Was Richard The Lionheart The Greatest King Of The Middle Ages? | History Makers | Chronicle

Since the defeat of England by the Normans in 1066, every king who sat upon the throne had been detested by his conquered subjects, who loathed and resented their foreign rulers. To change this, it took a man of the spellbinding charisma of Richard I. Richard was absent during most of his reign fighting abroad, and when he did come home, he could not speak English, and only stayed long enough to raise more taxes so he could resume his campaigning. Yet despite this, he was universally adored, and became a folk hero to his people, even crossing into the world of mythology as a symbol of hope and goodness in the legendary tales of Robin Hood. In unravelling fact from fiction regarding the man nicknamed the Lionheart because of his bravery, historians have taken differing views of him. In the 19th century, Bishop Stubbs decided he was a bad king. His ambition was that of a mere warrior. He would fight for anything, whatever, but he would sell everything that was worth fighting for. Yet in this century, Barlow, the English medievalist, declared him a great man. Perhaps too great a man, shrewd in politics and also capable of diplomacy on a grand scale. Winston Churchill, himself a soldier and statesman, took the balanced view that he was, in politics, a child. The advantages gained for him by military genius were flung away by military ineptitude. His life was one magnificent parade, which, when ended, left only an empty plane. A useful description of him is given by a contemporary Muslim chronicler called Bahaddin, who says that Richard was... A man of great courage and spirit. He had fought great battles and showed a burning passion for war. His kingdom and standing were inferior to those of the French king, but his wealth, reputation and valour were greater. To gain his ends, he uses now soft words, now violent deeds. God alone was able to save us from his malice. Never had we had to face a subtler or a bolder opponent. Richard was born on 8th September 1157 in Oxford, into a fractious family which ruled the Angevin Empire, extending from the Scots border to the Pyrenees. His father, King Henry II, imprisoned his mother, Eleanor of Aquitaine, for taking his children's side in a rebellion against him. Richard was his second surviving son, and he quarrelled with his brothers as well as with his parents. His younger brother, John, was to prove a particular thorn in his side in later years. During his infancy, Richard was fostered out to the care of a wet nurse in St Albans, whose son, Alexander Neckham, was born the same night, and in his adult life became a famous encyclopaedist and student of magnetism. The young prince grew into a youth of great stature and fine physique, with the customary reddish-gold hair of the Plantagenet dynasty. Known for his athletic prowess and his ability in combat, he was also a distinguished poet and musician. Indeed, his fondness for music led him to conduct the choir in his own private chapel. In the June of 1172, at the age of 14, Richard was formally installed as Duke of Aquitaine. Two years later, he was at odds with his father, when the king decreed that on his death, the bulk of his estate would go to his eldest son, Henry. Richard would retain Aquitaine, and Geoffrey, the youngest, would succeed to Brittany, by means of an arranged marriage. John was allotted nothing, hence his nickname, Lackland. The princes, knowing that they were being fobbed off with titles but no real power, joined together in a conspiracy against their father, and Eleanor of Aquitaine disguised herself as a man in order to travel to Paris and take part in the plot. Unfortunately, she was captured and kept in prison by her husband for the rest of her life. Richard only surrendered when the king marched to Poitou, ready to do battle against him. Richard's reputation was really established in May 1179, after his capture of the castle of Tyborg, which was reputedly impregnable. And when his elder brother Henry died of dysentery in 1183, the Lionheart believed himself to be the obvious choice as heir to the throne. The turning point in Richard's life came in 1187. History Hit is an award-winning streaming platform built by history fans for history fans. Enjoy our rich library of documentaries covering key events and locations of the medieval period. History Hit's medieval offering features leading historians such as Dan Jones, Eleanor Janega and Kat Jarman. Not only that, but we have a rich library of audio documentaries covering every period of history through our network of podcasts. Sign up now for a free trial Chronicle fans get 50% off their first three months. Just be sure to use the code CHRONICLE at checkout. On the 7th of July, Muslim forces in Palestine crushed their Christian enemies at the Battle of Hattin. A contemporary account of this conflict exists in the Itinerarium Regis Riccardi, written by a canon named Richard, resident of the Augustan Priory of the Holy Trinity in London. So many were slain, so many