King Richard

King Richard is a minor character in Disney's 1973 animated feature film Robin Hood. He is Prince John's older brother and the ruler of England.
==Background==
===Personality===
King Richard is the older brother to Prince John, and according to the latter, Richard was favored by their mother. In contrast to John, Richard is shown to be much stronger-looking and sports a full mane. He is seen as an ideal king: kind, fair, and considerate of his subjects, given they revere Richard as the true king and see John as just a greedy pretender. He apparently has family other than John, as Maid Marian is said to be his niece.
Richard displays grace and honor, and especially forgiveness and a good sense of humor, as he gave a royal pardon to Robin Hood and Little John as thanks for helping the people, and after Robin married Marian, he joked with Friar Tuck of now having an outlaw for an in-law.
===Physical appearance===
King Richard is a large, muscular middle-aged lion with gold fur, a light brown mane, thick black eyebrows, a gray nose, thin black whiskers and wears a white tabard with thick red hem and a yellow steeple design on its front, a light blue tunic with lace cuffs, a gold necklace, chocolate sandals, a gold crown and carries a brown cane.
==Appearances==
===Robin Hood===
Sometime before the events of the film, Richard ruled England as King. He was later hypnotized by Sir Hiss, the henchman of Prince John, to go off on the Crusades. In his absence, John usurps the throne and becomes known for his harsh, dictatorial rule.
Though Richard is not seen for most of the film, he is mentioned several times. It is noted by many that the crown that John wears belongs to Richard, as it does not fit the former's head very well. The very name of Richard is enough to cause John to throw an angry tantrum. Later, when facing death, Robin Hood cheers on Richard's name, noting that the crown is rightfully his and not John's.
Richard returns to England to set everything right at the end of the film, much to the relief of the people of Nottingham and reclaims his throne from his brother. He imprisons Prince John, Hiss, and the Sheriff of Nottingham for their crimes against the poor people. However, it is unknown what he did to Captain Crocodile, the Rhino Guards, and Wolf Arrowmen, assuming that he executed or punished them for attempting to kill poor people. He also pardons Robin Hood and gives his blessing for Robin to marry Maid Marian. After the ceremony, King Richard notes to Friar Tuck that he now has an outlaw for an in-law and watches as his niece and nephew-in-law leave for their honeymoon.
====Alternate ending====
An idea the Disney animators had thought of but did not make the cut was where Prince John was about to strike Robin Hood and Maid Marian in the church, but is suddenly restrained by the sudden appearance of King Richard, who has just returned from the Crusades. King Richard sees firsthand the brutal oppression Prince John has imposed on the villagers, the misery and poverty of the commoners, and the fact the castle is all in flames. Richard is enraged that John has run his kingdom into the ground, but still cannot impose the punishment he wishes because John still is a family member and it would upset their mother. Had this idea made it on screen, it would have better explained the final scene and bridged the gap between the terrible fight in the burning castle and the joyous wedding. However, elements are shown in the film, such as Prince John (and his underlings) being punished at the Royal Rock Pile, the nullification of the tax burden, and Robin Hood's reinstatement into civilian society.
===House of Mouse===
He is seen making appearances on the 2001-03 television series the House of Mouse, usually sitting at tables with Robin Hood, Maid Marian, or Little John. He is especially suspicious of his brother Prince John, Sir Hiss and the Sheriff of Nottingham, as he despises them.
===Once Upon a Time===
King Richard doesn't appear on the show. However, Robin Hood sported a tattoo of a Lionheart symbol, which signifies his loyalty to the king. By extension, King Richard could also exist in this version.
==Gallery==
May274.gif
King Richard Disney Clipart.gif
Robin-hood-1080p-disneyscreencaps.com-9524.jpg|With Friar Tuck
King Richard laughing.jpg
Robinhoodmwe-01.jpg|King Richard checking on a wounded Robin Hood
Rhlineup.jpg|Concept art shows that Richard is bigger than his brother
DVG King Richard.png
King Richard, Sir Hiss, and Prince John action figures.jpeg|King Richard as an action figure
King Richard alternate ending.jpeg|King Richard in the alternate ending of the film
==Trivia==
*In the movie, it is stated that Richard is Maid Marian's uncle, but this would have to be an inaccuracy because the two are separate species (Maid Marian is a vixen and Richard is a lion). However, it could be hinted that King Richard was once married to a sister of one of Marian's parents (also a fox), which could be considered radical. If this is the case then she may be based on Marie of Champagne; the eldest daughter of King Richard's youngest sister-in-law Blanche of Navarre, Countess of Champagne. Although Richard died not long after the historical Marie's birth, Maid Marian could also be based on Eleanor, the Maid of Brittany whose father Geoffrey was Richard's younger and John's older brother.
*King Richard's appearance as a lion is symbolic as the real King Richard I was nicknamed "the Lionheart."
**The lion also represents royalty as it is well known as the “king of animals”.
*Like his Disney counterpart, King Richard indeed left England to join the crusade, but he wasn't hypnotized into going, he went there from freedom of choice as soon as he became king in 1189. Richard spends most of his life fighting on the battlefields of France and the Holy land and only spent six months in England during his reign of ten years. He later died in 1199 from an arrow wound while he was besieging the castle of Châlus-Chabrol in France. His crusade was also the reason why John was hated because the war drained the treasury, forcing John to raise taxes and the people loathed John while in fact Richard was the one at fault. 
*When John mentioned how his mother favored Richard over him, this alludes to historical fact: Eleanor of Aquitaine, the mother of Richard the Lionheart and John, was well known for favoring Richard above all her other children. On the other hand, King Henry II favored John over Richard since John was capable politician and ruler while Richard was a great military leader but lacking the skills to rule the Kingdom.
*In real life, there was indeed bad blood between King Richard and his brother John: it all started when they were young and their mother encouraged her children to defile their father Henry II of England. John refused to sustain Richard and the rest of his brothers thus losing their trust forever but also earning his father's trust (to the point that he was almost made heir to the throne; this has been depicted in the famous Broadway play later adapted into the movie The Lion in Winter).
*In the alternative ending, King Richard considered banishing his brother John from England but ultimately rethink of that since "it would upset our mother". This alludes to historical facts as Richard the Lionheart initially intended to banish John from England until he returned from the crusades, in order to prevent John from seizing power, but their mother Eleanor convinced him to allow John back to England.
*In the story of Robin Hood, King Richard and Prince John are cousins of Maid Marian.
fr:Roi Richard
Category:Robin Hood characters
Category:Disney characters
Category:Characters
Category:Kings
Category:Lions
Category:Royalty
Category:Males
Category:Anthropomorphic characters
Category:Adults
Category:Siblings
Category:Animated characters
Category:Heroes
Category:Nobility
Category:English characters
Category:Characters in the Disney animated features canon
Category:House of Mouse characters
Category:Characters based on real people
Category:Uncles
Category:TV Animation characters