Richard the Lionheart (Richard cœur de Lion, the lion-hearted) – English king (1189-1199) from the dynasty Plantagenets. Born in 1157. In 1189 he inherited the English throne after the death of his father, Henry II, with whom he lived in constant disagreement, more than once trying to overthrow him from the throne. Having become the ruler of England, Richard reconciled with his brother, John the Landless, swore allegiance to the king of France Philip Augustus as lord of the areas that belonged to Richard in Western France, freed his mother from captivity Eleanor(Alienor) and removed from himself all the persons who helped him act against his father.
Great Seal of Richard the Lionheart
Richard the Lionheart came to the throne at a time when Western Christendom the idea of conquest prevailed Promised Land(Palestine), which found fruition in the Crusades. While still crown prince, he, together with the French King Philip, vowed to go to the liberation of the Holy Sepulcher. In 1187, Europe was shocked by the news of the capture of Jerusalem by the Egyptian Sultan Saladin, and Richard began to raise money for a crusading expedition (see Third Crusade). Richard appointed people who would govern England in his absence, entered into an alliance with the King of Scotland and left for France. Until Lyon, both crusading kings followed together, but then separated. Richard headed to Marseilles, where, however, he did not find the person sent there English fleet. Burning with impatience, he put part of his troops on several hired merchant ships and, having met an expensive fleet, landed in Messina on the coast of Sicily. There he ended the personal disputes between the ruler of this island, Tancred, and the French king and sailed further to Cyprus, which he took from the Byzantines. In 1191, the English crusaders arrived at Acre, which had been unsuccessfully besieged for several months by Philip Augustus and the German crusaders who had united with them.
After Richard's arrival siege of Acre took a different turn. All efforts of Sultan Saladin to liberate the city were repulsed, and Acre had to surrender. During one attack, Duke Leopold of Austria took possession of the main tower and hoisted his banner on it. Considering this an insult (for there were two kings in the army), Richard ordered the banner to be torn down and thrown into the mud. The angry Leopold decided to pay Richard for this, but for now postponed revenge until more convenient circumstances.
The Siege of Acre - the main military enterprise of the Third Crusade
At the end of the siege, mutual coldness began to grow between the kings of France and England, for Richard the Lionheart, with his brilliant feats of bodily strength and personal intrepidity, clearly eclipsed Philip Augustus. In September 1191 the battle of Arsur took place, and in 1192 Philip returned to France. Richard moved towards Jerusalem and, having repulsed an expensive, rich caravan from Babylon, divided the spoils between both armies. But the riot and the refusal of the Italian squads to follow further unexpectedly put Richard in an extremely difficult position. This is personal respect Saladin persuaded him to conclude a truce with the Sultan for three years. Richard then went to Europe.
Near the coast of Northern Italy, between Venice and Aquileia, the English king suffered a shipwreck. Disguised as a pilgrim, he wanted to travel to his homeland through Austria and Germany. The exorbitant expenses and carelessness of Richard's companions soon revealed his identity, and the king was captured by Leopold of Austria, who had hated him since the siege of Acre. Leopold handed over his prisoner to the German Emperor Henry VI, who detained him, flattered by the generous promises of Philip Augustus and Richard's brother, John, who wanted to appropriate the English crown.
After long negotiations, the Lionheart received his freedom for a ransom of 100 thousand marks of silver, which was to be shared by the emperor and Duke Leopold. In 1194, Richard returned to his possessions, where he was greeted with joy and easily took possession of the castles of his brother's followers, only Nottingham resisted for several days. Having renewed his friendship with Scotland, Richard began to prepare for war with France, but Philip Augustus himself started it first and besieged Vernel (1195). Richard immediately boarded the ships and managed to arrive to liberate the city. The war lasted five years, interrupted every now and then by truces, which were violated almost immediately. Both kings had the opportunity to show their talents and courage, but neither one nor the other achieved important benefits, and Philip, even in the battle near Blois, lost his baggage train and state archive, which he usually carried with him. This loss has become especially sensitive for historians. The most remarkable in this war was the battle of Bizor on September 30, 1198.
The five-year truce of 1199 again stopped the bloodshed. Richard's presence was required in England. He was about to go there, but was stopped by an unexpected circumstance. One nobleman of the Limousin region (in the Duchy of Guienne) found a treasure on his estate. Richard laid claim to it as the ruler of the country. The nobleman was ready to give up part of the treasure, but when the king began to demand it in its entirety, he resorted to the protection of the Viscount of Limousin, who gave him refuge in the castle of Chalus. Richard laid siege to the castle and, during a reconnaissance, was wounded in the shoulder and neck by an arrow. The wound was not dangerous, but poor treatment made it fatal. Blood poisoning began, and on the 11th day Richard died, bequeathing the English throne to his brother John.