wounded, and so many thrown into chains that our people, completely destroyed, were a pitiable sight even to the enemy. Worse still, the cross of our salvation, that life-giving wood, was taken into the hands of the enemy and along with it fell its bearers. Some of the captives, and their numbers were as amazing as they were pitiable, were kept unharmed to await the victor's will. The rest were dispatched to heaven in a swift and merciful death by the murderer's sword. Among others, Reynold of Châtillon, Lord of Ultrajudan, was brought before Sultan Saladin. The tyrant, driven by rage or possibly out of respect for such a great man, struck off that proud and venerable head with his own hand. All the Templars, with the exception of their master, he ordered to be beheaded, determined to wipe them out completely, for he knew their reputation for superiority in battle. Then, what a passionate rivalry of faith and courage ensued. Many of the captives, claiming to be Templars, vied together in a rush towards the butchers. Gladly, they offered their necks to the swordsmen under a holy pretense. When the noise of battle had ceased, and Saladin beheld the captives being dragged away and the dead strewn about, he raised his eyes to heaven and thanked God for the victory, as he always did when things went well for him. On the 2nd of October, the anniversary of Muhammad's ascent into heaven, the Muslims marched on the holy city of Jerusalem, again under the leadership of al-Malik al-Nazir Saladin Yusuf, better known as Saladin. Bahaddin paints this picture of the infidel commander. Saladin was sociable, well-mannered and entertaining. He could recite by heart the genealogies and battles of the Arab tribes and knew all their exploits. He could even recall the genealogies of their horses. In addition, he had studied the curiosities and wonders of the world. He would put his friends at ease and raise their spirits. The purity of Saladin's character was always evident. When in company, he would allow no-one to be spoken ill of, preferring to hear only of their good traits. I never saw him disposed to insult anyone. He always stuck to his promises and was loyal. He continued to behave in this way until the day that God called him to the seat of His grace and mercy. Such was the success of this paragon of virtue that by the end of the year, only the coastal towns of Tyre, Tripoli and Antioch remained under Christian control. In his Itinerarium, Canon Richard of Holy Trinity laments the fall of Jerusalem thus. A bitter day it was, the day on which the people left their holy place and went their different ways into exile. On that day, the queen of all the world's cities was taken into bondage and the inheritance of her sons brought under the yoke of strangers. After Jerusalem had been handed over, Amuzan climbed the high mountain Calvary and there, where Christ on His cross put an end to the law of death, the proclamation of a bastard law rang out. As soon as he heard this news, and without consulting his father, Richard took the cross, pledging to go on a crusade to free the Holy Land from the hands of the infidel. As well as the promise of military glory, taking the cross offered what was known as a plenary indulgence, promising the crusader freedom from purgatory and guaranteeing eternal life in heaven. Bernard of Clairvaux, a saint of the 12th century, gives the following exhortation. O mighty soldier, O man of war, you now have a cause for which you can fight without endangering your soul, a cause in which to win is glorious and for which to die is but gain. Or are you a shrewd businessman, a man quick to see the profits of this world? If you are, I can offer you a splendid bargain. Do not miss this opportunity. Take the sign of the cross. At once you will have indulgence for all the sins which you confess with a contrite heart. It does not cost you much to buy, and if you wear it with humility, you will find it is worth the kingdom of heaven. However, Richard could not blithely set off for Palestine without first sorting out his domestic affairs. First of all, a tax called the Saladin Tithe was levied to finance his intended expedition. Then he went to France to attend a conference at Bon Moulin, designed to establish peace in Europe while her rulers were away. Richard was concerned that in his absence his father would give his title of Duke of Aquitaine to his brother John. To forestall this, he persuaded King Philip of France to issue a joint declaration that Richard should be married to the French king's sister, Alice, and then be declared heir to the throne of England. King Henry refused. In response to this, Richard knelt and did homage to Philip for all the Angevin lands in France, thus subjugating them to the French king. Such an act was tantamount to a declaration of war against his father, who regarded these lands as the powerhouse of his own kingdom. In June 1189, Richard and Philip invaded Henry's French territory in a last act of rebellion which only ended with the English king's death. On 20 July, Richard was invested as ruler