“They come from the devil and will come to him.
There will be a brother in this family
to betray his brother, and the son to betray his father..."

(Bishop of Canterbury on the Plantagenet dynasty)

Statue of Richard I outside the Houses of Parliament

The Early Years of King Richard

Richard Plantagenet, who mixed Norman and Angevin, English and Provençal, Aquitaine and French blood, was a descendant of the great William the Conqueror, who captured England after the Battle of Hastings in 1066.
Richard's mother, Eleanor of Aquitaine, a woman of "amazing beauty, but of an unknown, apparently demonic, breed," was a patron of the arts, "the queen of the troubadours."
In 1137, she became the wife of Louis VII and over 15 years bore him almost a dozen daughters.
After the divorce, sanctified by the Pope, Eleanor deals a brilliant blow to her ex-husband - she marries King Henry II of England.
The English crown received as a dowry all of Western France with its numerous ports, forts and fortresses.

When Richard was 12 years old, the division of possessions in France took place: Henri the Younger became prince in Anjou and Normandy, Richard in Aquitaine, Geoffroy in Brittany.
The youngest brother, John (in the ballads about Robin Hood he was nicknamed Prince John), did not get anything. He went down in history as John the Landless.

Coronation of Richard I.

In 1186, Richard became the direct heir to the crown of England.
At this time, disturbing news comes from the east. The ruler of Egypt, Saladin, managed to unite Muslims under his rule and attacked the counties and duchies of Christians. The Muslims captured most of Palestine, Acre, Ascalon, and on October 2, 1187, Jerusalem itself.
On January 21, 1188, prompted by papal legates, many European kings, dukes and counts accepted the cross. Richard also made a vow.
After the death of his father Henry II, on September 3 of that year, Richard was crowned in London. Now nothing prevented him from devoting himself to the cause of faith.

On the way to the Holy Land

The Third Crusade (1191 - 1192) began far from Palestine.
Tens of thousands of Christian soldiers from all over Europe marched to the Holy Land.
They joined the ranks of the crusader army that began the siege of Acre. The French king gathered his troops reluctantly, remaining in his thoughts on the banks of the Seine. But the newly-crowned English monarch directed all the resources of England, without a trace, to the altar of victory in the campaign.
Richard converted everything into money. He either leased out his possessions, or mortgaged and sold them, and ordered the rights to senior government positions to be auctioned off.
He would not have hesitated, as contemporaries said, to sell London, if only he had found a buyer for it. Thus, the king really collected enormous funds.
His army was well armed, but National composition The army was motley: there were far fewer British than Angevins and Bretons.

Handmade oil painting reproduction of Richard, Coeur De Lion, On His Way To Jerusalem (Richard, the Lion Heart, On His Way To Jerusalem), a painting by James William Glass.

This time the German Emperor Frederick Barbarossa, the French King Philip II Augustus, Duke Leopold of Austria and the King of England Richard I went on a campaign.
The combined forces of the Crusaders represented a significant force, but things did not go well from the very beginning. In June 1190, while crossing a small river in Asia Minor, Frederick Barbarossa, no longer a young man, drowned.
Richard, distinguished by extreme ambition, tried to take command himself. He was indeed a talented and experienced military leader, but he quickly quarreled with other leaders of the united army.

The crusaders stood under the walls of the fortress of Acre in Palestine for two whole years, but could not take it. Finally, the French king agreed with the commandant of the fortress that he would surrender Acre, and for this its defenders would remain alive and receive freedom.
Upon learning of this agreement, which had not been agreed upon with him, Richard became furious. And then Leopold of Austria was the first to climb the fortress wall and strengthen his banner on it. Seeing this, the English king tore the banner from the wall, thereby insulting the Austrians. Leopold has since become the blood enemy of the English king. This episode later found a continuation...
When Acre was finally taken, Richard ordered the killing of all its surviving defenders.

Philip-Augustus, under the pretext of his “ill health,” hastened to sail home to France.
He decided to seize some of the English possessions on the continent while Richard and his army were in Palestine. Philip Augustus was followed by the Duke of Austria with many noble knights, who also suddenly had a lot to do at home.

Thus the Third Crusade failed. Still restless Richard whole year was in the Middle East, preparing for the final push on Jerusalem, performing, as recorded in the chronicles, many feats of chivalry. Richard set out for Jerusalem a second time, and again did not reach the city.
Richard accomplished his last feat on the streets of Jaffa, when the knights he led, sweeping away everything in their path, defeated the superior forces of Saladin. When the success of the Crusaders' enterprise seemed to be close, news came from Europe that the younger brother John, who remained in London for the king, had decided to seize the English throne. Richard should have urgently returned to England. Peace had to be made with Saladin.