Tomb of Richard the Lionheart in Fontevraud, France
Richard the Lionheart was pleased tall, had live Blue eyes and blond, reddish hair. He was famous for his courage, which often amounted to insolence and merciless severity, and was distinguished by his generosity and penchant for a luxurious life.
Richard I the Lionheart
King of England and Normandy, leader of the Third Crusade, famous for the capture of the fortress of Accra
Richard I the Lionheart. Artist M.-J. Blondel. 1841
The leader of not only English, but also European knighthood, King of England and Normandy, Richard I, nicknamed the Lionheart, was born in 1157 in Oxford, the son of the English monarch Henry II and Eleanor of Aquitaine. From an early age he dreamed of knightly deeds and prepared himself for them.
At the age of 15, he became Duke of Aquitaine, a region in the south of France, and participated with his brothers in a rebellion against their father. The rebellion was suppressed by force of arms. Henry II treated his son graciously, leaving him the ducal crown, because he saw him as a worthy heir to the throne.
Richard early earned a reputation as a brave military leader and an excellent organizer. In 1175–1185 he suppressed the “revolts” of the subjects of the English crown. He became famous for the fact that in 1179 he managed to take the castle of Tyburg in Senton, which was considered impregnable. In 1183, when his elder brother died, Richard defended his rights to his father's crown in an intra-family struggle.
When Henry II died in 1189, Richard became king of England and Normandy at age 32. The new monarch had little interest in his royal duties, spending no more than six months in England over the next ten years. The knighted crown bearer immediately began to prepare for the campaign to the Holy Land.
The story of the Third Crusade is as follows. The three most powerful European rulers responded to the call of Pope Clement III - Richard I the Lionheart, the German Emperor Frederick I Barbarossa (Redbeard) and french king Philip II. All of them were talented and experienced commanders who thirsted for new exploits.
But there was no agreement between them and there could not be from the very beginning of hostilities. The three crowned princes were at enmity with each other even in Europe itself. However, the crusader knighthood was determined to liberate the Holy Land from the Muslims and recapture the Holy Sepulcher from them.
Richard I nearly bankrupted his England by selling royal property and forcefully collecting taxes to finance his campaign. The English knighthood reached Palestine by sea, and it cost big money, not to mention other travel expenses.
King Richard I the Lionheart sailed to the East in 1190. The British decided to spend the winter in Sicily, but their inhabitants met the crusaders inhospitably. Then Richard captured the city of Messina and by force received what they did not want to give him in a Christian way. Together with the British, the French also arrived in Sicily. The two monarchs spent the winter quarreling and entertaining themselves with knightly tournaments.
Richard sailed to the East for knightly adventures on a red galley with red sails. In the spring of 1191, English crusaders arrived in Cyprus (which had previously fallen away from the Byzantine Empire). And the Cypriots received the uninvited guests without due delight. Therefore, King Richard spent a whole month conquering the island.
After he married the daughter of King Sancho III of Navarre, Berenike, the English monarch sold the island of Cyprus to the Knights Templar for 100 thousand benzents. The crusader king explained his decision by the fact that he did not have soldiers to perform garrison service in Cypriot cities and fortresses.
It should be noted that with the conquest of the fertile island of Cyprus with a Christian Greek population, Richard I acted strategically quite wisely in those conditions. The island became a reliable rear base for them.
On June 8 of the same year, the British landed in the Holy Land, under the walls of the Accra fortress besieged by the French, where they arrived directly from Sicily. By that time, the German Emperor Frederick I Barbarossa was no longer alive. Of all his considerable army, which marched to the Holy Land from Constantinople by land, only one thousand German knights of the cross reached Accra under the command of King Frederick of Swabia.
The European knighthood, gathered near Accra, recognized Richard I as their leader. He led the siege of the fortress so energetically that its garrison, which by that time had withstood a two-year siege by the crusaders, capitulated. The Saracens (Arabs), who had secluded themselves in Accra, were frightened by the speed of the siege work advancing in the enemy camp, which brought the day of the inexorable assault closer.
The besieged knew well that during the capture of Jerusalem the crusaders did not spare anyone. However, the Saracen garrison of Accra opened the fortress gates and surrendered to the mercy of the victors. Richard I the Lionheart had no mercy for Muslim soldiers - he ordered the merciless extermination of 2,700 prisoners.
The fall of the fortress city of Accra allowed the Crusaders to conquer the Mediterranean coast of Palestine without a fight. The garrisons of Haifa and Caesarea surrendered the cities without resistance.
The capture of the Accra fortress glorified the English king in the East. His very appearance on the battlefield caused the Muslim warriors to panic. By the end of the Third Crusade, the Saracens were frightening children with his name.
He was constantly looking for dangers and military adventures. He always went on exploration and hunting, accompanied by a small retinue. Enemies often attacked him. Several times the Muslims almost took him prisoner, as, for example, in the garden near Jaffa, where the king carelessly fell asleep.
