Richard the Lionheart - The Crusades Updated February 02, 2016. Richard the Lionheart - Early Life: Born September 8, 1157, Richard the Lionheart was the third legitimate son of King Henry II of England. Often believed to have been the favorite son of his mother, Eleanor of Aquitaine, Richard had three older siblings, William (died in infancy), Henry, and Matilda, as well as four younger, Geoffrey, Lenora, Joan, and John. As with many English rulers of the Plantagenet line, Richard was essentially French and his focus tended to lean toward the family's lands in France rather than England. Following the separation of his parents in 1167, Richard was invested duchy of Aquitaine. Well educated and of dashing appearance, Richard quickly demonstrated skill in military matters and worked to enforce his father's rule in the French lands. In 1174, encouraged by their mother, Richard, Henry (the Young King), and Geoffrey (Duke of Brittany) rebelled against their father's rule. Responding quickly, Henry II was able to crush this revolt and captured Eleanor.

With his brothers defeated, Richard submitted to his father's will and asked forgiveness. His greater ambitions checked, Richard turned his focus to maintaining his rule over Aquitaine and controlling his nobles. Ruling with an iron fist, Richard was forced to put down major revolts in 1179 and 1181-1182. During this time, tension again rose between Richard and his father when the latter demanded that his son pay homage to his older brother Henry. Refusing, Richard was soon attacked by Henry the Young King and Geoffrey in 1183. Confronted by this invasion and a revolt of his own barons, Richard was able to skillfully turn back these attacks. Following the death of Henry the Young King in June 1183, Henry II ordered John to continue the campaign. Seeking aid, Richard formed an alliance with King Philip II of France in 1187. In return for Philip's assistance, Richard ceded his rights to Normandy and Anjou. That summer, upon hearing of the Christian defeat at the Battle of Hattin , Richard took the cross at Tours with other members of the French nobility.

In 1189, Richard and Philip's forces united against Henry and won a victory at Ballans in July. Meeting with Richard, Henry agreed name him as his heir. Two days later, Henry died and Richard ascended to the throne. He was crowned at Westminster Abbey in September 1189. Richard the Lionheart - Becoming King: Following his coronation, a rash of anti-Semitic violence swept through the country as Jews had been barred from the ceremony. Punishing the perpetrators, Richard immediately began making plans to go on crusade to the Holy Land . Going to extremes to raise money for the army, he finally was able to assemble a force of around 8,000 men. After making preparations for the protection of his realm in his absence, Richard and his army departed in the summer of 1190. Dubbed the Third Crusade, Richard planned to campaign in conjunction with Philip II and Emperor Frederick I Barbarossa of the Holy Roman Empire . Richard the Lionheart - The Crusades: Rendezvousing with Philip at Sicily, Richard aided in settling a succession dispute on the island which involved his sister Joan and conducted a brief campaign against Messina.

During this time, he proclaimed his nephew, Arthur of Brittany, to be his heir, leading his brother John to start planning a revolt at home. Moving on, Richard landed in Cyprus to rescue his mother and future bride, Berengaria of Navarre. Defeating the island's despot, Isaac Komnenos, he completed his conquest and married Berengaria on May 12, 1191. Pressing on, he landed in the Holy Land at Acre on June 8. Arriving, he gave his support to Guy of Lusignan who was fighting a challenge from Conrad of Montferrat for the kingship of Jerusalem. Conrad was in turn backed by Philip and Duke Leopold V of Austria. Putting aside their differences, the Crusaders captured Acre that summer. After taking the city, problems again arose as Richard contested Leopold's place in the Crusade. Though not a king, Leopold had ascended to the command Imperial forces in the Holy Land after the death of Frederick Barbarossa in 1190. After Richard's men pulled down Leopold's banner at Acre, the Austrian departed and returned home in anger.

Soon after, Richard and Philip began arguing in regard to the status of Cyprus and the kingship of Jerusalem. In poor health, Philip elected to return to France leaving Richard without allies to face Saladin's Muslim forces. Pushing south, he defeated Saladin at Arsuf on September 7, 1191, and then attempted to open peace negotiations. Initially rebuffed by Saladin, Richard spent the early months of 1192 refortifying Ascalon. As the year wore on, both Richard and Saladin's positions began to weaken and the two men entered into negotiations. Knowing that he could not hold Jerusalem if he took it and that John and Philip were plotting against him at home, Richard agreed to raze walls at Ascalon in exchange for a three-year truce and Christian access to Jerusalem. After the agreement was signed on September 2, 1192, Richard departed for home. Shipwrecked en route, Richard was forced to travel overland and was captured by Leopold in December. Imprisoned first in Dürnstein and then at Trifels Castle in the Palatinate, Richard was largely kept in a comfortable captivity.