Sculptural composition of Saladin in Damascus.

In October 1192, Richard boarded a ship at Jaffa and left the Holy Land.
The Third Crusade is associated primarily with the names of Richard and Saladin, who “are heroes of the great epic... The first was bolder and more courageous, the second was distinguished by prudence, sedateness and ability to conduct business. Richard had more imagination, Saladin had more prudence."

Lionheart returns home

Almost two months later, a terrible storm broke out in the Adriatic Sea and Richard's ship ran aground. He, accompanied by several servants, tried to make his way through Austria and Saxony to his relatives - the German Welfs. Near Vienna, Richard was identified, captured and sent to his blood enemy Leopold of Austria, who put him in Durenstein Castle.

The long battle for ransom was resolved after the urgent demand of the Pope - the “Holy Knight” was released. His return to England was strongly opposed by the French king and brother- John. Returning to London, Richard punishes his brother and brings him into submission.
The crusader king completely ruined England: he extorted from his subjects “gifts on the occasion of the joy of the royal return” and raised taxes several times.

The Lionheart spends his last years in constant victorious wars - in Ireland, Brittany and Normandy, “not leaving alive even a dog that would bark after him.”

At the end of March 1199, the king of England besieged the castle of Chalu, which belonged to the rebel vassal - Viscount Aimard of Limoges. Richard I the Lionheart also suspected him of hiding the treasures of his father, the late Henry II of England. It was on his native land of Aquitaine that death awaited the “knight of centuries.” So many times - in England and France, in Syria and Germany, at sea and on land - he was one step away from the abyss...

The crossbowman fired a poisoned arrow from the castle walls and wounded Richard in the shoulder. The castle was taken by storm three days later, and the king ordered all the defenders to be hanged. He only left the one who wounded him alive. The agony lasted 11 days. Dying, Richard I ordered the brain, blood and entrails to be buried in Sharru, the heart in Rouen, the body in Fontevrault, “at the feet of his beloved father.”

In the 42nd year, the life of a vagabond knight, patron of troubadours and brave adventurer, was cut short...
“The ant killed the lion. Oh woe! The world dies with his burial!” - the Latin chronicler wrote in the epitaph.
The king's closest assistant, Mercadier, ordered the daredevil crossbowman to be recaptured: his skin was torn off.

He was sung by the troubadours of France and England. Arabic tales were written about him.
The chronicles of Byzantium and the Caucasus tell about the knight-king with the heart of a lion. Richard the Lionheart belonged to the era of the Crusades and was one of the most prominent figures in the great confrontation between West and East.

Richard's tombstone. Fontevraud Abbey

Photo 1 of 1

Richard I the Lionheart (English: Richard the Lionheart, French: Cœur de Lion, 1157-1199) - English king from the Plantagenet dynasty. Son of King Henry II Plantagenet of England and his wife, Duchess Eleanor of Aquitaine.

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)

early years

Richard was born on September 8, 1157 in Oxford. Being the third legitimate son of Henry II, Richard formally had little chance of receiving the English crown. As a child, he went to France, where he inherited from his mother the Duchy of Aquitaine and Poitiers. At the same time (in 1170), Richard's elder brother, Henry, was crowned Henry III (in historical literature he is usually called "The Young King", so as not to be confused with Henry III, the nephew of "young" Henry and Richard, son of John), but in fact never received real power.

Richard was well educated (he wrote poetry in French and Occitan) and very attractive - estimated to be 1 meter 93 centimeters tall, blue-eyed and fair-haired. Most of all, he loved to fight - from childhood he showed remarkable political and military abilities, was known for his courage and successfully prevailed over his vassals.

Just like his brothers, Richard idolized his mother and did not dislike his father for neglecting Eleanor. The film “The Lion in Winter,” where the role of the queen was brilliantly played by Katharine Hepburn (the older sister of the more popular Audrey), shows the contradictory and largely unhealthy relationships in the family of Henry-Eleanor. What was the manifestation of ill health? If you've heard of old Freud's theories, you'll know what I mean. And if you have no idea about them, then it’s too early for you to watch adult films.)))