After the capture of Accra, disagreements between the British and French reached their climax. King Philip II Augustus, who had gained fame as the conqueror of the Saracens, returned home. Most of the French knights - the crusaders - sailed with him. But now the arrogant Margrave Conrad of Montferrat began to conflict with Richard I in the crusader army.
In August 1191, King Richard I the Lionheart began a campaign against Holy City. The path went through the city of Ascalon. The commander led forward the crusader army, the number of which is said to be up to 50 thousand people. He managed to temporarily achieve the subordination of various counts and barons.
The monarch of England and Normandy took care of many things in that campaign. His army even organized a laundry service, since clean clothes for soldiers helped avoid the spread of infectious diseases.
Richard I led his troops initially along the seashore, accompanied by a Christian fleet. It was important for him not to tire the people and horses who were about to march - a rush through the desert and mountainous Palestinian lands to Jerusalem. Few convoys were taken with us.
The Arab cavalry constantly harassed the crusaders with their frequent attacks. However, things have not yet come to big fights. The reason was that the English king forbade the knights to get involved in skirmishes.
To protect the marching column from enemy horse archers, squads of crossbowmen walked on the sides. The arrows of the crossbows flew further than the arrows of the archers, and the cavalry of the army of the Egyptian Sultan Salah ad Din suffered losses in men and horses even before the skirmish began.
Sultan Saladin realized how serious he was new opponent. He decided to block the Crusader army’s road to Jerusalem and destroy in its distant and near surroundings all supplies of food and fodder that the Christian army could use.
The decisive battle took place on September 7, 1191 at Arsuf, on the sea coast. According to information greatly exaggerated by sources, the army of Salah ad Din consisted of 300 thousand soldiers. But in any case, the Muslim forces significantly exceeded the Christian forces.
Initially, clouds of arrows from horse archers forced the crusaders to retreat, since the crossbowmen did not have time to respond to the Arabs throwing arrows from long-range bows. However, the core of the army of the Knights of the Cross - the British led by the king - held their position.
For Sultan Saladin, prolongation of the battle threatened disaster. His cavalry of thousands suffered heavy losses in fruitless horse raids and gradually lost their attacking ardor. Gradually, the initiative in the battle passed to Richard the Lionheart. At the signal, his troops launched a general counterattack. The Saracens retreated from Arsuf in disorder.
The huge Egyptian army lost in the battle, according to some sources, 40 thousand people, and according to others, more reliable information, - only 7 thousand soldiers. Crusader losses amounted to only 700 people.
Richard, in one of the episodes of the battle, rode forward from the knightly ranks with a spear in his hand and challenged the entire Muslim army. But no one came out to fight him. With arrows stuck in his chain mail, looking like a hedgehog because of this, Richard returned to his camp.
After the affair at Arsuf, the Egyptian Sultan no longer sought to fight Christians in an open field. He began to use scorched earth tactics: all crops and pastures were destroyed, water in wells was poisoned, and other sources of water were spoiled. Such military adversities led to the fact that strife broke out again in the Christian army.
King Richard I realized that further movement towards Jerusalem and the siege of the fortress city could be the death of his crusaders. And he ordered to turn back halfway, to the shores of the Mediterranean Sea, to the fortresses and knightly castles.
Third crusade ended with the king and Sultan Salah ad Din concluding a truce for three years in September 1192. The truce turned out to be a peace that lasted for for long years, fair and equitable for the parties.
The Kingdom of Jerusalem remained on the world map, but now it occupied a narrow strip Mediterranean coast from Tire to Jaffa. The Egyptian Sultan opened the Holy City for free visits by Christian pilgrims and merchants.
After this, King Richard I the Lionheart returned to England with great difficulties. His ship was wrecked off the coast of Venice, and the knighted monarch was captured by Duke Leopold of Bavaria. Richard was released from captivity in February 1194 after England paid a huge ransom of 150 thousand marks for him.
In England, Richard I was re-crowned to confirm his title. After this, the king went to Normandy, where he fought for five years. He entered French history by having built a powerful fortress, Chateau Goyard, on one of the islands of the Seine River, demonstrating the high art of a fortifier.
Richard the Lionheart died in April 1199 at the age of forty-one. In one of the skirmishes during the siege of Chalus Castle by the rebellious Viscount Aimard of Limoges, he was wounded in the shoulder by a crossbow arrow. The wound was not fatal, but an untimely and poorly performed operation led to blood poisoning.
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Richard I the Lionheart
(September 8, 1157 - April 6, 1199) - English king from the Plantagenet dynasty. Son of King Henry II Plantagenet of England and his wife, Duchess Eleanor of Aquitaine. He also had another nickname, Richard Yes-and-No, which meant he was easily swayed one way or the other.Titles: Duke of Aquitaine (1189-1199), Count of Poitiers (1169-1189), King of England (1189-1199), Duke of Normandy (1189-1199), Count of Anjou, Tours and Maine (1189-1199).