For his release, the Holy Roman Emperor , Henry VI, demanded 150,000 marks. Richard the Lionheart - Later Years: While Eleanor of Aquitaine worked to raise the money, John and Philip offered Henry VI 80,000 marks to hold Richard until at least Michaelmas 1194. Refusing, the emperor accepted the ransom and released Richard on February 4, 1194. Returning to England, he quickly forced John to submit to his will, but did name his brother his heir supplanting his nephew Arthur. With the situation in England in hand, Richard returned to France to deal with Philip. Constructing an alliance against his former friend, Richard won several victories over the French during the next five years. In March 1199, Richard laid siege to the small castle of Chalus-Chabrol. On the night of March 25, while walking along the siege lines, he was struck in the left shoulder by an arrow. Unable to remove it himself, he summoned a surgeon who took out the arrow, but severely worsened the wound in the process.

Shortly thereafter gangrene set in and the king died in his mother's arms on April 6, 1199. Richard's legacy is largely mixed as some point to his military skill and willingness to go on crusade while others emphasize his cruelty and neglect for his realm. Though king for ten years, he only spent around six months in England and the remainder in his French lands or abroad. He was succeeded by his brother John. Selected Sources BBC - History - British History in depth: King John and Richard I: Brothers and Rivals Print this page An Angevin autocrat The story of King John is a story of failure - he was the last of the Angevin kings, the one who failed to hold onto his territory in western France, lost his crown and many valuables in the mud of East Anglia, drove his subjects to impose the Magna Carta, and almost lost the Kingdom of England. It is the tragedy of a flawed genius, crippled by his own inheritance. By contrast, his brother Richard has been seen by his contemporaries, and by later historians, as a superstar - his nickname, the 'Lionheart', says it all.

The popular image of John is of a classically bad king: a scheming, untrustworthy coward consumed by greed, whose rapaciousness drove his subjects to impose their will upon him. His acts of apparent cruelty are well documented. He hanged 28 hostages, sons of rebel Welsh chieftains in 1212 and starved to death William de Braose's wife and son in a royal prison. He was the archetypical Angevin: the autocratic ruler of a vast territory. Attempts to rehabilitate him have highlighted his administrative genius and his unstinting personal attention to his kingdom, but this view involves a fundamental misunderstanding of the nature of kingship in the Middle Ages. To understand John, we must forget 21st-century concepts of 'good' governance, and stop seeing him as a solely English king. He was the archetypical Angevin, the autocratic ruler of a vast territory. Yet these were the traits that were most responsible for his eventual failure. Top King John and his contemporaries It is impossible to speak of John without comparing him to those around him, most especially his brother Richard.

The historian WL Warren, puts it well, when discussing the loss of Normandy: 'If Richard had lived another five years, there would have been one notable difference in the course of the campaign. The King himself would have been on the heights above Les Andelys... and even when all else had gone, Richard would have been urging the citizens of Rouen to arms, parrying the first assault with blows of his great sword. John stayed in England biting his nails.' By comparison with Richard, then, John has been seen as a weedy little tick. By comparison with Richard, then, John has been seen as a weedy little tick. In the early 20th century there was a movement to overturn this view. It pointed out, quite rightly, that many of the infractions laid at John's door were begun in the reign of Richard. Historians said, for example, that Richard's exactions were as arduous as John's, that John paid much more attention to England and that, far from being a coward, John could be the equal in generalship of both Richard and his father. All of this is true, but it misses the fundamental point that makes Richard a 'good' king and John a 'bad' one.

Top Tragic flaws Richard was a superstar precisely because he was an absentee warrior king. He had the dash and flair to risk all on the most slender of odds. He was prepared to bury the hatchet and put his faith in even his most inveterate enemies and he understood that in the realpolitik of the day, you had to give in order to receive. He also left the administration of England to his subordinates, removing himself from their more unpopular measures. John's greatest weakness was an inability to trust. John, on the other hand, lacked flair. Although a perfectly able strategist, he would always make the percentage play, opening himself up to the charge of cowardice. Nor could he, in Warren's words: '...miss the opportunity to kick a man while he was down'. This habit created enmities that festered into feuds. Yet John's greatest weakness was an inability to trust. The truism that 'a liar won't believe in anyone else', was never more apt than when applied to John. Time and again, when he should have trusted someone and given them power, a free rein and a say in things, he shied away, never daring to put his faith entirely in anyone. It lost him friends.

