4/13/18
- How Did Richard The Lionheart Become King
- King Richard I
- How Did King Richard The Lionheart Die
- King Richard The Lionheart Death
- Did Richard The Lionheart Died In France
Historians/History
Facts about Richard the Lionheart 6: the reign as a king. When he was a king of England, Richard spent most of his time in captivity, dealt with Crusades and protected his lands in France. Read Also: 10 Facts about Richard II. Facts about Richard the Lionheart 7: physical appearance. The hair color of Richard was between red and blonde. King Richard died at the age of 41 from this wound. The throne passed to his brother John. A sad end for the Lion-Heart, and alas, also for poor Bertram the archer. Despite the King’s pardon he was flayed alive and then hanged. Richard Lionheart’s death was rather peculiar for a king of that time. He was killed by a boy. Whilst heading home, Richard II encountered an Austrian Noble, Leopold, who he had a previous conflict with. Leopold captured the King and held him hostage. During the summer Richard fell ill and this, added to the news of the rapidly deteriorating situation in Europe, brought him finally to accept Saladin's peace terms. The departure of Richard the LionHearted from the Holy Land in October 1192 ended the third major Western invasion of the East. King Richard I, aka “The Lionheart”, travelled there as part of an alliance with Holy Roman Emperor Frederick Barbarossa and Phillip II of France. Richard’s forces took the city of Acre, before moving south along the coast with the intention of seizing the port city of Jaffa.
tags: Richard the Lionheart, Eleanor of Aquitaine, Richard Iby W. B. Bartlett
W. B. Bartlett has worked across the globe in almost twenty countries and has spent time in over fifty. He is the author of many history books including, his latest, Richard the Lionheart: The Crusader King of England (Amberley Publishing, 2018).
Effigy of Eleanor of Aquitaine in the church of Fontevraud Abbey - By Adam Bishop - Own work, CC BY-SA 3.0
Richard I (king of England from 1189 to 1199) is a man and a monarch probably best remembered for his role as a warrior. Much of his adult life was spent campaigning away from home, most famously during the Crusades. However, in terms of time spent he was campaigning for much longer periods in France both before and after his journey to the Holy Land (or Outremer, as it was known to the crusaders). He also spent over a year in captivity on his way home from Outremer. Much of his time away was spent mainly in the company of men; it was a famous maxim that only laundrywomen were allowed to go on his crusade for example (though one which was very superficially complied with). Therefore, it might appear that women played little part in his life; but this would be far away from the reality.
Most influential of these female personalities was the most famous woman in his life, his mother, Eleanor of Aquitaine. She was an extraordinary personality, wife at one time of the king of France before taking on the same role with Henry II of England. When Henry’s sons rebelled against his rule, she was the one who suffered the most when their uprising was crushed (she was seen by Henry as its prime motivator). As a result, Eleanor spent 15 years under house arrest, living reasonably comfortably but without any opportunity of deploying her considerable political talents to good effect.
But when Henry II died and Richard inherited the English throne, she quickly threw her energies into becoming the new king’s main supporter in England. When shortly afterwards Richard left on his crusade, she played a pivotal role in running the government of the country (though in those very different times the main formal roles were left in the hands of men). When her youngest son John was later implicated in plots against Richard, it was Eleanor who led the resistance to him, proving a worthy lieutenant in the king’s absence. It was significantly thanks to her that Richard had a kingdom to come back to at all.
The indications we have suggest that Eleanor and Richard were close. She effectively brought him up from the time he was about eight years old when they lived together in Aquitaine. She was indefatigable in supporting him throughout his kingship and he relied on her support and acumen considerably. And when he died a premature death, expiring due to infection after being struck by a crossbow bolt, she led the mourners at his funeral at the revered nunnery at Fontevrault where Richard, and eventually Eleanor, were buried.
The relationship between Richard and Eleanor was very different from the one he had with his wife, Berengaria. It must have come as a surprise to many when the marriage in 1191 took place at all, for Richard had already been betrothed for over two decades – not to Berengaria but to Alice, sister of the French king, Philip. Alice was unceremoniously abandoned – gossips said that she had been involved in an illicit relationship with Henry II – and Berengaria became Richard’s bride when they married on Cyprus, where Richard was in the process of conquering the island.