In 1173, Richard, along with Henry's other sons, rebelled against him, but his father prevailed in this confrontation. Richard took part in the rebellion at the instigation of his mother, as well as due to a personal grudge against his father - Richard was supposed to marry Alice, the daughter of Louis VII, but she, raised at the English court, was Henry's mistress for seventeen years.

Richard received his chance at the English crown in 1183, after the death of the "Young King". Although after this he turned out to be the eldest living son of Henry, he decided to give Aquitaine to John. Having concluded an alliance with the French king Philip II, Richard defeated Henry as a result of a successful expedition in 1189. The king died that same year. Richard was crowned at Westminster on September 3, 1189.

Governing body

Of the ten years of his reign, Richard spent only six months in England. His reign, which began with the Jewish pogroms in London and York (the perpetrators of which were punished by Richard), differed sharply from the reign of his father.

The new king became famous for his military exploits, but his consumerist attitude towards England reduced the management of the country mainly to the collection of huge taxes to finance the army and navy. He even freed King William I of Scotland from his vassal oath for the sum of 10,000 marks, and also began trading public lands and posts. All funds were used to prepare for the crusade.

Crusade

In 1190, the king set out on the third crusade, leaving the upstart William Longchamp as regent and chancellor. First, in September 1190, Richard and Philip II stopped in Sicily, where William II died in 1189, ex-husband Joanna, Richard's sister. William's nephew, Tancred I, had Joanna imprisoned and disinherited her.

On October 4, 1190, Richard captured Messina and sacked it, and in March 1191, Richard and Tancred signed a peace treaty, according to which Joanna was released, and Richard proclaimed as his heir to the throne of England his nephew Arthur of Brittany, son of Godfrey II, for whom Tancred had promised to give away one of his daughters in the future. As a result of this treaty, England's relations with the Holy Roman Empire worsened, and Richard's brother John, who himself wanted to become the heir, rebelled.

In May 1191, Richard defeated the ruler of Cyprus, Isaac Comnenus, and began to rule the island himself, using it as a transit base for the crusaders, which was not threatened by raids. There he married Berengaria of Navarre. (He was betrothed to Alice, the sister of Philip II, but her relationship with Henry II prevented her marriage to Richard for religious reasons, and Eleanor, Richard's mother, believed that the possession of Navarre, south of Aquitaine, would secure her lands).

The marriage of Richard and Berengaria was childless - they spent very little time together, since Richard (as a typical representative of his generation) was much more interested in military victories than love ones. Which again and again confirms the fact that all these knightly courtships and the medieval beauty of carnal love are fiction. Rude louts dominated the women. And talk about a reverent attitude towards loved ones is lies.

In June 1191, Richard finally arrived with his army in Palestine, where the fortress-port of Acre was under siege by the Crusaders, who almost took the city, but were themselves surrounded by Saladin's troops. Richard disrupted negotiations between Conrad of Montferrat and Saladin, and after numerous attacks by the Crusaders, Acre surrendered on 12 July. Having not received, in violation of the agreements, on time the promised ransom for the garrison of Acre, as well as the True Tree of the Cross, captured by Saladdin at Hattin, Richard ordered the execution of 2,600 captives.

Despite this, the unusually respectful relationship between Richard and Saladin became one of the most famous medieval romantic plots. Saladin sent Richard fresh fruit and ice, and once, when Richard's horse was killed, he gave him two stallions. Richard also responded with gifts. They even raised the issue of a wedding between Richard's sister Joanna and Saladin's brother Al-Adil.

Due to discord over the division of Cyprus and leadership in Richard's campaign, his allies Duke of Austria Leopold V and Philip II soon abandoned him (Philip also planned to take advantage of Richard's absence to annex his lands in France). As a result, Richard, although he came very close to Muslim-occupied Jerusalem, did not attack it and was forced to make peace with Saladin on September 2, 1192, demanding, in particular, for Christians freedom of access and residence in Jerusalem. Richard recognized Conrad of Montferrat as the king of Jerusalem, who was soon killed by the Assassins, and his place was taken by Richard's nephew, Henry II of Champagne, which cast suspicion on Richard of Conrad's murder.

Captivity

On the way back, Richard's ship was forced to land on the island of Corfu, owned by Byzantium. Richard fled through central Europe and was captured in December 1192 near Vienna by Leopold V, who blamed Richard for the death of Conrad, his cousin. Richard was handed over to Henry VI, Holy Roman Emperor, who imprisoned him in Durnstein Castle.