It also lost him opportunities. Top The villainous king John's paranoia would overwhelm him, and instead of striking while the iron was hot, he would hesitate for fear of betrayal. He stayed in England 'biting his nails' because he could not believe that anyone would support him, and this of course proved to be a self-fulfilling prophecy. John's ultimate, most unforgivable, crime was failure. Add to this his obsession with detail, which meant he could not avoid becoming involved, and which therefore meant that all the ills of the Angevin administration were blamed on him. It did not help matters that John's most cherished hobby was collecting jewellery. He was born to be a Bond villain. The sad thing is that, from an objective point of view, John was really no worse than his contemporaries. His father Henry II had a reputation for untrustworthiness, matched only by the utter faithlessness of the French kings Louis and Philip Augustus. His brother Richard pulled financial stunts so rapacious that John actually felt the need to repeal his worst excesses. Yet they had a flair born of success and John's ultimate, most unforgivable crime was failure.

Top John's youth Henry II and Eleanor of Aquitaine, depicted in stained glass at Poitiers Cathedral © John was the fourth son of Henry II; the youngest of the 'Devil's Brood'. He grew up in the shadow of his older brothers and once again the comparisons are interesting. Stories from his childhood suggest that he was probably bullied and beaten if he complained. Warren can't help but point out that at an age when his brothers Richard and Geoffrey were stamping their authority on Aquitaine and Brittany, John had squandered his opportunities in Ireland. The criticism is reasonably justified, but to understand why, we need to look at his upbringing. In a family so obsessed with its rights and possessions, being the last of four sons was not an enviable position. Henry was clear about his hopes for his first three sons, but until Ireland cropped up, John seems to have been left out of the picture. Stories from his childhood suggest that he was probably bullied and beaten if he complained of his plight. It may be due to this perceived lack of character that Henry was loath to incorporate John into his schemes.

At various times, John was destined for the Church, for an Italian marriage and for piecemeal lands that belonged to his brothers (and which they refused to give him). His own father gave him the disparaging nickname 'Lackland', and it was not until the death of his oldest brother, Henry the Younger, that John began to figure in King Henry's plans. Top In his brothers' shadows Poitiers, capital of Aquitaine © With the death of Henry the Younger in 1183, Henry II's plans for a federal Angevin empire were in jeopardy. He tried to solve this by ordering Richard to hand over Aquitaine to John, with the implication that Richard would take Henry the Younger's place as heir apparent. Henry II's policy over Ireland was always one of reaction. Yet his plans foundered on the mistrust of his sons and the Angevins' stubborn possessiveness. Richard would not give up Aquitaine and began fortifying his castles against any attempts to seize them from him. In a fit of rage, Henry told John he should raise an army and seize the duchy for himself.

It was not a serious suggestion, but John took him at his word, making a pact with his brother Geoffrey, in which they both invaded Poitou. There were various conferences between the interested parties to settle this dispute - one of them is depicted in the Hollywood film The Lion in Winter. By 1185, however, Henry had given up any idea of prising Richard from his patrimony, and was more concerned with Ireland. Henry's policy over Ireland was always one of reaction. In 1183, Rory O'Connor, High King of Ireland, retired to a monastery, leaving control of the kingdom in the hands of Hugh de Lacy, Henry's justiciary. Hugh's policy of fair dealing with the Irish seems to have been too successful, for by 1185, Henry had grown suspicious of him. (In the light of Hugh's marriage to Rory's daughter in 1180, Henry probably saw another Strongbow looming on the horizon.) The English king's solution was typical. He knighted the 18-year-old John, gave him an army of 300 knights and a treasury, and sent him to Ireland to take charge of the situation.

Top Paranoia and extravagance An effigy of Henry II, Fontevraud Abbey, France © Gerald of Wales was part of John's retinue, and gives us an eye-witness account of events in Ireland, albeit a heavily biased one. John took a lot of young hangers-on with him, who ridiculed the Irish chieftains when they turned up to pay homage, and to whom he made land grants that antagonised the Norman settlers. So when the Irish buried their differences and united against him, John found himself isolated and impeded by the locals. Unable to pay his mercenaries because of the extravagance of his way of life, he was eventually forced to abandon Ireland in September, blaming Hugh de Lacy for obstructionism. King Henry was then obliged to appoint another Hiberno-Norman, Hugh de Courcy, as justiciary. With the death of Geoffrey in a tournament, and the worsening relationship between Henry and Richard, John became Henry's favourite. Yet there is absolutely no evidence that Henry considered passing Richard over as his heir. John had failed to oust his brother from Aquitaine and, at an age when Richard was browbeating that province into submission, he had squandered his opportunities in Ireland.