Berengaria went on with Richard to Outremer but they spent most of their time there apart (the “laundrywomen only” rule was applied for a time though it was later relaxed). Then when Richard left the region and started for England, he and Berengaria travelled separately. Richard was captured and held for ransom and, although Berengaria worked hard for his release, they remained separated for a time. Even after his subsequent release and return to England they spent little time together.
There was little apparent warmth in their relationship. There were occasional reports that suggested physical intimacy between them but they were few and far between. Even at the end, it was Eleanor who attended Richard’s funeral and not Berengaria. Richard’s widow never remarried though, living out her life (which lasted several decades longer) in Le Mans, where she earned a reputation for simple living and piety. All in all, the indications are of a married life that was based mainly on political considerations rather than affection. Berengaria came from Navarre, a region now in Spain just over the borders from the south of France, which could and did prove a useful ally to Richard; that seems to have been far more of an attraction than any deep sense of romantic attachment.
Political considerations were probably behind Richard’s relationship with his sister Joanna too. Joanna married William II, king of Sicily, where she seems to have lived a complicated life; he allegedly kept a harem – Sicily had been heavily influenced by contemporary Islamic culture – so things cannot have been easy for her. They got worse though when William died and a usurper, Tancred, became king. She was thrown into prison and her future seemed extremely uncertain.
Fortunately, through an accident of timing she was rescued by Richard. He passed through Sicily on his way east and managed to force Joanna’s release. She then accompanied him to Outremer, though she spent most of her time there with Berengaria. Whilst there, Richard hatched a radical scheme to advance his interests which involved marrying off Joanna to Al-‘Adil, brother to the Muslim leader Saladin. The scheme came to nothing, allegedly because Richard had not told her of his plans and she was furious when she eventually found out.
In the company of Berengaria and Joanna in Outremer was a mysterious third woman. Called only The Damsel of Cyprus we do not even know her name. She was the daughter of Isaac Comnenus, king of Cyprus, who had been captured by Richard en route to Outremer. She effectively remained his prisoner and played a shadowy part in Richard’s life – some accounts say that he was infatuated with her – but the fact remains we know very little about her. But the three women, Berengaria, Joanna and the unnamed Damsel effectively formed a close coterie for the next few years.
Of these women, only Eleanor can claim to have played a significant part in Richard’s life and career. What roles Berengaria and Joanna played seems to have been almost exclusively political rather than based on any deep emotion. Marital politics in medieval times were largely about the making of strategic alliances though this did not necessarily exclude romantic attachment. But as far as Richard is concerned, there seems to have been little room in his life for deep attachment to any woman other than Eleanor; and then possibly only because of the undoubted support she brought in strengthening his political position.
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The English king’s Crusaders battled Saladin’s Muslim warriors in Palestine.
Richard I, king of England and known as “Richard the Lionheart,” had fought his way into legend as leader of the Third Crusade (1189- 92). So had his Muslim opponent, the Sultan of Egypt, Saladin(0000ooooooooooooooooooo). Seldom in history had two commanders been so well matched in skill, and their high regard for each other added nobility to their contest.However, there was one major difference between the two: Saladin himself did not engage in combat, while Richard lived for it and was a ferocious fighter. Not since Alexander the Great had an army been led by a king who was without doubt the deadliest man in his entire host.
In July 1192, Richard realized that his goal of recapturing Jerusalem simply was not attainable, despite inflicting a severe defeat upon Saladin at the Battle of Arsuf the previous September. Richard also had received disturbing reports that his throne in England was in danger from his treacherous brother John and the king of France. Thus,Richard prepared to return to his homeland.
At this critical point, Saladin shrewdly identified the port of Jaffa in southern Palestine – which had served as the base for Richard’s unsuccessful drive to Jerusalem– as a target to be easily taken. Striking on July 25, Saladin’s troops fought their way into the city, despite the garrison’s desperate resistance. Once it became clear that Jaffa had fallen, many members of the garrison surrendered. Yet others found refuge inside the citadel and were able to hold onto that strong point.