The Emperor demanded a ransom of 150,000 marks - two years' income of the English crown, of which 100,000 marks were to be paid in advance. John and Philip II offered 80,000 marks to keep Richard as a prisoner, but the emperor rejected their offer. Eleanor of Aquitaine collected the required amount by levying exorbitant taxes, and on February 4, 1194, Richard was released. Philip II sent John a letter saying “Be careful. The devil is on the loose."

End of reign

Upon returning to England, Richard made peace with John and appointed him heir, despite all the machinations of his younger brother. But Richard did not intend to remain in peace and harmony for long. And he started a conflict with another brother - with Philip.

In 1197-1198 Richard built the castle of Gaillard in Normandy near Rouen, although according to the agreement with Philip he was not supposed to build castles.

On March 26, 1199, during the siege of the Chalus-Chabrol castle in Limousin, he was wounded in the arm by a crossbow arrow. On April 6, Richard died due to blood poisoning in the arms of his 77-year-old loving mother Eleanor and wife Berengaria.

Richard the Lionheart is buried at Fontevraud Abbey in France next to his father.

Heritage

Since Richard was childless, the throne passed to his brother John. The French possessions of the Plantagenets initially wanted to see Richard's nephew Arthur of Brittany as king, and with these disputes about the succession, the collapse of the "Empire of Anjou" began.

Other most important merits and simply consequences of Richard's reign:

Cyprus, captured by Richard, supported the Frankish possessions in Palestine for a whole century.

Richard's inattention to government led to the fact that the effective administration introduced by his father had time to become obsolete.

Richard's military exploits made him one of the most prominent figures in medieval history and literature. Richard is the hero of numerous legends. Especially the tales of Robin Hood (although the heroes lived in different time), books (the most famous is “Ivanhoe” by Walter Scott), films (the highest grossing is “The Lion in Winter”) and computer games.

Marriages and children

The marriage was fruitless.

Extramarital affair NN – illegitimate son– Philippe de Falconbridge (1175-1204), lord of Cognac; Amelia de Cognac (1164-1206).

Was he gay?

Some biased authors of pseudo-historical literature transparently hint at Richard's homosexual inclinations. We owe such bold (brave, because there is no damning evidence in favor of either version or another) guesses to Harviz’s book “The Plantagenets”, 1948.

On 18 pages, the author fluently, without pretense of scientificity or reliability, describes the character, behavior and ups and downs of Richard’s life. And these 18 pages, oddly enough, very seriously influenced the perception of the image of the English king.

But let's focus our attention on the facts. At the beginning of 1195, Richard was visited by a hermit who read him instructions, to which he did not pay attention. Soon after this episode, the Lionheart began to act out, which, in turn, forced Richard to repent - he was not joking about his health, albeit heroic. As in 1190 in Messina, he ordered the priests to appear for confession and punishment.

Repentance through the wife's bedroom

Moreover, he committed an act that proved the sincerity of his repentance - he called his wife, whom he had neglected for a long time, to him, “and they became one flesh”! What morals reigned - sex with your wife = sincere repentance and a step towards a healthy and spiritual lifestyle. Govden (one of those same pseudoscientific figures) also says that the king then refused inappropriate sexual intercourse (“abiecto concubitu illicito”). Govden will convey the warnings of the hermit with the words: “Remember the destruction of Sodom, refrain from forbidden things; if you do not do this, then the just punishment of God may befall you.” (“Esto memor subversionis Sodomae, et ab illicitis te abstine, sin autem, veniet super te ultio digna Dei”).

Guesses, versions, assumptions

Gillingham (another historian) explains how words well known at the time are misinterpreted Old Testament about the death of Sodom: the picture of punishment - a consequence, not a cause, took possession of Govden's imagination.

It is certain that Govden did not claim that Richard was a sodomite, and even taking into account the predilection for allusions of the time and Govden's probably considered necessary reticence, the absence of the word Sodomie is a noteworthy difference in relation to to Wilhelm Rufus, to whom homosexuality has long been attributed.

We will not continue to follow on the heels of the historians' reasoning. Let us give just a couple more facts and conclusions. And let us finally return to Richard and his strange repentance.

It is difficult to imagine that Richard, in the conditions of camp life, after his public confession in Messina and his time in captivity - always surrounded by enemies - could have thought up such an excellent alibi that incriminating facts would have eluded the medieval PR technologists from the hostile camp.

Thanks to the vulgar campaign launched by the Duke of Burgundy at the end of the crusade and public moralizing, rumors about homosexuality should have become widespread. If nothing like this has come down to us, and Govden’s “Sodom” went unnoticed by his contemporaries, then this must mean that it is a fiction, or something very similar to it.