Henry seems to have recognised his youngest son's limitations, though he took a perverse pleasure in keeping Richard guessing. The paranoia this induced backfired spectacularly, when Richard made common cause with Louis of France and declared war on Henry in 1189. Old and infirm, Henry was hounded from castle to castle, but what finally broke him was the discovery that John had betrayed him and gone over to Richard's side. He died, a broken man, on 6 July 1189. Top Plots, crusades and banishment Painted effigies of Henry II and his wife, Eleanor of Aquitaine, at Fontevraud Abbey, France © Richard was crowned king on 3 September 1189. He made John the Count of Mortain and granted him extensive lands in England (including Nottingham). The new king also had enough respect for John's troublemaking tendencies to ban him from England for three years whilst he (Richard) went on crusade. However, against Richard's better judgement, he was prevailed upon by his mother Eleanor to allow John back into England. This was a mistake. It was from the chaos and outlawry of this time that the legend of Robin Hood was probably born.

John conspired against Richard's regent, William Longchamp, and set himself up as King in all but name. A plot to divvy up the Angevin empire between himself and the new French King, Philip Augustus, was only just forestalled by his mother, when she intercepted him as he was about to take ship from Southampton. When Richard was imprisoned on his return from the crusades, by Duke Leopold of Austria, John again conspired with the French King to seize the kingdom. Richard was unimpressed. 'My brother is not a man to win land for himself if there is any resistance', he said. He was proved right when Eleanor rallied support among the English barons, and besieged John's castles. It was from the chaos and outlawry of this time that the legend of Robin Hood was probably born. On Richard's release John fled to France, but he was soon forgiven by his brother, who himself returned to France, where he died in 1199. On his deathbed Richard named John as his heir, although by the law of primogeniture Arthur, the son of an older brother, Geoffrey, should have succeeded him.

Thus, despite their rivalry, Richard and John conspired to keep the crown in the family, and John's coronation took place at Westminster Abbey, on 27 May the same year. Top Key Locations Chinon - location of the 'Lion in Winter' conference and castle in which John's wife Isabella was besieged when the Norman lords turned against him. Château-Gaillard - fantastic Norman castle built by Richard I as the key to the defence of Normandy. Its loss signalled the end for John in Normandy. Lusignan - ancestral seat of the Lusignans in Poitou. Poitiers - Angevin capital of Poitou. Henry II married Eleanor here in 1152, and its surrender by the Lusignans marked the end of Angevin power in Aquitaine. The cathedral church dates to the 1160s. Mirabeau - town and castle in central France (Anjou) where Eleanor was besieged and John defeated Arthur and the Lusignans. Alençon - town on the Norman border. When John learned that the Count of Alençon had gone over to the other side, he panicked and gave up on Normandy.

Carrickfurgus - main stronghold of Hugh de Lacy in Ireland. Dublin - centre of John's new Irish administration. The core of Dublin castle as it stands today was started by John. St Asaph - centre of the Four Cantrefs taken from Llywelyn in North Wales. Barnsdale and Sherwood Forest - recorded haunts of Robin Hood. Runnymede - site of the signing of Magna Carta. Rochester Castle - key loss of the Magna Carta rebels, which meant they had to turn to Louis of France. The round tower on the south corner of the keep was torn down by John and had to be rebuilt, which is why it differs from the other square towers. Dover - besieged by Louis of France in 1217, but never fell. Sandwich - site of the landing of Louis in 1216 and his final defeat in 1217, during which the outlaw Eustace the Monk was also killed.

King Richard I The Lion Heart | Britroyals Name: King Richard I The Lion Heart Born: September 6, 1157 at Beaumont Place, Oxford Parents: Henry II and Eleanor of Aquitaine Relation to Elizabeth II: 21st great-granduncle House of: Angevin Ascended to the throne: July 6, 1189 aged 31 years Crowned: 2/3 September, 1189 at Westminster Abbey Married: Berengaria, Daughter of Sancho V of Navarre Children: Two illegitimate sons Died: April 6, 1199 at Limousin, France, aged 41 years, 6 months, and 29 days Buried at: Fontevraud, France Reigned for: 9 years, 8 months, and 30 days Succeeded by: his brother John Richard was the third son of Henry II. He twice rebelled against his father before he became King of England in 1189, but based himself in his Duchy in Aquitaine inherited from his mother Eleanor. He spent only six months of his reign in England and spoke only French.