of Normandy before crossing to England, where he declared an amnesty and released many prisoners, including his mother. Six weeks later, he was crowned king in Westminster Abbey. The coronation of Richard I is significant in so far as a contemporary chronicler left a detailed account of it, which is the first evidence we have of what the ceremony consisted of. There is also a record of the music which was played. We are told that the king was escorted to the high altar in Westminster Abbey along a path of woollen cloth. The procession consisted of the clergy, led by the priors, the abbots and the bishops carrying crosses, candles and holy water. Amongst the bishops were four barons carrying golden candelabra. After them came the highest nobles in the land, carrying variously the king's cap of state, the golden spurs, the sceptre and the swords of state. They were followed by six barons holding the royal robes and insignia. The crown was carried by the Earl of Essex and Richard, flanked by two bishops, followed this. He was shaded by a silk canopy and behind him walked the rest of the laity. At the altar the king took the coronation oath, swearing to observe peace, honour and reverence towards God and to exercise right justice over his subjects. After this he was stripped to his breeches and shirt and anointed, an action which conferred on him the divine sanction for his kinship. This moment, rather than the placing of the crown upon his head, was the key moment in the service. As soon as the coronation was over, the new king set about in earnest to raise money for his planned crusade. Indeed, he is reported to have said... I would sell London if I could find anyone rich enough to buy it. The preparations were extensive and lengthy. Richard and his followers spent Christmas in Normandy. He founded a house of Austin cannons in Poitou as a kind of spiritual insurance policy. Then proceeded to Vexilla, where he had a rendezvous with Philip of France. It was noted that the first time the king lent on his pilgrim staff, it broke beneath his weight, an incident that filled his superstitious followers with anxiety. Prior to his departure, to placate his brother John Lackland, King Richard gave him the administration of six counties and the profits which accrued from them. This done on the 4th of July 1190, which was the third anniversary of the Battle of Hattin, what became known as the Third Crusade was launched. Richard had paid 5,850 silver marks to the Genoese for the hire of their fleet to take his troops to Outremer, as Palestine was known. The ships were three weeks late arriving, so instead the king let his army to Marseille and there hired 30 boats to take his army to Genoa. Philip of France went overland and the two kings met in the Italian city. There Philip asked if he could borrow five of Richard's vessels to convey his troops, and the English king grudgingly offered him three. This precipitated the first of many disagreements between the two men. From Genoa, Richard made a leisurely progress south, down the coast, pausing to do some sightseeing at Ostia, Naples and Salerno, until in October the Crusaders, led by Richard, entered Messina. An eyewitness account sets the scene. The populace rushed out eagerly to behold him. Crowding along the shore and low on the horizon they saw a fleet of innumerable galleys, and then far off they could hear the shrill sound of trumpets. As the galleys came nearer, they could see they were painted in different colours and hung with shields glittering in the sun. They could make out standards and pennons fixed to the spearheads fluttering in the breeze. Around the ships the sea boiled as the oarsmen drove them onwards. Then with trumpet peals ringing in their ears, the onlookers beheld what they had been waiting for. The King of England, magnificently dressed and standing on a raised platform so that he could see and be seen. The inhabitants of Messina were hostile to the Crusaders, inflating the prices of necessary supplies to such a degree that by the 4th of October Richard was ready to seize the town. Canon Richard of Holy Trinity in London gives this report. On the 4th of October, Richard I of England captured Messina without a single thought, in less time than a priest would have taken to sing matins. Many more citizens would have perished had not the King in his mercy given orders to spare them. But who can estimate the quantity of wealth they lost? The victors seized for their own use all the gold, silver and valuables they could find. They also fired the galleys, reducing them to ashes to prevent the citizens from escaping to fight again. They even seized some of the noblewomen for themselves. Suddenly, after all this, the French noticed Richard's flags and standards flying above the walls and ramparts of the city. At this, the King of France, Philip II, was outraged, conceiving feelings of jealousy which were to endure all his life. Having taken Messina, the Crusaders wintered in Sicily. An insight into the Lionheart's character was given at this time, for records show