But in modern sources again and again, and with special relish and piquant (to the point of outrageous) details, Richard’s sensuality is confirmed. However, the same Govden gives such examples of Richard’s sexual excesses that doubts about the king’s homosexuality evaporate. The Poitunians (“Homines Pictaviae”) rebelled and demanded the overthrow of their overlord, largely because he (Richard, that is) raped the wives and daughters of his subjects, and then gave the “spent flesh” to his soldiers.

What is the truth: gay or not gay?

Although, on the other hand, it is also not worth asserting that Richard was 100% heterosexual. Firstly, due to the wild debauchery and free morals of the Middle Ages. Secondly, because only one of his illegitimate children is known for certain. Thirdly, the childlessness of Berengaria’s wife is explained, rather, by his loyalty to her husband and his reluctance to fulfill his marital duty. So perhaps the rumors about Richard's virility were greatly exaggerated.

The same cannot be said about his military prowess. Immortalized in books and films. What is Ivanhoe worth...

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Richard the Lionheart

Richard I.

Typical knight adventurer

Richard I the Lionheart (French Coeur de Lion, English Lion-Hearted) (8.IX.1157 - 6.IV.1199) - king (1189-1199) from the Plantagenet dynasty. He spent his childhood, youth and most of his reign outside England, the management of which he transferred to the governor. A typical medieval knight-adventurer, Richard I waged continuous wars that were alien to the interests of England and cost her enormous amounts of money. Participated in the 3rd Crusade (1189-1192), during which he captured the island of Cyprus and the fortress of Acre (in Palestine), on the way back he was captured by the Austrian Duke Leopold V (who handed him over to the emperor Henry VI) and was released only in 1194 for a huge ransom. From 1194 - in France, he waged war with Philip II Augustus, who sought to reconquer the lands owned by the Plantagenets in France. During this war he was killed.

Soviet historical encyclopedia. In 16 volumes. - M.: Soviet Encyclopedia. 1973-1982. Volume 12. Reparations - SLAVS. 1969.

Literature: Chronicles and memorials of the reign of Richard I, ed. by W. Stubbs, v. 1-2, L., 1864-65; Landon L., The itinerary of King Richard I, L., 1935.

Preserved in the image of a noble knight and a just king

Richard I
Richard the Lionheart
Richard the Lionheart
Years of life: September 8, 1157 - April 6, 1199
Years of reign: 1189 - 1199
Father: Henry II
Mother: Eleanor of Aquitaine
Wife: Berengaria of Navarre

Richard was the third son Henry II and was not considered as the main heir to the English throne. When distributing possessions between his sons in 1172, Henry allocated the Duchy of Aquitaine to Richard. Until his coronation, the future king visited England only twice, spending all the time in his lot. In 1183, Henry the Younger demanded an oath of allegiance from Richard, and when he refused, he invaded Aquitaine with an army of mercenaries, but that same year he unexpectedly fell ill with a fever and died. This led to discord between Richard and his father. Henry demanded that Aquitaine be given to himself youngest son, John. Richard asked the French king for help Philip II and swore allegiance to him in 1188. Richard, Philip and allies opposed Henry and defeated him. Henry II accepted peace on humiliating terms and soon died, leaving the English throne to Richard.

On September 3, 1189, Richard was crowned in Westminster Abbey and lived in England for 4 months, and later came for another 2 months in 1194 - that’s all.