He appointed William Longchamp as Chancellor of England during his absence but he was overthrown by Richard�s brother John. Richard acquired a reputation as a leader and warrior becoming known as Richard �The Lion Heart� or �Coeur de Lion�. His experience in warfare came from controlling rebellions in Poitou in the 1170s and against his father, Henry II, in 1183. He took up Henry's plans to recover Jerusalem on his accession in 1189 and set out to establish bases for crusades in Sicily in 1190 and Cyprus, which he took in 1191. Engaging in the siege of Acre, which he brought to a swift conclusion, he set off down the coast to Jaffa, conducting a fighting march against Saladin. In the third Crusade 1191�92 he won victories at Cyprus, Acre, and Arsuf (against Saladin), but failed to recover Jerusalem. While returning overland he was captured by the Duke of Austria, who handed him over to the emperor Henry VI. He was held prisoner until a large ransom was raised.

On his release he returned briefly to England, where his brother John had been ruling in his stead. His later years were spent in warfare in France, where he was killed by a crossbow bolt while besieging Ch�lus-Chabrol in 1199. He left no heir. Timeline for King Richard I The Lion Heart Year Richard the Lionheart Search TheMiddleAges.net Richard the Lionheart Richard I (September 8, 1157 – April 6, 1199) was King of England from 1189 to 1199. He was often referred to as Richard the Lionheart, Coeur de Lion. He was considered a hero in his day and has often been portrayed as one in works of literature. Early life The third of King Henry II's legitimate sons, Richard was never expected to accede to the throne. He was, however, the favourite son of his mother, Eleanor of Aquitaine. Although born in Oxford, England, he soon came to know France as his home.

When his parents effectively separated, he remained in Eleanor's care, and was invested with her duchy of Aquitaine in 1168, and of Poitiers in 1172. This was his consolation prize for the fact that his eldest brother, Henry the Young King, was simultaneously crowned as his father's successor. Richard and his other brother, Geoffrey, duke of Brittany, thus learned how to defend their property while still teenagers. As well as being an educated man, able to compose poetry in French and Provençal, Richard was also a magnificent physical specimen, his height is estimated at six feet four inches (1.93 m) tall, and gloried in military activity. From an early age he appeared to have significant political and military abilities, became noted for his chivalry and courage, and soon was able to control the unruly nobles of his territory. As with all the true-born sons of Henry II, Richard had limited respect for his father and lacked foresight and a sense of responsibility. In 1170, his elder brother Henry the Young King was crowned king of England as Henry III.

Historians know him as Henry "the Young King" so as not to confuse him with the later king of this name who was his nephew. In 1173, Richard joined his brothers, Henry and Geoffrey, Duke of Brittany, in a revolt against their father. They were planning to dethrone their father and leave the Young King as the only king of England. Henry II invaded Aquitaine twice. At the age of seventeen, Richard was the last of the brothers to hold out against Henry; though, in the end, he refused to fight him face to face and humbly begged his pardon. In 1174, after the end of the failed revolt, Richard gave a new oath of subservience to his father. After his failure Richard concentrated on putting down internal revolts by the dissatisfied nobles of Aquitaine, especially the territory of Gascony. The increasing cruelty of his reign led to a major revolt of Gascony in 1183. Richard had a terrible reputation, including reports of various rapes and murders. The rebels hoped to dethrone Richard and asked his brothers Henry and Geoffrey to help them succeed.

Their father feared that the war between his three sons could lead to the destruction of his kingdom. He led the part of his army that served in his French territories in support of Richard. The Young King's death on June 11, 1183, ended the revolt, and Richard remained on his throne. Young Henry's death left Richard as the eldest surviving son and the natural heir when the old King died. However, there was some uncertainty over King Henry's intentions. When Geoffrey also died, Richard was the only realistic possibility, his youngest brother, John, being too weak and inexperienced to be considered as an alternative. From the Young King's death Richard was considered -- though not officially proclaimed -- heir to the joint thrones of England, Normandy and Anjou. In 1188 Henry II planned to concede Aquitaine to his youngest son John Lackland, later King John of England. In opposition to his father's plans, Richard allied himself with King Philip II of France, the son of Eleanor's ex-husband Louis VII by his third wife, Adela of Blois. In exchange for Philip's help against his father, Richard promised to concede his rights to both Normandy and Anjou to Philip.

Richard gave an oath of subservience to Philip in November of the same year. In 1189 Richard attempted to take the throne of England for himself by joining Philip's expedition against his father. They were victorious. Henry, with John's consent, agreed to name Richard his heir. On July 6, 1189 Henry died in Chinon, and Richard succeeded him as King of England, Duke of Normandy, and Count of Anjou. He was officially crowned duke on July 20 and king in Westminster on September 3, 1189. Reign As a result of an incident during Richard's coronation celebrations, religious and political persecution of the Jews took place throughout the country. Richard has been criticised for doing little for England, siphoning the kingdom's resources by appointing Jewish moneylenders to support his tirades away on Crusade in the Holy Land, indeed, he spent only six months of his ten year reign in England, claiming it was "cold and always raining." See image of Effigy on tomb in Fontevrault Abbey -> Richard had one major reason for discontent with his father.