The Muslim troops broke into a frenzy,slaughtering the pigs in the city and throwing the bodies of the dead Crusaders among those of the killed swine. In the confusion,one of the garrison’s defenders had the presence of mind to send word to Richard, who was up the coast at Acre.
Richard acted immediately,despite his French and German allies refusing to help. Loading 55knights, several hundred men-at-arms and 2,000 Pisan and Genoese crossbowmen onto seven ships, he sailed to Jaffa. When he arrived on August 1, at first sight it indeed appeared the city had fallen. Muslim banners floated from Jaffa’s walls and Saladin’s troops thronged the shore outside them.
Just then, however, a priest leapt from the citadel and swam toward Richard’s ship to tell the king that all was not lost. This was all the encouragement Richard needed. He jumped into the surf with battle-ax in hand and shield slung over his shoulder. The power of his example was awe-inspiring, and the rest of the outnumbered Crusader force followed instantly.
How Did Richard The Lionheart Become King
Richard hacked his way to the city gates as the Muslim troops panicked at the onslaught. The Crusaders burst into Jaffa,aided by the garrison’s survivors, who roseup and seized weapons. The Muslims were soon overwhelmed, and those who survived fled and kept running for five miles. Now their dead were thrown among the slaughtered swine while the Crusaders received decent burials.
Saladin called for reinforcements to concentrate at Jaffa, and by August 5 his host totaled 20,000 light and heavy cavalry. But rather than endure a siege, Richard led his small force out from behind Jaffa’s walls.He placed his knights and men-at-arms in a single line, with each man kneeling on one knee and thrusting the butt of his spear or lance into the sand to present a hedge of steel.Between and behind these men he placed his crossbowmen in pairs, one to fire and one to reload, so as to achieve the highest rate of fire.
King Richard I
The Muslims attacked in waves, but the Crusaders’ storm of crossbow bolts easily penetrated the Muslims’ light armor, slaying both man and beast. Saladin’s troops turned away, unwilling to charge into the Crusaders’ hedge of steel.
Richard counter charged with 15 mounted knights. No enemy was safe within his reach, and twice he rescued knights who had become overwhelmed. The battle then paused, but Richard was now on foot after his only warhorse had been killed. Saladin, seeing his enemy’s predicament, exclaimed that such a man should not fight without a mount and sent Richard two splendid warhorses.
How Did King Richard The Lionheart Die
During the pause, Muslim soldiers had slipped back into the city, and the troops Richard had left inside frantically retreated to their ships. The king rushed back through Jaffa’s gates with a small party, killing enemy soldiers left and right. He then rode to the ships and shamed the men whohad fled and sent them back into the fight before rejoining his battle line for the next wave of attacks.
Again Richard charged into the mass of Muslim cavalry, leaving a circle of dead around him. He penetrated so deeply that those in his battle line lost sight of him. At this point, a richly armored Muslim champion rode out to fight Richard one-on-one as both sides stopped to look on. With single blow of his sword, Richard cleaved his opponent through the neck and downward so that the head and right shoulder went flying as the horse and the rest of the blood-spurting body rode on.
Upon witnessing this horror, the members of the Muslim host lost heart and retreated. Saladin, too, had seen enough. He withdrew, leaving 700 dead men and 1,500 slain horses on the battlefield.
Richard, meanwhile, reported losing only two men and an unknown number of wounded. His brilliant victory was a supreme instance of leadership and personal example that triumphed over 10-to-1 odds. Yet after the win at Jaffa, Richard was forced to settle for a three-year truce (Treaty of Jaffa) with Saladin before sailing home in October 1192.
Peter Tsouras is the author of 26 books on military history. He served in the Army and Army Reserve and worked for the Defense Intelligence Agency until retiring in 2010 to devote himself to writing, his roses and his grandchildren.
King Richard The Lionheart Death
Further Reading: For more about “Richard the Lionheart,” see Battlefield Leader in the January 2012 issue of Armchair General
Did Richard The Lionheart Died In France
Originally published in the March 2015 issue of Armchair General.