that he did penance for vice under the direction of a hermit called Joachim of Fiore. Five years later, on Easter Tuesday 1195, further evidence of what were probably the King's homosexual tendencies is shown. Richard fell ill and a churchman was called to attend him. The cleric reminded him of the fate which befell Sodom and begged him to put aside his unlawful deeds. The King again did public penance, made great show of recalling his wife and was cured of his illness. However, in Sicily in 1190, he was not yet married, although he had been betrothed to Alice, sister of Philip of France, for some years, a fact that was a further bone of contention between the two kings. This matter was complicated when Eleanor of Aquitaine arrived in Messina, bringing with her Berengaria of Navarre as a prospective bride for her son. Richard pledged himself to Berengaria, a lady of beauty and good sense, and in April his army set off on the second leg of their journey to the Holy Land, taking with them not only the King's new fiancée, but also a portable castle called Matagryphon, which could be erected as and when required. Within three days, the fleet was caught in a storm and the ship in which Berengaria was sailing was washed off course to Cyprus. The island was under the rule of Emperor Isaac Komnenos, an ally of Saladin. A Norman minstrel called Ambroise, who wrote an account of the crusade in his ballad Estoire de la Guerre Sainte, says of the relationship between these two that... And it was told of them as fact, that they had sealed their friendships pact by drinking one another's blood. This made the Emperor a potentially dangerous host for the poor princess, and Richard was swift to come to her rescue. He arrived at Limassol on 6th May, and before the sun was up, had Isaac and his retinue surrounded. Realising that resistance was impossible, the Emperor signed a treaty under terms dictated by the Lionheart. The capture of Cyprus was strategically vital for the crusaders, as they were dependent on sea power for supplies and reinforcements, and the island provided an important staging post and source of both. Perhaps as a celebration, on 12th May, Richard and Berengaria were married in Limassol. Important alliances were sealed between various factions in the crusading army at this time. There were two rival claimants to the throne of Jerusalem, King Guy of Lusignan, whom Saladin had deposed and who was now laying siege to Acre, and a protege of Philip of France, whose name was Conrad de Montferrat. Both claimed the crown through their marriages to two sisters, Sybilla and Isabella. Because Philip was openly supporting Montferrat, Richard chose this moment to publicly align himself with Guy de Lusignan. He sailed from Cyprus to Famagusta, Margat, then Tyre, before reaching Acre to help his new ally in his siege of the town. The mechanics of warfare in the 12th century generally favoured the defenders, and the Muslims in Acre were armed with Greek fire, which was a compound based on naphtha, which exploded on impact, which they put into containers and launched at their opponents. While the naphtha rained down on them, the crusaders were obliged to fill in the moat before they could make an attempt on the walls of the town. They had only their cumbersome catapults. Although they made extensive use of undermining, digging beneath the city to weaken its structure to the point of collapse, at one stage Richard offered a gold piece to anyone who could bring him a stone from the walls. Conditions were harsh. Canon Richard of Holy Trinity in London reports that... The food shortage came to a crisis. Stomachs, once belching from overindulgence, were now rumbling with emptiness, which they tried to assuage with a veracity made indiscriminate by weakness. All supplies had been used up, and the hunger of the troops was still unsatisfied, exacerbated by the absence of bare necessities, and made even more irritating by the lack of their accustomed luxuries. Hot weather added no little peril to the prospect of famine. But what more can be said? A measure of wheat small enough to tuck under your arm was selling for a hundred pieces of gold. A fowl for twelve shillings. Horses' guts were sold for ten shillings, and an egg for sixpence. The shortage of food had obvious side effects. Both Richard and Philip of France are reported to have become ill with a fever that made their hair and nails fall out, probably scurvy. Saladin, with great courtesy, sent them fruits and other delicacies to speed their recovery, and Richard dispatched to him a young Negro by way of thanks. This action was evidently interpreted as treacherous with hindsight. For five years later, Richard wrote to the Emperor of Germany. An acre taken, two battles won, an abundance of rich spoils with which the world is witness, I have not enriched myself, indicates sufficiently, without my saying so, that I have never spared Saladin. I have received from him small presents, fruit and similar things, which the Saracen no less commendable for his politeness and generosity and for his