Henry had appropriated Princess Alice (not the same Alice as Richard's half-sister), the daughter of the French king and Richard's betrothed, as his mistress. This made a marriage between Richard and Alice technically impossible - at least in the eyes of the church, but Henry, not wishing to cause a diplomatic incident, prevaricated and did not confess to his misdeed. As for Richard, he was discouraged from renouncing Alice because she was Philip's sister. Leaving the country in the hands of various officials he designated (including his mother, at times), Richard spent only a small fraction of his reign in England, being far more concerned with his possessions in what is now France and his battles in Palestine. He had grown up on the Continent, and had never seen any need to learn the English language. Soon after his accession to the throne, he decided to join the Third Crusade, inspired by the loss of Jerusalem to the "infidels" under the command of Saladin. Afraid that, during his absence, the French might usurp his territories, Richard tried to persuade Philip to join the Crusade as well. Philip agreed and both gave their crusader oaths on the same date.

Richard did not concern himself with the future of England. He wanted to engage in an adventure that would cause the troubadours to immortalise his name, as well as guaranteeing him a place in heaven. The evidence suggests that he had deep spiritual needs, and he swore an oath to renounce his past wickedness in order to show himself worthy to take the cross. He started to raise a new English crusader army, though most of his warriors were Normans, and supplied it with weapons. He spent most of his father's treasury (filled with money raised by the Saladin tithe), raised taxes, and even agreed to free King William I of Scotland from his oath of subservience to Richard in exchange for 10,000 marks. To raise even more money he sold official positions, rights, and lands to those interested in them. He finally succeeded in raising a huge army and navy. After repositioning the part of his army he left behind so that it would guard his French possessions, Richard finally started his expedition to the Holy Land in 1190. Richard appointed as regents Hugh, Bishop of Durham, and William de Mandeville, who soon died and was replaced by Richard's chancellor William Longchamp.

Richard's brother John was not satisfied by this decision and started scheming against William. The struggle for Sicily In September 1190 both Richard and Philip arrived in Sicily. In 1189 King William II of Sicily had died. His heir was his aunt Constance, later Queen Constance of Sicily, who was married to Emperor Henry VI. But immediately after William's death, William's cousin, Tancred, rebelled, seized control of the island and was crowned early in 1190 as King Tancred I of Sicily. He was favored by the people and the pope but had problems with the island's nobles. Richard's arrival caused even more problems. Tancred had imprisoned William's widow, Queen Joan Plantagenet, who was Richard's sister, and did not give her the money she had inherited according to William's will. Richard demanded that his sister be released and given her inheritance. Meanwhile the presence of two foreign armies caused unrest among the people. In October, the people of Messina revolted, demanding that the foreigners leave the island. Richard attacked Messina and captured it on October 4, 1190.

After looting and burning the city Richard established his base in it. He remained there until March 1191 when Tancred finally agreed to sign a treaty. The treaty was signed during the same month by Richard, Philip and Tancred. According to the treaty's main terms: Joan was to be released, receiving her inheritance along with the dowry her father had given to the deceased William. Richard and Philip recognized Tancred as legal King of Sicily and vowed to keep the peace between all three of their kingdoms. Richard officially proclaimed his nephew, the son of Geoffrey, Arthur of Brittany, as his heir, and Tancred promised to later marry one of his daughters to Arthur when he came of age (Arthur was only four years old at the time). After signing the treaty Richard and Philip left Sicily. The treaty undermined England's relationships with the Holy Roman Empire and caused the revolt of Richard's brother John, who hoped to be proclaimed heir instead of their nephew. Although his revolt failed, John continued to scheme against his brother after this point. Richard on the Third Crusade During April Richard stopped on the Byzantine island of Rhodes to avoid the stormy weather. He left in May but a new storm drove Richard's fleet to Cyprus.