Richard accepted Active participation in preparation for the Third Crusade , a vow to participate in which he made in 1187. Taking into account the problems of the first campaigns, he insisted on reaching the Holy Land by sea. The campaign began in the spring of 1190, when crowds of crusaders moved across France to the Mediterranean Sea. In Marseilles, Richard's army boarded ships and was already in Sicily in September. There, the crusaders had friction with the local residents. It came to an armed clash with the citizens of Messina, which ended with the victory of Richard and the plunder of the city. Richard spent the winter of 1190/1191 in Sicily. During this time, he quarreled with his associate, the French king Philip II, and then they moved separately. In the spring of 1191, Richard arrived in Cyprus. Some of his ships were thrown ashore during a storm, and the emperor Isaac Komnenos, who ruled the island, refused to give them back in an amicable way. Richard had to use force, and as a result of a 25-day war, he captured the entire island. He left half of the captured property to the residents, and distributed the other half to his knights, who were supposed to settle on the island to protect it. There in Cyprus, Richard had a magnificent wedding with the Navarrese princess Berengaria. On June 5, Richard sailed to Syria and three days later joined the participants in the siege of Acre, which had already lasted two years. With the arrival of the British, work began with renewed vigor on the construction of rams and catapults, on digging tunnels, and within a month Acre was taken. The crusaders kept hostages from among the most noble townspeople with the possibility of ransoming them for 200 thousand chervonets. However, after this success, discord began in the Christian camp, caused by the discussion of the candidacy of the King of Jerusalem. The quarrels ended with Philip II and many of the French deciding to return, and Richard becoming the sole leader of the crusaders. Meanwhile, the weakened Christian army faced the most important thing - to take Jerusalem. However, they did not reach Jerusalem, frightened by rumors about powerful fortifications around the city, and turned to Ascalon. Just recently, the pilgrims found the flourishing city in ruins. It was Saladdin who ordered the destruction of Ascalon, since he did not hope to hold it. The crusaders restored the fortifications in the shortest possible time, and Richard himself set an example, carrying stones on his shoulders for construction. A few weeks later, a second campaign was launched against Jerusalem, but again the crusaders did not reach the city. On the way, news was received of Saladdin's attack on Jaffa, and Richard rushed to the rescue. During the defense of Jaffa, Richard showed himself to be a strong, brave and reasonable commander.

Meanwhile, news began to arrive from England about the atrocities of John, who ruled the country in the absence of the king. Richard, in a hurry to return home, abandoned the idea of ​​​​taking Jerusalem, and signed a peace treaty with Saladdin on unfavorable terms. On the way home, Richard ran into trouble. He did not want to sail around Europe by sea, and the route by land lay through the lands of Leopold of Austria, with whom Richard also quarreled during the Crusade and Emperor Henry VI, the fierce enemy of the Normans. Still, Richard decided to climb north along the Adriatic Sea, and then through southern Germany to get to France, but near Venice his ship ran aground, and Richard and a few companions, in disguise, began to secretly make their way through Leopold’s possessions. Nevertheless, near Vienna he was recognized, captured and imprisoned in Castle Dürenstein. Leopold handed over the prisoner to Emperor Henry for a ransom of 50 thousand marks of silver, and Henry released Richard for a promise to send a ransom of 150 thousand marks. Finally, in the spring of 1194, Richard landed in England. John did not dare to engage in armed confrontation with his brother and submitted to him. Despite his unseemly deeds, John received forgiveness, and Richard left England two months later, never to return there again.

In France, Richard successfully fought against Philip II, who, in Richard's absence, seized some of his possessions, and managed to return part of the lands in Normandy.

On March 26, 1199, returning home at dusk, without armor, Richard was deeply wounded by an arrow in the shoulder. The wound was not very dangerous, but after an unsuccessful operation, blood poisoning began, and Richard died 11 days later. The royal title was inherited by his brother John.

The image of Richard the Lionheart as a noble knight and a just king has been preserved in people's memory. This is due to the fact that only rumors about the king’s heroics in the Holy Land reached England, and the lawlessness that was happening in the country at that time was associated with the name of John. The plot, on the theme of the sudden return of the rightful king, restoring justice and punishing the guilty, was reflected in literature, for example, in the ballads about Robin Hood and W. Scott’s novel “Ivanhoe.”

Material used from the site http://monarchy.nm.ru/

Richard I the Lionheart - English king from the family Plantagenets, reigned 1189-1199. Son of Henry II and Eleanor of Guyenne.

Wife: from 1191 Beranger, daughter of Sancho VI, King of Navarre (+ 1230). Genus. September 8, 1157

Richard was the second son of Henry Plantagenet. He was not considered as the direct heir of his father, 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 of Henry II, Richard was proclaimed Duke of Aquitaine in 1172 and was considered the heir of his mother Eleanor. After this, until his coronation, the 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 clashes with his father were added to the internal wars. At the very beginning of 1183, he ordered Richard to take the feal oath 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 ordered Richard to give Aquitaine to his younger brother John.