valour and conduct hath sent to me from time to time. The King of France receives some as well as myself, and these are civilities, which brave men during war perform one towards another, without ill consequences. The same admiration that Richard showed towards his opponent is echoed in the words of one of his followers, talking about the enemy. What can we say of this race of infidels who thus defended their city? Never were there braver soldiers than these, the honour of their nation. If only they had been of the true faith, it would not have been possible anywhere in the world to find men to surpass them. When Acre fell to the Crusaders on 12th July 1191, Saladin agreed to return his prisoners and pay a large amount of money. However, he failed to meet the deadline for this set by Richard, and despite their mutual respect, in an action which resonated as Saladin's massacre of the Christians at Hattin, Richard ordered that all the 2,700 Muslims held by his men be put to the sword. At this time, a deal was negotiated between Guy of Lusignan and Conrad of Montferrat, whereby the former would be king of Jerusalem for the rest of his life, to be succeeded by the latter, and that they would jointly share the revenues from the city. This agreement secured, and because he was worried about his affairs at home, King Philip announced that he was returning to France, a decision that the English, who were prepared to see the fighting through to the end, viewed askance. Meanwhile, Richard hoped to march on Jerusalem to crown his campaign with the ultimate glory of liberating the holy city. His soldiers kept closed ranks and marched near to the shore for protection, while Saladin's army shattered them along a parallel course. They stopped for a parley that proved fruitless, and when he arrived at Arsuf, Saladin decided to attack. In a stupendous victory, the Lionheart finally put pay to the myth of the infidel's invincibility, winning for himself great personal glory. One of his soldiers describes how... There the king, the fierce, the extraordinary king, cut down the Turks in every direction, and none could escape the force of his arm. For whenever he turned, brandishing his sword, he carved a wide path for himself, cutting them down like a reaper with his sickle. And in his poem, Histoire de la Guerre Sainte, the minstrel Ambroise recalls the scene in boasting vein. Well, I can recount that neither rain nor snow nor sleet In winter's depth did ever beat More thickly or more densely fly Many can tell ye if I lie Than did the foeman's shafts which flew Upon us and our horses slew. He goes on to describe the charge of the crusaders' cavalry, revelling in how... Their soldiers stood aghast For we descended on the foes like thunder And great dust arose Then ye had seen bearded Turks lie slain As thick and close as sheaves of grain. The crusaders began to march towards Jaffa, which was the nearest port to Jerusalem. A more leisurely atmosphere prevailed and Richard was joined by his sister and his queen. At about this time, he sent home a report of his activities and warned that before long he would be returning to his kingdom himself. Richard, the King of England, to the Justicia of England, greetings. You should know that we have suffered much from sickness since the start of our expedition, but by the mercy of Le Bon Dieu, we recover fully. You know well enough how much honour was vouchsafed us through divine compassion to Messina. Thereafter, continuing our journey, we turned aside where our people, who had suffered shipwreck, hoped to find shelter, but a tyrant there, Isaac Komnenos, had usurped to himself the title of Emperor. Fearing neither Le Bon Dieu nor man, he advanced with a strongly armoured force to prevent us from landing. He inflicted additional suffering on men whose ships had been wrecked by plundering and imprisoning them with the intention of letting them perish from starvation. It is easy to understand to what anger we were aroused to punish such villainy. Supported by divine aid, we engaged this enemy in battle and gained a quick victory. We now have the enemy leader beaten and bound as our prisoner, as well as his only daughter, and we have taken control of Cyprus with all its fortifications. Then, in a cheerful, unconfident mood, we entered the harbour of Acre. But in a short period of our arrival and that of the French king, we regained Acre and the Holy See, taking 1,700 prisoners. However, the French king left us after 15 days to return to his own country. We, on the other hand, are more concerned with the love and honour due to God than an audacious interest in the acquisition even of many territories. Nevertheless, as soon as we have restored the territory of Syria to its original status, we shall return home. So you can assume that we will enter home waters next Lent. We are also instructing you to pay special attention to the furtherance of our interests witnessed by me at Acre. Once again, the king tried negotiating with Saladin, who was often represented by his brother, Adil Safadin, who proved to be