On May 6, 1191, Richard's fleet arrived in the port of Lemesos (now Limassol). Richard captured the city. When the island's despot Isaac Dukas Comnenus arrived to stop the Crusaders he discovered he was too late, and retired to Kolossi. Richard called Isaac to negotiations but Isaac broke his oath of hospitality and started demanding Richard's departure. Richard ordered his cavalry to follow him in a battle against Isaac's army in Tremetusia. The few Roman Catholics of the island joined Richard's army and so did the island's nobles who were dissatisfied with Isaac's seven years of tyrannical rule. Though Isaac and his men fought bravely, Richard's army was bigger and better equipped, assuring his victory. Isaac continued to resist from the castles of Pentadactylos but after the siege of his castle of Kantaras he finally surrendered. Richard became the new ruler of Cyprus. Richard looted the island and massacred those trying to resist him. Meanwhile, Richard was finally able to marry the woman to whom he was engaged, who had been brought by his mother to join him on the crusade route.

His marriage to Princess Berengaria of Navarre, first-born daughter of King Sancho VI of Navarre, was held in Limassol on May 12, 1191. It was attended by his sister Joan, whom Richard had brought from Sicily. There were no children from the marriage; opinions vary as to whether it was ever a love match. The unfortunate Berengaria had almost as much difficulty in making the journey home as her husband did, and did not see England until after his death. Richard and most of his army left Cyprus for the Holy Land early in June. In his absence Cyprus would be governed by Richard Kamvill. King Richard arrived at Acre in June 1191, in time to relieve the siege of the city by Saladin. Deserted by Philip and having fallen out with Duke Leopold V of Austria, he suddenly found himself without allies. Richard's tactics ensured success at the siege of Acre and on the subsequent march south, Saladin's men being unable to harass the Crusader army into an impulsive action which might not have gone their way.

However, the desertion of the French king had been a major blow, from which they could not hope to recover. Realising that he had no hope of holding Jerusalem even if he took it, Richard sadly ordered a retreat. Despite being only a few miles from the city, he refused, thereafter, to set eyes on it, since God had ordained that he should not be the one to conquer it. He had finally realised that his return home could be postponed no longer, since both Philip and John were taking advantage of his absence to make themselves more powerful. Having planned to leave Conrad of Montferrat as "King" of Jerusalem and Cyprus in the hands of his own protégé, Guy of Lusignan, Richard was dealt another blow when Conrad was assassinated before he could be crowned. His replacement was Richard's own nephew, Henry I of Champagne. Captivity and return On his return to Europe in the autumn of 1192, Richard was captured by Duke Leopold — whom he had publicly insulted in the course of the crusade — and was handed over as a prisoner to the Emperor Henry VI after being held captive at Dürnstein.

Although the circumstances of his captivity were not severe, he was frustrated by his inability to travel freely. Nevertheless, he spent the remainder of his reign attempting to regain the territory he had lost in France. After his departure in May 1194, he never returned to England. Overall assessment There is no doubt that Richard had many admirable qualities, as well as many bad ones. He was a military mastermind, and politically astute in many ways; yet incredibly foolish in others, and unwilling to give way to public opinion. He was capable of great humility as well as great arrogance. He loved his family, but behaved ruthlessly to his enemies. He was revered by his most worthy rival, Saladin, and respected by the Emperor Henry, but hated by many who had been his friends, especially King Philip. He was often careless of his own safety: the wound which killed him need not have been inflicted at all if he had been properly armoured. Almost the same thing had happened, ten years earlier when, while feuding with his father, he had encountered William Marshal while unarmed and had to beg for his life. Richard's existence had been one whole series of contradictions.

Although he had neglected his wife and had to be commanded by priests to be faithful to her, she was distraught at the news of his death. During his absence, his brother John had come close to seizing the throne; Richard forgave him, and even named him as his heir in place of Arthur, who was growing into an unpleasant youth. With his 77 year-old mother at his side, Richard died on 6 April 1199 from the after-effects of an arrow wound received during the siege of Chalus in France and was buried next to his father at Fontevraud Abbey near Chinon and Saumur, France. It is said that he summoned Pierre Basile, the crossbowman who had delivered the fatal wound to his bedside, and was so impressed with the man's refusal to be cowed that he pardoned him. Richard was succeeded by his brother John as king of England. However, his French territories initially rejected John as a successor, preferring his nephew Arthur of Brittany, the son of their late brother Geoffrey, whose claim was technically better than John's. Folklore Over the years the figures of Robin Hood and Richard I have become closely linked.

However, the in the earliest Robin Hood ballads the only king mentioned is "Edward our comely king", presumably Edward I, II, or III. It was not until much later that a connection came to be made between the two men. The typical usage of the link is that the major political goal of Robin's war is to restore Richard to the throne after Prince John usurped it. Biography of Richard the Lionheart Richard the Lionheart from a 12th-Century Codex. Public Domain Updated October 20, 2015. Richard the Lionheart was born on September 8, 1157, in Oxford, England. He was generally considered to be his mother's favorite son, and has been described as spoiled and vain because of it. Richard was also known to let his temper get the better of him. Nevertheless, he could be shrewd in matters of politics and was famously skilled on the battlefield. He was also highly cultured and well-educated, and wrote poems and songs. Through most of his life he enjoyed the support and affection of his people, and for centuries after his death, Richard the Lionheart was one of the most popular kings in English history.