Biography
Richard I the Lionheart- English king from the Plantagenet family, who reigned in 1189-1199. Son of Henry II and Eleanor of Guyenne. Richard was the second son of Henry Plantagenet. He was not considered as a direct heir, and this left a certain imprint on his character and on the events of his youth. While his elder brother Henry was crowned by the English crown in 1170 and declared co-regent with Henry II, Richard was proclaimed Duke of Aquitaine in 1172 and was considered the heir of his mother Eleanor. After that, until his coronation future king visited England only twice - at Easter in 1176 and at Christmas in 1184. His reign in Aquitaine took place in constant clashes with local barons, accustomed to independence. Soon to the domestic
clashes with his father were added to the wars. At the beginning of 1183, he ordered Richard to take the oath of fief to his elder brother Henry. Richard refused to do this, citing that it was an unheard of innovation. Henry the Younger invaded Aquitaine at the head of a mercenary army, began to ravage the country, but in the summer of that year he suddenly fell ill with a fever and died. The death of the older brother did not put an end to the quarrels between father and son. In September, Henry ordered Richard to give Aquitaine to his younger brother John. The younger brothers Gottfried and John attacked Poitou. Richard responded by invading Brittany. Seeing that nothing could be achieved by force, the king ordered the disputed duchy to be transferred to his mother. Richard obeyed. There were rumors that Henry, contrary to all customs, wanted to make him his heir, removing his rebellious older sons from the throne. This made the relationship between his father and Richard even more tense. The French king was not slow to take advantage of the discord in English royal house. In 1187, he showed Richard a secret letter from the English king, in which Henry asked Philip to marry his sister Alice to John and transfer the duchies of Aquitaine and Anjou to the same John. Richard felt threatened by all this. A new rift began to brew in the Plantagenet family. Richard openly opposed his father in the fall of 1188. Against his will, he made peace with the French king in Bonmoulin and took him the oath of feud. The following year, the two of them captured Maine and Touraine. Henry waged war against Richard and Philip, but without success. Within a few months, all continental possessions fell away from him, except Normandy. At Lehman, Henry almost was captured by his son. In August, Richard arrived in England and was crowned in Westminster Abbey on September 3. After his coronation, he lived in his country for only four months, and then visited again for two months in 1194.
Having assumed power, Richard began to work on organizing the Third Crusade, which he vowed to participate in back in 1187. He took into account the experience of the Second Campaign and insisted that the sea route be chosen to reach the Holy Land. This saved the crusaders from many hardships and unpleasant clashes with the Byzantine emperor. The campaign began in the spring of 1190, when masses of pilgrims moved through France and Burgundy to the shores of the Mediterranean Sea. In early July, Richard met Philip Augustus in Wesel. From Lyon the French turned to Genoa, and Richard moved to Marseille. Having boarded ships here, the British sailed east and on September 23 were already in Messina. Here the king was detained by hostile actions of the local population. The Sicilians were very unfriendly towards the English crusaders, among whom there were many Normans. On October 3, due to a minor collision at the city market, real war. The townspeople armed themselves, locked the gates and took up positions on the towers and walls. In response, the British launched an assault. Richard tried to keep his fellow tribesmen from ruining the Christian city. But the next day, during peace negotiations, the townspeople suddenly made a sortie. Then the king stood at the head of his army, drove the enemies back into the city, captured the gates and carried out harsh judgment on the vanquished. Due to the late time, the continuation of the campaign was postponed until next year. This months-long delay had a very bad effect on the relations between the two monarchs. In the autumn of 1190 they arrived in Sicily as friends, then in the spring of the following year they left it as almost outright enemies. Philip went to Syria, and Richard made a forced stop in Cyprus. Due to the storm, some of the English ships were washed ashore on this island. Emperor Isaac Comnenus, who ruled Cyprus, took possession of them on the basis of coastal law. 
