een 4erengaria+ with whm his relatins seem t ha3e been merel% !rmal&
RichardKs cntemprane$s image was that ! a )ing wh was als a )night+ and that was
apparentl% the !irst s$ch instance ! this cmbinatin& 'e was )nwn as a 3aliant and cmpetent
militar% leader and indi3id$al !ighterG c$rage$s and gener$s& 6hat rep$tatin has cme dwn
thr$gh the ages and de!ines the pp$lar image ! Richard& 'e le!t an indelible imprint n the
imaginatin eJtending t the present+ in large part beca$se ! his militar% eJplits& 6his is
re!lected in Ste3en R$ncimanKs !inal 3erdict ! Richard IG "he was a bad son, a bad husband and
a bad king, but a gallant and splendid soldier."(L'istr% ! the /r$sadesL Cl& III)
($ring his li!e+ he was critiMed b% chrniclers (and the clerg%) !r ha3ing taJed the clerg% bth
!r the /r$sade and !r his ransm+ wherease the ch$rch and the clerg% were $s$all% eJempt
!rm taJes&
Richard prd$ced n legitimate heirs and ac)nwledged nl% ne illegitimate sn+ 8hilip
! /gnac& As a res$lt+ he was s$cceeded b% his brther #hn as King ! "ngland& 'we3er+ his
:rench territries initiall% re0ected #hn as a s$ccessr+ pre!erring his nephew Arth$r ! 4rittan%+
the sn ! their late brther -e!!re%+ whse claim is b% mdern standards better than #hnKs&
Signi!icantl%+ the lac) ! an% direct heirs !rm Richard was the !irst step in the dissl$tin ! the
Ange3in "mpire& 9hile Kings ! "ngland cntin$ed t press claims t prperties n the
cntinent+ the% w$ld ne3er again cmmand the territries Richard I inherited&