Richard the Lionheart's Younger Years Richard the Lionheart was the third son of King Henry II and Eleanor of Aquitaine , and although his eldest brother died young, the next in line, Henry, was named heir. continue reading below our video What are the Seven Wonders of the World Thus, Richard grew up with little realistic expectations of achieving the English throne. In any case, he was more interested in the family's French holdings than he was in England; he spoke little English, and he was made duke of the lands his mother had brought to her marriage when he was quite young: Aquitaine in 1168, and Poitiers three years later. In 1169, King Henry and King Louis VII of France agreed that Richard should be wed to Louis's daughter Alice. This engagement was to last for some time, although Richard never showed any interest in her; Alice was sent from her home to live with the court in England, while Richard stayed with his holdings in France. Brought up among the people he was to govern, Richard soon learned how to deal with the aristocracy. But his relationship with his father had some serious problems.

In 1173, encouraged by his mother, Richard joined his brothers Henry and Geoffrey in rebelling against the king. The rebellion ultimately failied, Eleanor was imprisoned, and Richard found it necessary to submit to his father and receive a pardon for his transgressions. Duke Richard In the early 1180s, Richard faced baronial revolts in his own lands. He displayed considerable military skill and earned a reputation for courage (the quality that led to his nickname of Richard the Lionheart), but he dealt so harshly with the rebels that they called on his brothers to help drive him from Aquitaine. Now his father interceded on his behalf, fearing the fragmentation of the empire he had built (the "Angevin" Empire, after Henry's lands of Anjou). However, no sooner had King Henry gathered his continental armies together than the younger Henry unexpectedly died, and the rebellion crumpled. As the oldest surviving son, Richard the Lionheart was now heir to England, Normandy, and Anjou.

In light of his extensive holdings, his father wanted him to cede Aquitaine to his brother John , who had never had any territory to govern and was known as "Lackland." But Richard had a deep attachment to the duchy. Rather than give it up, he turned to the king of France, Louis's son Philip II, with whom Richard had developed a firm political and personal friendship. In November of 1188 Richard paid homage to Philip for all his holdings in France, then joined forces with him to drive his father into submission. They forced Henry -- who had indicated a willingness to name John his heir -- to acknowledge Richard as heir to the English throne before hounding him to his death in July, 1189. Richard the Lionheart: Crusader King Richard the Lionheart had become King of England; but his heart wasn't in the sceptred isle. Ever since Saladin had captured Jerusalem in 1187, Richard's greatest ambition was to go to the Holy Land and take it back. His father had agreed to engage in Crusade along with Philip, and a "Saladin Tithe" had been levied in England and France to raise funds for the endeavor.

Now Richard took full advantage of the Saladin Tithe and the military apparatus that had been formed; he drew heavily from the royal treasury and sold anything that might bring him funds -- offices, castles, lands, towns, lordships. In less than a year after his accession to the throne, Richard the Lionheart raised a substantial fleet and an impressive army to take on Crusade. Philip and Richard agreed to go to the Holy Land together, but not all was well between them. The French king wanted some of the lands that Henry had held, and that were now in Richard's hands, which he believed rightfully belonged to France. Richard was not about to relinquish any of his holdings; in fact, he shored up the defenses of these lands and prepared for conflict. But neither king really wanted war with each other, especially with a Crusade awaiting their attention. In fact, the Crusading spirit was strong in Europe at this time. Although there were always nobles who wouldn't put up a farthing for the effort, the vast majority of the European nobility were devout believers of the virtue and necessity of Crusade. Most of those who didn't take up arms themselves still supported the Crusading movement any way that they could.

And right now, both Richard and Philip were being shown up by the septuagenarian German emperor, Frederick Barbarossa , who had already pulled together an army and set off for the Holy Land. In the face of public opinion, continuing their quarrel was not really feasible for either of the kings, but especially not for Philip, since Richard the Lionheart had worked so hard to fund his part in the Crusade. The French king chose to accept the promises that Richard made, probably against his better judgment. Among these pledges was Richard's agreement to marry Philip's sister Alice, who still languished in England, even though it appeared he had been negotiating for the hand of Berengaria of Navarre. Prev

Question: Who was the mother of the English kings Richard I and John?
Answer: Eleanor of Aquitaine