another cunning opponent. The Saracens parleyed separately with Conrad and Richard, thus fostering an attitude of wariness and mistrust within the Christian camp. Richard began by asking for the return of Jerusalem and the land which lay west of the River Jordan. But Saladin reposted that it was impossible for him to cede the holy city. So Richard parried by suggesting that Saladin grant the lands of Palestine to his brother, Safadin, who could then be married to Richard's sister, Joan, uniting the warring parties in a solid alliance. He offered to include the coastal ports as dowry for the match. Rather surprisingly, Saladin accepted the deal, wrong-footing the king, who hadn't expected him to, so that Richard was forced to raise objections to his own proposal. He said that Joan was reluctant to marry an infidel and would Safadin consider converting to Christianity. At a later stage, he put forward his niece, Eleanor of Brittany, as an alternative candidate. But in fact, a treaty was never agreed upon. Indeed, the negotiations seemed to have been conducted in a light-hearted manner, as though the two leaders were merely intent on sizing one another up, not in ending the conflict. The Christians continued to advance slowly towards Jerusalem through the autumn, and by December, they were camped at Beit Nuba, only 12 miles from the city. It was becoming increasingly apparent to the king that even if he succeeded in capturing Jerusalem from the Muslims, the difficulties of holding it, thousands of miles from home with weary soldiers and poor supplies, would be legion. At a council meeting in January 1192, the decision was taken to retreat. A contemporary report talks of Richard standing on the heights of Nebi Samir, overlooking Jerusalem, and covering his eyes so as not to gaze upon the city he was unable to liberate. In appalling conditions of rain and hail, the Christian army began its retreat through the mud to Ascalon on 20th January 1192. The poet Ambroise laments... Every pilgrim cursed the day when he into the world was born. The divisions within the Crusaders became acute when the remaining French contingent under Conrad of Montferrat decided to go north to Tyre, leaving the English faction alone in Ascalon to bear the brunt of Saladin's continued forays. Resentments grew. Ambroise heard reports that their recalcitrant allies... ..danced through the late hours of night, their heads bedecked with flowers, entwined with garlands and in crown, in wide wine casks they sat them down and drank until matins had rung, then homewards made their way among the harlots. While this was going on, the English were forced to rebuild stone by stone the fortifications of Ascalon, razed to the ground by Saladin. Even the king lent a hand. He also continued to negotiate with the enemy. Realising that it was impossible to resolve the fate of Jerusalem, he was determined to make at least the coastal ports secure. He needed to settle his business in the Holy Land and start for home, as his brother John was making trouble for him in England. And Philip of France, back in Europe once more, was threatening his borders in Normandy. However, if Conrad of Montferrat and Guy of Lisignan continued to bicker, Palestine would remain in turmoil and be vulnerable to recapture by the Muslims. Therefore the king sought to resolve the differences between the two men once and for all. On 16th April 1192, the matter was put before the army council, which was asked to choose the new leader. They selected Conrad. So by way of compensation, Richard made Guy the Lord of Cyprus. Almost immediately, events took an unexpected turn. Before he could be crowned, Conrad of Montferrat was assassinated. Canon Richard of the Holy Trinity Order in London relates how. He was peacefully making his way home, very happy and joking from a dinner engagement with the Bishop of Beauvais. He'd just reached the city tollbooth when two youths, cutthroats, made a sudden attack on him. They were unencumbered by cloaks and thrust at the Marquis with the daggers they held in their hands. They penetrated his chest with these, lethally wounding him, and were ready to make a swift getaway. The Marquis immediately fell from his horse and was rolling on the ground, fatally wounded. One of the murderers was immediately cut down, while the other ran straight into the nearest church. In spite of this, he was snatched from it and dragged as a condemned man through the middle of the town until his last treacherous breath. The men responsible for Conrad's death were probably linked to a Syrian revolutionary religious movement, but the confession of one of them is said to have implicated Richard in the killing. Pressure was piling up on the King as news from home brought further indications that John was up to no good. Richard suffered a nervous collapse. Anxiously, his chaplain, William of Poitou, attempted to rally him. All agree, O King, that you are the father, the champion and defender of Christendom. If you desert God's peoples now, they will be destroyed by the enemy. Richard seemed to respond