On May 6, the entire crusader fleet entered the harbor of Limassol. The king demanded satisfaction from Isaac, and when he refused, he immediately attacked him. Richard captured Isaac's banner and even knocked the emperor himself off his horse with a spear. On May 12, the king’s wedding to Berengaria was celebrated with great pomp in the conquered city. Isaac, meanwhile, realized his mistakes and began negotiations with Richard. The conditions of reconciliation were very difficult for him: in addition to a large ransom, Isaac had to open all his fortresses to the crusaders and send auxiliary troops to participate in the crusade. With all this, Richard has not yet encroached on his power - the emperor himself gave the reason for events to take a worse turn for him. After everything seemed settled, Isa 
He suddenly fled to Famagusta and accused Richard of encroaching on his life. The angry king declared Komnenos an oathbreaker, a violator of the peace, and instructed his fleet to guard the shores so that he would not escape. He himself first of all captured Famagusta, and then moved to Nicosia. On the way to Tremifussia, another battle took place. Having won his third victory, Richard solemnly entered the capital. Here he was detained for some time by illness. With the arrival of the British, siege work began to boil with new strength. IN short term towers, rams and catapults were built. Under protective roofs and through tunnels, the crusaders approached the enemy’s very fortifications. Soon battle broke out everywhere around the breaches. The position of the townspeople became hopeless, and on July 11 they entered into negotiations with the Christian kings for the surrender of the city. Muslims had to promise that the Sultan would release all Christian captives and return the Life-Giving Cross. The garrison had the right to return to Saladin, but part of it, including one hundred noble people, had to remain hostages until the Sultan paid the Christians 200 thousand ducats. The next day, the crusaders solemnly entered the city, which they had been besieging for two years. The joy of victory, however, was overshadowed by strong discord that immediately broke out between the leaders of the crusaders. The dispute arose over the candidacy of the king of Jerusalem. Richard believed that he should remain Guido Lusignan. But many Palestinian Christians could not forgive him for the fall of Jerusalem and preferred the hero of the defense of Tyre, Margrave Conrad of Montferrat. Philip Augustus was also entirely on his side. This controversy was superimposed on another loud scandal, associated with the Austrian banner. As can be inferred from the conflicting reports of this incident, shortly after the fall of the city, Duke Leopold of Austria ordered the Austrian standard to be raised above his house. Seeing this flag, Richard became furious and ordered it to be torn off and thrown into the mud. His anger was apparently caused by the fact that Leopold occupied a house in the English part of the city, while he was an ally of Philip. But be that as it may, this incident outraged everyone
onossev, and they could not forget about him for a long time. At the end of July, Philip, as well as many French pilgrims, left the Holy Land and began their return journey. This weakened the crusaders' forces. With Philip's departure the internal strife among Christians, since Richard now remained the only leader of the crusader army. Many considered him a capricious and unbridled man, and he himself, with his first orders, confirmed this unfavorable opinion of himself. The Sultan could not fulfill the conditions imposed on him by Akkon’s capitulation as quickly as he was obliged to: release all captured Christians and pay 200 thousand ducats. Because of this, Richard became immensely angry and immediately, after the deadline agreed upon by Saladin - August 20 - had passed, he ordered more than 2 thousand Muslim hostages to be taken out and slaughtered in front of the gates of Akkon.
On September 7, a fierce battle took place near Arzuf, ending in a brilliant victory for the Christians. Richard was in the thick of the battle and contributed greatly to the success with his spear. A few days later, the pilgrims arrived in the destroyed Joppe and stopped here to rest. Saladin took advantage of their delay to completely destroy Ascalon, which he now had no hope of holding. The news of this upset all the plans of the crusaders. Some of them began to restore Joppe, others occupied the ruins of Ramle and Lydda. Richard himself participated in many skirmishes and often risked his life unnecessarily. At the same time, lively negotiations began between him and Saladin, which, however, did not lead to any results.
In the winter of 1192, the king announced a campaign against Jerusalem. However, the crusaders only reached Beitnub. They had to turn back because of rumors of strong fortifications around the Holy City. Returned to the original goal and
strong bad weather - through a storm and rain - they moved towards Ascalon. This, until recently flourishing and rich city, appeared before the eyes of the pilgrims in the form of a deserted heap of stones. The Crusaders zealously began to restore it. Richard encouraged the workers with cash gifts and to show everyone good example, he himself carried stones on his shoulders. Ramparts, towers and houses were erected from terrible debris with extraordinary speed. In May, Richard took Daruma, a strong fortress south of Ascalon, by storm. After this, it was decided to move on to Jerusalem again. But, like last time, the crusaders only reached Beitnub. Here the army stopped for several weeks. Heated debates ensued between the leaders of the campaign about whether it was advisable or not to now begin the siege of such a powerful fortress, or whether it was better to move to Damascus or Egypt. Due to disagreements, the campaign had to be postponed. Pilgrims began to leave Palestine. In August, news arrived of Saladin's attack on Joppe. With the speed of lightning, Richard gathered the remaining military forces at hand and sailed to Joppe. In the harbor, ahead of his men, he jumped from the ship into the water in order to reach the shore without delay. This not only saved the citadel, but also recaptured the city from the enemy. A few days later, Saladin tried again with superior forces to capture and crush the king’s small detachment. A battle took place near Joppe and in the city itself, the outcome of which fluctuated for a long time, now in one direction or the other. Richard proved himself not only strong, courageous and persistent, but also a reasonable commander, so that he not only held his positions, but also inflicted heavy losses on his enemies. The victory allowed negotiations to begin. 
