Richard I of England

Richard I of England (8 September 1157 – 6 April 1199) was the King of England from 1189 to 1199. He was also Duke of Normandy, Aquitaine and Gascony; Lord of Cyprus; and Count of Poitiers, Anjou, Maine, and Nantes and was overlord of Brittany at various times. He is sometimes called Richard the Lionheart or Richard Coeur de Lion, which means the same thing in French.

 Life 
Richard was the son of Henry II of England and Eleanor of Aquitaine. As the third son, he was not expected to inherit the throne, and he was a replacement child. At the age of 11, he became Duke of Aquitaine.

Later, Richard was one of the leaders of the Third Crusade against Saladin. During Richard's journey, he conquered Sicily and Cyprus. He fought in the Siege of Acre and the Battle of Arsuf. In the end, the crusade did not succeed: Richard was never able to win back Jerusalem from the Muslim forces. He decided to return home to England. 

On his way back from the crusade, Richard was captured by Duke Leopold of Austria. The English people had to pay a huge ransom to set him free. He was considered a brave and noble king, but he spent only six months of his eleven-year reign in England. He died after being shot with a crossbow while he was besieging a castle in Limousin. 

Richard’s remains were buried in different places. His body was buried at Fontevraud Abbey near Saumur in France, with his father and mother. His internal organs were buried at Châlus, at the Château de Châlus-Chabrol, near Limoges, in central France. His heart was buried in the Notre-Dame Cathedral at Rouen. 

Richard’s heart was found in 1838 and was examined by scientists in 2012. They did tests for poisons because one mediaeval story claimed Richard had died from a poisoned arrow. They found no evidence to support the idea. Richard probably died from gangrene or septicaemia from the arrow wound.

Richard was succeeded by his younger brother, John.


Legacy
Because of his military exploits, Richard's popular image is still dominated by the positive qualities of chivalry and military competence. Contemporaries considered Richard as both a king and a knight famed for personal martial prowess, which was apparently the first instance of such a combination. He was known as a competent military leader and individual fighter, who was courageous and generous. Victorian England admired him as a crusader and a man of God and erected a heroic statue of him outside the Westminster Palace. 

Richard was seen as a pious hero by his subjects. He is an enduring iconic figure both in England and in France.

 Photo gallery 



 In world culture  
In 1851, the German poet Heinrich Heine wrote König Richard, a poem that was dedicated to Richard and was later translated into several languages.


König Richard

Wohl durch der Wälder einödige Pracht 
Jagt ungestüm ein Reiter; 
Er bläst ins Horn, er singt und lacht 
Gar seelenvergnügt und heiter. 

Sein Harnisch ist von starkem Erz, 
Noch stärker ist sein Gemüte, 
Das ist Herr Richard Löwenherz, 
Der christlichen Ritterschaft Blüte. 

»Willkommen in England!« rufen ihm zu 
Die Bäume mit grünen Zungen - 
»Wir freuen uns, o König, daß du 
Östreichischer Haft entsprungen.« 

Dem König ist wohl in der freien Luft, 
Er fühlt sich wie neugeboren, 
Er denkt an Östreichs Festungsduft - 
Und gibt seinem Pferde die Sporen.Heinrich Heine's Sämmtliche Werke. Bibliothek-Ausgabe (The Complete Poetic Works of Heinrich Heine. Library Edition), Hamburg: Hoffman und Campe, 1885, p. 45.
<1851>King Richard 

Through lonesome, desolate splendor of woods
A rider gallops unabated.
He blows the horn, he sings and he laughs
With joy, carefree and contented.

His armor is thick and his posture is strong,
Much stronger is his dedication.
King Richard is he, Richard Cœur de Lion,
The Lord's army blooms in elation.

“Welcome to England!” they say out loud -
The green leafy trees by the waters - 
“We are pleased and happy, O King, that you have
Sprung free from that Austrian fortress!”

The King breathes free air, in his heart he is glad,
He feels born anew and enlivened.
That damp dungeon smell makes no longer him sad,
He, spurring his horse, is triumphant.

(Translated by Sergei Osankin)

References

Category:1157 births
Category:1199 deaths
Category:12th century in England
Category:Dukes and Duchesses of Aquitaine
Category:House of Plantagenet