Richard I 'Lionheart', King of England 1189-1199

b. 1157; d. 1199

Richard was the third son of Henry II and Eleanor. He was appointed duke of Aquitaine, his mother's duchy, in 1168 and in 1173 rebelled against his father with Eleanor and brothers. The rebellion failed, the brothers fled and Eleanor was captured and imprisoned. By 1189 his brothers were both dead leaving Richard and Eleanor to plot with the French king, Philip II, against Henry. Philip and Richard overran Normandy and Maine and forced the ailing Henry to accept humiliating terms and recognise Richard as his heir. On 6 July 1189 Henry died, 'heartbroken and alone', and was buried at Fontevrault in France.

Richard is often viewed as a legendary figure in English history: his romantic and dynamic image have caught the imagination, as have his brave and chivalrous exploits as a soldier throughout Europe and the Holy Lands. Other aspects of his character, such as his violence, vanity and selfishness, are often forgotten. His passion was warfare and he used England as a treasury from which to finance his European missions and crusades. During the ten years of his reign he spent a total of only five months in England. Richard's coronation sparked off the most serious public disturbances of his reign when anti-Jewish riots erupted all over the country. Anti-semitism had increased because of the debts incurred by those who had borrowed heavily from the Jews, and because of the rhetoric used to get people to go on crusade. The most serious outbreak occurred in York: on the night of 16 March 1190 a group of 150 Jews sought refuge in the castle, and committed mass suicide by burning the castle down rather than failing into the hands of the mob. Richard quelled the disturbances and protected the Jews: they were, after all, an excellent source of money for the crown. After the riots Richard left England for Europe, travelling far and wide. From England he sailed to Sicily (the other island kingdom captured by the Normans) and married Berengaria of Navarre. He then became leader of the Third Crusade and won a great victory over Saladin in 1191 at Arsuf. He was able to reach within twelve miles of the walls of the Holy City of Jerusalem before being forced to retreat.

For his return to England he planned a route through Europe. Unfortunately he was deeply unpopular in many European courts and was captured by the Duke of Austria, an old enemy, and then passed over to Henry IV, the Holy Roman Emperor, who held him captive in Germany for a ransom of £100,000. England was taxed again and again by Richard's chancellor, William de Longchamp, and his efforts resulted in the payment of the ransom and Richard's release. Richard eventually reached England in 1194, stayed just two months and then left again for France. Between 1194 and 1199 he waged a successful campaign against King Philip II of France. In a minor skirmish he was shot through the shoulder by an arrow. A few days later, on 7 April 1199, he died of the injury. He was buried at Fontevrault Abbey alongside his father. Later his mother and his brother John's wife, Isabella of Angoulême, were also buried there, making the French abbey a Plantagenet mausoleum.

This article is based on material taken from A Traveller's History of England (© Christopher Daniell), published by The Windrush Press, and is by kind permission of its author Christopher Daniell.