After concluding an agreement with Saladin, Richard lived in Akko for several weeks and sailed home at the beginning of October. This journey presented great difficulty for him. Apart from the sea route around Europe, which he obviously wanted to avoid, almost all other roads were closed to him. The sovereigns and peoples of Germany were for the most part hostile to Richard. His outspoken enemy was Duke Leopold of Austria. The German emperor Henry VI was Richard's opponent because of the close relations of the English king with the Guelphs and Normans, the main enemies of the Hohenstaufen family. However, despite this, Richard decided to sail up the Adriatic Sea, apparently intending to go through southern Germany to Saxony under the protection of the Welfs. Near the coast between Aquileia and Venice, his ship ran aground. Richard left the sea with a few escorts and, in disguise, rode through Friaul and Carinthia. Duke Leopold soon became aware of his movement. Many of Richard's companions were captured, and with one servant he reached the village of Erdberg near Vienna. The graceful appearance of his servant and the foreign money with which he made purchases attracted attention local residents. On December 21, Richard was captured and imprisoned in Dürenstein Castle. 
When news of Richard's arrest reached the emperor, he immediately demanded his extradition. Leopold agreed after they promised to pay him 50 thousand marks of silver. After this, the English king became Henry's prisoner for more than a year. He bought his freedom only after he took the feal oath to the emperor and promised to pay a ransom of 150 thousand marks of silver. In February 1194, Richard was released, and in mid-March he landed on the English coast. John's supporters did not dare to confront him and soon laid down their arms. London greeted its king with magnificent celebrations. But after two months he left England forever and sailed to Normandy. In Richard's absence, Philip II achieved some dominance over the English on the continent. The English king hastened to correct the situation. He took Loches, one of the main fortresses of Touraine, captured Angoulême and forced the submission of the inveterate rebel Count of Angoulême. The following year Richard marched to Berry and was so successful there that he forced Philip to sign a peace. The French had to give up eastern Normandy, but retained several important castles on the Seine. Therefore, the agreement could not be durable. In 1198, Richard returned the border Norman possessions, and then approached the castle of Chalus-Chabrol in Limousin, the owner of which was exposed in a secret relationship with the French king. On March 26, 1199, after dinner, at dusk, Richard went to the castle without armor, protected only by a helmet. During the battle, a crossbow arrow pierced the king deeply into the shoulder, near the cervical spine. Without showing that he was wounded, Richard galloped to his camp. No one important organ was not affected, but as a result unsuccessful operation blood poisoning began. After being ill for eleven days, the king died.
Richard's reign
His reign in Aquitaine took place in constant clashes with local barons, accustomed to independence. Soon to
clashes with his father added to the internal wars. At the very beginning of 1183, Henry II ordered Richard to take the oath of fief to his elder brother Henry. Richard flatly refused to do this, citing the fact that it was an unheard of innovation. Henry the Younger invaded Aquitaine at the head of a mercenary army, began to ravage the country, but in the summer of that year he suddenly fell ill with a fever and died. The death of the older brother did not put an end to the quarrels between father and son. In September, Henry II ordered Richard to give Aquitaine to his younger brother John (John). Richard refused and the war continued. The younger brothers Geoffrey and John (John) attacked Poitou. Richard responded to this by invading Brittany. Seeing that nothing could be achieved by force, the king ordered the disputed duchy to be transferred to his mother. This time Richard complied. But although father and son made peace. There was no trust between them. Particularly suspicious was the closeness established between the king and his youngest son John (John). There were rumors that Henry II, contrary to all customs, wanted to make him his heir, removing his rebellious older sons from the throne. This made the relationship between his father and Richard even more tense. Henry II was a tough and despotic man, Richard could expect any dirty trick from him. The French king was not slow to take advantage of the discord in the English royal house. In 1187, he showed Richard a secret letter from the English king, in which Henry II asked Philip to marry his sister Alice (already betrothed to Richard) to John (John) and to transfer the duchies of Aquitaine and Anjou to the same John. Richard felt threatened by all this. A new rift began to brew in the Plantagenet family. But Richard openly opposed his father only in the fall of 1188. Against his will, he made peace with the French king in Bonmoulin and took him the oath of feud. The following year, the two of them captured Maine and Touraine. Henry II waged war against Richard and Philip, but without much success. Within a few months, all continental possessions fell away from him, except Normandy. At Leman, Henry II was almost captured by his son. In July 1189, Henry II had to agree to humiliating terms dictated to him by his enemies, and died soon after. In August, Richard arrived in England and was crowned in Westminster Abbey on September 3, 1189. Like his father, who spent most of his time not on the island, but in his continental possessions, he did not intend to stay in England for long. After his coronation, Richard I lived in his country for only four months, and then visited again for two months in 1194.
Characteristics of Richard I.