Richard refused and the war continued. 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. 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. 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. Henry 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 asked Philip to marry his sister Alice (already betrothed to Richard) to 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 feudal oath. The following year, the two of them captured Maine and... Touraine. Henry waged war against Richard and Philip, but without much success. In a few months, all continental possessions fell from him, except

Normandy. At Lehman, Henry almost was captured by his son. In July 1189, he had to agree to humiliating conditions 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. 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, he lived in his country for only four months, and then came here 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 sad experience of the Second Crusade 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. Kings and troops greeted each other and continued their march to the south together with joyful songs. From Lyon the French turned to Genoa, and Richard moved to Marseilles. Having boarded ships here, the British sailed east and on September 23 were already in Messina. Here: the king was detained by enemy actions local population. The Sicilians were very unfriendly towards the English crusaders, among whom there were many Normans. They not only showered them with ridicule and abuse, but at every opportunity tried to kill unarmed pilgrims. On October 3, due to an insignificant clash in the city market, a real war began. The townspeople hastily armed themselves, locked the gates and took up positions on the towers and walls. In response, the British, without hesitation, launched an assault. Richard, as much as he could, tried to keep his fellow tribesmen from ruining the Christian city. But the next day, during peace negotiations, the townspeople suddenly made a bold foray. 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. Until the evening, robberies, murders and violence against women were rampant in the city. Finally, Richard managed to restore order.

Due to the late time, the continuation of the campaign was postponed until next year. This multi-month delay had a very bad effect on the relationship between the two monarchs: Every now and then minor clashes occurred between them, and if in the fall of 1190 they arrived in Sicily as intimate friends, then in the spring of the next year they left it as almost outright enemies. Philip went straight to Syria, and Richard made a forced stop in Cyprus. It so happened that due to a 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. But 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. The galleys of the crusaders approached the shore, and the knights immediately began the battle. Richard, along with others, boldly jumped into the water, and then was the first to enter the enemy shore. The battle, however, did not last long - the Greeks could not withstand the blow and retreated. The next day the battle resumed outside Limassol, but was just as unsuccessful for the Greeks. As the day before, Richard was ahead of the attackers and most distinguished himself by his valor. They write that he captured the banner of Isaac and even knocked the emperor himself off his horse with a blow of 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 all matters seemed settled, Isaac 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. Meanwhile, the crusaders, led by King Guido of Jerusalem, took the strongest castles in the mountains of Cyprus. Among other captives, Isaac's only daughter was captured. Broken by all these failures, the emperor surrendered to the victors on May 31. The only condition of the deposed monarch was the request not to burden him with iron chains. But this did not make his fate any easier, because Richard ordered him to be shackled in silver and exiled to one of the Syrian castles. Thus, as a result of a successful 25-day war, Richard became the owner of a rich and prosperous island. He left half of their property to the inhabitants, and used the other half to form fiefs for the knighthood, which was supposed to take upon itself the defense of the country. Having placed his garrisons in all cities and castles, he sailed to Syria on June 5. Three days later he was already in the Christian camp under the walls of besieged Akkon.

With the arrival of the British, siege work began to boil with renewed vigor. In a short time, 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 discord was superimposed by 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 all the crusaders, and they could not forget about it 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 forces of the crusaders, while the most difficult part of the war - for the return of Jerusalem - had not yet begun. True, with the departure of Philip, internal strife among Christians should have subsided, since Richard now remained the only leader of the crusader army. However, it was not clear how up to this difficult role he was. 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. Of course, after this the money was not paid at all, not a single captured Christian received freedom, and Life-giving Cross remained in the hands of the Muslims: Three days after this massacre, Richard set out from Accon at the head of a large number of crusaders. Ascalon was chosen as the goal of the campaign this time. Saladin tried to block the road. 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. In the end, they returned to their original goal and, in severe bad weather - through storm and rain - 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 showed himself not only to be strong, brave and persistent, but also a reasonable commander, so that he not only held his positions, but also inflicted heavy losses on the enemies. The victory allowed negotiations to begin. Bad news came from England about the autocratic actions of the younger brother of King John the Landless. Richard rushed home with restless haste, and this prompted him to make concessions. According to the agreement concluded in September, Jerusalem remained in the power of the Muslims, the Holy Cross was not issued; The captured Christians were left to their bitter fate in the hands of Saladin, Ascalon was to be razed by workers on both sides. This outcome of the campaign filled the hearts of Christians with grief and rage, but there was nothing to be done.

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 elegant appearance of his servant and the foreign money with which he made purchases attracted the attention of the local residents. On December 21, Richard was captured and imprisoned in Dürenstein Castle.

As soon as 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 Lizo, John appeared before him, whose unseemly behavior during the absence of his elder brother bordered on outright treason. Richard, however, forgave him for all his crimes.

