Richard the Lionheart - The Story of the Great English Crusader King - Historical Curiosities

The English king, Richard I, more commonly known by the honorific epithet of Richard the Lionheart, was one of the most famous kings in history. His courage, military capabilities, and attractive personality made Richard I an almost legendary figure, considered by many to be the best king of England during the medieval period. Nevertheless, there are questions about the life of Richard the Lionheart. Some claim that he was not actually born in England and could not even speak the English language, while others point to him as an unreliable king who almost emptied the English coffers while spending most of his reign fighting in foreign countries. The truth is that Richard I was born in England on September 8, 1157, most likely at Beaumont Palace in Oxford. He was the fourth son of King Henry II of England and his wife, Queen Eleanor of Aquitaine. Richard's education encompassed the study of medieval chivalric literature. Poetry was another favorite pastime of the young prince, who authored his own poems in French. As a teenager, Richard was a tall boy with blue eyes and reddish-blond hair who was already known for his courage. When Richard was about 12 years old, his parents turned out to be open enemies. King Henry II took the beautiful Rosamund Clifford as his mistress and people said that he really loved her, which deeply hurt Queen Eleanor. The neglected queen returned to her homeland in Aquitaine, a historic duchy in France and part of Spain, establishing her own court there and taking Richard with her, who was named as her heir. Emboldened by his mother, Richard and his brothers turned against their own father, which led to some battles in France. Richard had an alliance with Philip II, the new King of France. King Henry II, Richard's father, was vanquished in a battle and had to surrender. Richard I became King of England, Duke of Normandy, and Count of Anjou. His coronation was held at Westminster Abbey on September 3, 1189. Of a particular interest, a bat was seen flying near the king's head during the coronation ceremony. This was seen by many onlookers that day as a dark omen. On hearing the news of Jerusalem being taken by the Muslims, Pope Gregory VIII took it upon himself to call for another crusade to retake the Holy Land for Christianity. Richard instantly declared his crusade vows, pledging to defend the Holy Land. He was the first northern European monarch to take his vows and was soon followed by Philip II of France. Yet due to ongoing family feuds and conflicts near the end of his father's reign, Richard did not set out for the Holy Land until 1190. As young men, Richard I and Philip II became extremely close friends, leading to rumors about the nature of their relationship. The two shared a bed on a few occasions, but it is believed this was a political gesture to prove the trust between the two, a relatively widespread practice in the Middle Ages. Richard and Philip went on the Third Crusade together, but it was not only because of the friendship between the two monarchs. This was largely because they were both suspicious of each other, afraid that their peer would usurp their territories while abroad. Richard, who had not been seen on English soil since childhood, emptied his kingdom's coffers for his mission. He even made an arrangement with William I, King of Scotland, giving him full feudal autonomy in exchange for money. For a monarch who spent most of his reign outside of England, he could barely speak English and who imprudently sent the kingdom's wealth on foreign campaigns, Richard was oddly admired by his contemporary subjects. The English contingent arrived at the city of Acre in the Holy Land in 1191, but Richard the Lionheart's reputation apparently preceded him. On July 11th, the Muslim defenders handed the city back to the Christian army. Richard I, Philip II, and Leopold V of Austria, leader of the German Crusade contingent, disagreed over the allocation of their victory spoils. During the argument, Richard insulted Leopold, an action that would have dreadful consequences for him in the future. The Christian army started to rebuild the city of Acre while Saladin collected funds to pay the prisoners' ransoms. However, Richard grew impatient while waiting for Saladin to pay the full ransom amount and execute 2,700 Muslim prisoners. As a result, Saladin executed all the Christian prisoners in his camp. This tragedy is known as the Massacre of Ayadhya. Following this, the Crusader army marched south and Saladin's army followed. They finally met in the well-known Battle of Arsuf on September 7th, 1191. The Crusader victory at Arsuf was pivotal to the fall of Jaffa two months later. Notwithstanding his efforts, Richard was ultimately unsuccessful in capturing Jerusalem. It was at this time that he was notified that his younger brother, John, was trying to usurp his throne in England. Although the battles were brutal, Richard the Lionheart and Saladin developed a mutual respect. The two leaders sent letters and gifts back and forth and repeatedly sought to agree on the terms of a peace treaty. Finally, Richard reached a treaty with Saladin in which the city of Jerusalem would continue under Muslim rule but would be open to unarmed Christian pilgrims. Therefore, the Third Crusade officially ended on October 9th, 1192 when Richard sailed back to England. However, Richard's journey was interrupted when his ship sank and he was taken prisoner by Duke Leopold of Austria, whom Richard had harshly insulted at the beginning of the Third Crusade. Richard was locked up in Dernstein Castle in Lower Austria and England was forced to pay a hefty ransom to free him. Richard was then transferred as a prisoner to Henry VI, the Emperor of the Holy Roman Empire and held captive at Trifle's Castle in Germany until he was released in February 1194. While still captive, Richard's younger brother, John, plotted with Philip II of France in an unsuccessful attempt to take the English throne. The resulting war between the two siblings was primarily a matter of sieges and controlling strategically important castles such as Nottingham and Windsor Castle. But John was ultimately defeated. Richard forgave his brother for his inflated ambition and even appointed him as successor to smooth things over in England. After a brief time in England, Richard spent much of his time on military campaign in France, defending his lands against his former ally, King Philip II of France. The two became estranged when Richard refused to marry Philip's sister, even though they had been betrothed for 20 years. Meanwhile, Richard had married Berengaria of Navarre, a marriage arrangement made by Richard's mother. Berengaria would become the only reigning English queen to never set foot in her own kingdom. In March 1199, Richard the Lionheart was in Limousin in West Central France, attempting to suppress a revolt by Viscount Aymar V of Limoges. Richard laid siege to Chateau de Jaloux-Jabrol, but the worst was yet to come. On March 26, Richard was shot in the shoulder by an arrow fired from a crossbow. According to reports, in the heat of battle, Richard tried to pull the arrow out with his bare hands but it broke off, exposing the iron point inside the wound, which grew infected and gangrenous. On April 6, 1199, Richard the Lionheart died at age 41 while in the arms of his mother, Queen Eleanor of Aquitaine. After his death, myths about Richard I continued to spread. His bold actions and the deference of soldiers to him were praised by many contemporary writers. Having already shown his bravery as a determined enemy of the Saracens and defender of Christianity, as well as a poet, Richard was the highly idealized model of the medieval knight. Despite his excessive spending, Richard defended his kingdom and territories and, before his death, recovered some of the English wealth by promoting jousting tournaments. Throughout his reign, Richard the Lionheart spent few months in England and much of his life was spent on the battlefields and alongside soldiers, but his name is still celebrated as one of England's finest kings, and his life story continues to serve as an inspiration to this day.