His heroic life is known from novels and films - Crusades, conquests and the like. But in reality everything was somewhat different. Born into turbulent times, Richard became a cruel and intolerant man. During his reign, revolts constantly broke out in the country, which he suppressed with incredible cruelty. In legends he embodies perfect image medieval knight, who made many well-documented valiant campaigns.
In the Third Crusade, he established himself as one of literally several brilliant military leaders throughout the Middle Ages. But according to the chronicler, “the king concluded terms as often as he took them back, he constantly changed decisions made or presented new difficulties, as soon as he gave his word, he took it back and when he demanded that the secret be kept, he himself broke it." Saladin's Muslims had the impression that they were dealing with a sick person. Also, Richard's situation was aggravated by the bloody massacre carried out them after Saladin did not have time to fulfill the conditions set to him. It must be said that Saladin, as a civilized person, refrained from retaliatory massacre and not a single European hostage was killed. Richard was a very mediocre ruler, since he spent almost his entire reign abroad: with the crusaders (1190 - 1191), in captivity in Austria (1192 - 1194), and then fought for a long time with the French king Philip II Augustus (1194 - 1199), and almost the entire war was reduced exclusively to sieges of fortresses. The only major victory Richard in this war - the capture of Gisors near Paris in 1197. Richard was not at all involved in governing England.In the memory of his descendants, Richard remained a fearless warrior who cared about personal glory more than the well-being of his possessions.
RICHARD I (Richard) Lionheart (French Coeur de Lion, English Lion-Hearted) (1157-99), English king from 1189, from the Plantagenet dynasty. He spent most of his life outside England. During the 3rd Crusade 1189-92 he captured Fr. Cyprus and the fortress of Acre in Palestine. Killed during the war with France.
RICHARD I (Richard) LION HEART (French Coeur de Lion; English Lion-Hearted) (September 8, 1157, Oxford - April 6, 1199, Chalus Castle, Viscounty of Limoges), king of England from 1189, from the Plantagenet dynasty.
Richard was the third son of Henry II and Eleanor of Aquitaine. He spent most of his life outside England, in the continental possessions of the English crown. Richard received an excellent education, knew many languages (but not English), was a poet and a connoisseur of poetry, physically strong, brave, unbridled, a talented administrator and adventurer.
In 1169, Henry II divided his possessions into appanages, and Richard received the Duchy of Aquitaine. In 1174-1177 he rebelled against his father, but was defeated, made peace with Henry and served him faithfully. In 1180, Philip II Augustus ascended the French throne, intending to take away the continental possessions of England. He in every possible way incited Richard (who became heir to the throne in 1183 after the death of his older brothers) against his father, and, uniting with him, began a war against Henry in 1188, which ended in the defeat of the old king and his death. Richard arrived in England, where he was crowned on September 5, 1189.
Richard and Philip were to take part in the Third Crusade. In a short time, having emptied the treasury and bleeding the country with extortions, Richard collected funds and in June 1190 sailed to the Holy Land, leaving his brother, Prince John, the future John the Landless, at the head of England. Having plundered the city of Messina in Sicily along the way and conquered the island of Cyprus, Richard arrived in Palestine on June 8, 1191, where the fortress-port of Acre (now Akka in Israel) was under siege by the crusaders, and an agreement had already been reached on the honorable surrender of the city. Richard broke down the negotiations and took Acre by storm on July 11. Immediately after this, discord began in the camp of the crusaders; Richard quarreled with Philip and rudely insulted Duke Leopold of Austria. Philip sailed to his homeland, where, in alliance with Prince John, who had betrayed his brother, he began to attack Richard’s possessions in Normandy. Richard, having not received the promised ransom for the garrison of Acre, ordered the execution of 2 thousand captives, for which he received the nickname “Lionheart”. After an unsuccessful campaign against Jerusalem, Richard went home, but on the way back he was captured by his enemy Leopold of Austria, from whom the German Emperor Henry VI ransomed him and placed him in honorable captivity. Richard was released after paying 150 thousand marks in gold and taking the vassal oath to the emperor.
In March 1194, Richard returned to England, removed Prince John, then reconciled with him, reinstating him as governor, but limiting his powers. In May 1194 Richard went to France to fight Philip. In January 1199, France, in the hope of Richard's victories, concluded an unfavorable peace with England. Richard went to war against his rebellious vassal, Viscount Adhemar of Limoges, and during the siege of Chalus Castle he was wounded in the arm by an arrow and died of gangrene. Since Richard was childless, the throne passed to his brother John.
During the reign of John the Landless, the ancestral lands of the Plantagenets on the continent, to retain which Richard made so much effort, went to France. Richard was not at all involved in governing England. In the memory of his descendants, Richard remained a fearless warrior who cared about personal glory more than the well-being of his possessions.
Richard I was born on September 8, 1157 in the family of the English king Henry II and Eleanor of Aquitaine. Being the third son in the family, Richard was not the direct heir to the English throne. In 1170, his elder brother Henry was crowned by the English crown, and Henry II allocated the Duchy of Aquitaine to Richard in 1172.