to treatment and announced that he would stay in the Holy Land until the following Easter. On the 7th of June, the Crusaders again marched to Beit Nuba, where they again had to confront the fact that they would be unable to take Jerusalem. A month later, they began to withdraw to the coast, continuing the cycle of victory and defeat in various minor skirmishes. Saladin captured Jaffa at the end of July but was then trounced by Richard in response. On the night of the 4th of August, the Muslims made a surprise attack on the Christians and once again the King acquitted himself inspiration. We are told, he was a giant in battle and was everywhere in the field, now here, now there, wherever the attacks of the Turks raged most fiercely. On that day, his sword shone like lightning as many of the Turks felt its edge. Some were cloven in two from their helmet to their teeth. Others lost their heads, arms and other limbs, lopped off at a single blow. Whoever felt one of his blows had no need of a second. Although you could still stage a magnificent fight when required, the Lionheart was unwell and tired. On the 2nd of September, he at last agreed a truce with Saladin. It was affirmed by the marriage of the widow of Conrad, Isabella, whose claim to the throne of Jerusalem nobody disputed, to Richard's nephew, Henry of Champagne. In October, the King set sail for England. The impact he had upon the Holy Land was so strong that even centuries after his death, custom has it, when Arab women wanted to quieten their children, they used the words, England is coming. Canon Richard takes up the tale of the King's journey home. On the 11th of November, King Richard, exhausted by the long rough sea voyage, landed at the earliest opportunity on the first land that came into sight, which was a place called Corfu, ruled by Constantinople. Happening to fall in with some pirates, he wisely agreed to pay them whatever they asked to transfer him to some safer shore. Leaving the royal fleet, he put off his kingly garments and boldly entrusted his life to savage pirates. He changed his clothes, but not his spirit. For what would he not dare, great-hearted King Richard? With four companions, he sailed across to Slavonia and thence to Aquila, entering the territory of Duke Leopold of Austria. There, in Vienna, on the 20th of December 1192, he was taken prisoner. The English had torn down his standard outside acre. Leopold of Austria had resented Richard. This hostility turned to hatred when the English king was implicated in the murder of Leopold's cousin, Conrad of Montferrat. Therefore, it must have been with some delight that the duke learnt of Richard's presence in Austria. He was swift to imprison him in Dernstein Castle, overlooking the River Danube. To the politicians of Europe, the English king was a valuable commodity, and there were many who would have taken over the role of his jailer for a price. After hard bargaining, Leopold gave his prize into the hands of the German emperor, who agreed the handsome sum of 75,000 marks, also promising to give a 50,000-mark dowry to Eleanor of Brittany on her marriage to one of the duke's sons. The German emperor wrote exultantly to Philip of France, Inasmuch as he is now in our power and has always done his utmost to annoy and disturb you, we have sought it right to notify your highness, for we know that these tidings will bring you the most abundant joy. In the meantime, Richard was also firing off letters. He wrote to the emperor, who was also a cousin of Conrad of Montferrat, denying any involvement in the murder of the marquis in the hope of securing his own release from prison. The assassination of the marquis of Montferrat is foreign to my character. I have not feared to have been such dread of my enemies as man should believe me capable of attacking their lives otherwise than with sword and hand. Philip of France broke the news of his capture to Richard's brother John in England. The prince raced to France to do homage to Philip for Normandy and all of Richard's other French lands, hoping to win the king as an ally. Returning to England, John began to stir up rebellion, attempting to enlist the help of the Welsh and the Scots. He made strongholds for himself at Wallingford and Windsor, then declared Richard dead and himself king. Richard's loyal followers summoned a great council of the realm on the 28th of February 1193, as a result of which two abbots were posted abroad to look for him. Legend has it that the minstrel Blondel finally ran the king to earth by travelling all round the continent, singing his master's favourite ballads, until he heard an answering song from deep within a dungeon. There is no doubt that Richard himself made compositions while he was held prisoner. The most famous surviving example of these is Yannu-en-Prie. Garsetis, will no prisoner tell his tale fitly unless as one whom woes before. As a solace, songs may much avail. Friends I have many, yet the gifts are small. Shame, that because to ransom me they fail, I've primed two years in thrall. But all my liege men in