Before his coronation, Richard lived constantly in his duchy; he visited England only twice - in 1176 and 1184. In 1183, Henry II demanded that Richard swear an oath of allegiance to his elder brother Henry. After Richard categorically refused, a mercenary army led by Henry the Younger invaded Aquitaine. In the same year, Henry the Younger suddenly fell ill and died, but his father demanded that Richard cede Aquitaine in favor of himself younger brother Joanna (John). Richard refused this demand and the war continued until he, by order of the king, returned the disputed Duchy of Aquitaine to his mother. An uneasy peace reigned in the family, in which, however, there was no trust between father and son.
In 1188, Richard swore allegiance to King Philip II of France and the throne went to Richard; on September 3, 1189, he was crowned in Westminster Abbey. He lived in England for four months, spending the rest of the time on military campaigns away from his country. However, he visited his kingdom again in 1194 and spent 2 months here. England was only a source of financing for his campaigns and he was unlikely to be a good king for her.
Back in 1187, Richard vowed to participate in the crusade, so he immediately responded to the call of the Pope to carry out the Third Crusade. The powerful monarchs of Germany and France also responded to the call of Clement III. It was decided to get to the Holy Land by sea in order to avoid many hardships and unexpected clashes with the Byzantine emperor. In the spring of 1190, the crusaders headed to Mediterranean Sea via France. In Marseilles, the troops of the English king boarded ships and reached Sicily in September.
The inhabitants of Messina met the crusaders very unfriendly, as a result of which a military conflict began, ending with the victory of Richard, accompanied by looting and violence. The troops of the English and French monarchs spent the winter in Sicily and only in the spring of 1191 Richard I moved on, having by this time quarreled with the King of France, Philip Augustus. They were caught in a storm at sea and some of the ships were washed up on the coast of Cyprus. Here the ships were captured by the Emperor of Cyprus, Isaac Comnenus, who refused to return them to Richard. As a result of this, a war broke out; in all battles, Richard showed miracles of valor and bravery, and was always ahead of the attackers. The 25-day war ended with the complete victory of Richard, he received a rich island into his possession, and here he celebrated his magnificent wedding with Berengaria of Nawrr.
In early June, Richard left for Syria and within a couple of days he found himself under the walls of Acre (Acre, Israel), the siege of which lasted almost two years. With the arrival of fresh forces, hostilities resumed and a month later the crusaders entered the city. The Crusaders demanded that Sultan Saladin return Life-giving Cross, release Christian captives and a ransom of 200 thousand gold pieces for hostages from among the noble townspeople. Along with success, quarrels and discord began in the Christian camp over the candidacy of the future King of Jerusalem.
As a result of the discord that arose, the French king and his army left the Holy Land, Richard being the only leader of the crusaders. Having not received the agreed ransom and captured Christians from the Sultan, Richard ordered the slaughter of two thousand Muslim hostages in front of the gates of Acre, for which Richard the Lionheart was allegedly named. A couple of days later he led an army to Jerusalem. During the campaign, Richard proved himself to be a wise organizer, an outstanding commander and a brave warrior. At Arzuf, the Christians won a brilliant victory, losing 700 people, while Saladin lost 7 thousand people. Soon the attack on Jerusalem was suspended due to the fact that Saladin ordered the severe destruction of Askelon and it had to be hastily restored. The new campaign against Jerusalem was stopped by Saladin's attack on Joppe. Richard managed to defend the city, and at the same time showed miracles of courage and bravery.
At this time, bad news began to reach Richard about the excesses of his younger brother John, who ruled England during his absence. Richard hastily concludes a peace treaty with the Sultan on very unfavorable terms, which nullified all his military successes. Jerusalem and the Life-Giving Cross remained in the power of Muslims, and captive Christians were not released. Having concluded such an unfavorable agreement in September, Richard went home at the beginning of October. The return turned out to be very unsuccessful, the ship ran aground near Venice and Richard decided to secretly cross the possessions of his enemy Duke Leopold, was caught and imprisoned in Durenstein Castle. For silver, Richard was handed over to the German emperor, from whom only a year later he managed to buy his freedom for gold, and in addition took the feal oath to the emperor.
In March 1194, Richard landed on the shores of England. John could not resist his brother and submitted to him. Despite John's unseemly behavior, bordering on treason, Richard forgave his brother and two months later left England forever. On the continent, he successfully led an offensive against Philip II and managed to return part of the Norman lands captured in his absence. During the siege of the castle on March 26, 1199 in Limousin, he was wounded in the shoulder. The wound seemed not to be dangerous, but blood poisoning occurred and after 11 days the brave King Richard the Lionheart died. In human memory, Richard remained a noble knight, a brilliant military leader, a fearless warrior and a just king.
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