fair Normandy, in England, Quatu, Gascony, Noel, meanest follower would I leave for gold's sake in prison has to dwell. O ally, I am still in thrall. The two abbots sent from England found Richard on his way to answer charges brought against him by the German Emperor Henry and Duke Leopold. He dealt with their accusations so effectively that the emperor was moved to give him what he called the kiss of peace. The terms of the king's ransom were set. Richard was to pay 150,000 marks which was the equivalent to three times his annual income and amounted to 34 tons in silver. On his mother's advice, he resigned England to the emperor in order to receive it back as a fief of the empire. This made him a vassal of Philip for his lands in France and a vassal of the emperor for England. Hearing their ransom was fixed, Philip of France wrote to Prince John to warn him of his brother's imminent return. Look to yourself. The devil is loosed. Meanwhile, Saladin fared no better than his former opponent, meeting an early death in the March of 1193. Bahadin writes movingly that... Never had our faith and its true believers suffered such a loss as did Belden when the sultan died. The whole world was filled with a grief so profound that only God could realize its true death. I have heard people say that they would be prepared to sacrifice their life for that of someone dear to them. And I had always thought that if they were to be confronted with such a choice, they would soon recant these words. But on that day, if I and others had been asked who will lay down his life in exchange for the sultan's, I am convinced that each of us would willingly have done so. Richard landed in Sandwich on the 14th of March 1194 and soon returned England to law and order. One of the rebels who had been working on John's behalf is reputed to have died of fright on hearing of the king's return. Richard was obliged to storm the outer walls of Nottingham Castle before its inmates would believe that he was really home, after which he spent a pleasant day in Sherwood Forest. His brother he dealt with leniently, saying to him... Don't be afraid, John. You are a child. You've got in a bad company and it is those who have led you astray who will be punished. Having been absent for so long, many problems were waiting to be dealt with, most of them financial. The crusade, the fighting in France, famine and the king's ransom had brought the country near to financial collapse. Richard raised money by having a new great seal cut and declaring all documents issued under the old one null and void. It was a pursuit of money that indirectly led the Lionheart to his death. In September 1199, near Chaloux in the Limousin, a peasant ploughing his land found a treasure trove that consisted of four golden figures of an emperor and his family seated round a table. There was also a considerable quantity of gold coins with the statues. The local landowner, Archard of Chaloux, laid claim to it. Then Viscount Amiel of Limoges claimed his right as overlord and said it belonged to him before Richard, as the Viscount's overlord, staked his claim. The king was prepared to back his words with deeds and crossed over to Chaloux and laid siege to the village. One day, near the walls of the castle, Richard spotted a man armed with a crossbow taking aim at him. And with characteristic bravado, before taking avoiding action, the king paused to applaud the man. The gesture cost him his life, for he was hit in the shoulder and refused to take any treatment for it, preferring to continue with the work in hand. He captured the town, but by that time the wound had become gangrenous and King Richard the Lionheart died of blood poisoning on 6 April 1199. Some remarks his old enemy Saladin made about him in 1192 are perhaps the best summing up of Richard's character. I have long since been aware that your king is a man of honour and very brave, but he is imprudent and indeed absurdly so in the way he plunges into the midst of danger and in his reckless indifference to his own safety for my own part. However a powerful king I might be, I would like to have wisdom and moderation rather than an excessive boldness. Of all the early kings of England, Richard I is held in the greatest esteem, adored and revered by his countrymen in spite of his neglect of them. His passing left them feeling bereft, and this lament, composed by the troubadour Gausolem Fadi, serves as a fitting epitaph to him. I must tell and recount in song the greatest misfortune and sorrow that alas I have ever known, of which henceforth I shall always regret and lament. For the head and father of valour, the courageous and powerful king of the English, Richard, is dead. Alas, O God, what a great loss and what a great pity! What a harsh word and how painful it is to hear it. The man who can endure this pain must indeed have a hard heart. Ah, Lord God, you are merciful, true God, true man, and the true life have mercy. Pardon him, for he has great need of your compassion. Do not consider his sins, but remember how he was going to serve you.