In the king's absence, Philip II achieved some dominance over the English on the continent. Richard 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 Norman border 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. Not a single important organ was affected, but as a result of the unsuccessful operation, blood poisoning began. After being ill for eleven days, the king died.

All the monarchs of the world. Western Europe. Konstantin Ryzhov. Moscow, 1999.

Richard I (1157–1199), nicknamed Lion's Heart, French Coeur de Lion, king England, third son of Henry II. Born in Oxford on September 8, 1157. In 1170 he became Duke of Aquitaine, in 1175–1179 he brought the rebellious barons to submission and subjugated the duchy to his authority. From 1173 to 1189 he waged continuous wars against his father in alliance with his brothers, then against his brothers and against the king of France. Since by the time of his father's death in 1189 his two older brothers had already died, Richard became king of England. However, already in December 1190 he set off on the 3rd Crusade. After a winter in Sicily, Richard captured Cyprus, where he married Berengaria of Navarre. Largely thanks to the personal courage Richard showed during the siege of Acre, this city was taken. In 1191, Richard defeated Saladin at Arzuf and approached Jerusalem. However, he quarreled with his allies - Duke Leopold V of Austria and King Philip II Augustus of France (who left the Holy Land for France and began active actions against English possessions), and his brother John rebelled in England. As a result of these reasons, Richard concluded a truce with Salah ad-din and went home. In Vienna, Richard was captured by Leopold (he was mortally insulted by Richard, who ordered Leopold’s banner, which he had strengthened on one of the towers of Acre, to be torn down and thrown into the mud), and he handed it over to Emperor Henry VI. As a result, Richard had to be held captive more than a year until he paid a large ransom for his release. Arriving in England, he remained here for several weeks, and spent the rest of his reign in France, in the fight against Philip Augustus. Richard died from an accidental arrow shot at him during the siege of the Chalu fortress on April 6, 1199, undertaken for personal reasons (dividing a treasure of gold).

Materials from the encyclopedia "The World Around Us" were used.

Read further:

England in the 12th century (chronological table).

Plantagenet Dynasty(family tree).

Historical figures of England(biographical index).

Literature on British history(lists).

British History Course Syllabus(methodology).

Literature:

England in the era of feudalism. M., 1988

Chronicles and memorials of the reign of Richard I, ed. by W. Stubbs, v. 1-2, L., 1864-65;

Landon L., The itinerary of King Richard I, L., 1935.

The Story of King Richard the Lionheart

Richard I the Lionheart - King of England from July 6, 1189 - April 6, 1199 (b. September 8, 1157 - d. April 6, 1199)

Richard I, the English king and Duke of Normandy, spent most of his life on military campaigns away from England. One of the most romantic figures of the Middle Ages. For a long time he was considered the model of a knight.

An entire era in the history of the Middle Ages was composed of which, despite the remoteness of the events, never cease to attract the attention of historians and participants in movements united in various clubs under the code name “clubs of historical reconstruction.”

English king Richard I, nicknamed the Lionheart, is one of the most famous, bright and controversial figures of that era, which left a significant imprint on the processes of relations between Christianity and Islam.

The first two Crusades, despite certain successes of the Christian West, were not crowned with the complete victory of Christianity over Muslims. Vizier Yusuf Salah ad-din (Saladin), who in 1171 seized supreme power in Egypt, was able to unite Egypt, part of Syria and Mesopotamia into one whole and threw all his strength into the fight against the crusaders. Its main goal was to destroy the Kingdom of Jerusalem, which emerged after the Crusaders captured Jerusalem on July 15, 1099, which had been in the hands of Christians for almost a century.

Saladin's efforts were crowned with success: on October 2, 1187, after a month-long siege, the gates of Jerusalem opened to the Muslims. The news of the fall of Jerusalem sent Europe into a state of shock. Pope Urban III died from a stroke. His successor, Gregory VIII, called on Christians for a new Crusade to “return the Holy Sepulcher” and the lands captured by the Saracens.

The Third Crusade, unlike the previous two, can be considered a campaign of knights. This time the peasants, disappointed by past results, did not respond to the pope's call. The fact is that none of the survivors received the promised land plots. Nevertheless, the sovereigns of three countries - England, France and Germany - began to prepare for the campaign.

The idea of ​​a new Crusade was especially readily accepted by the King of England, Henry II Plantagenet, the largest European sovereign of those times, obsessed with the idea of ​​“world domination.” But in June 1189, Henry died and his son Richard ascended the throne, who was to become the main figure of the Third Crusade.

Richard was born in Oxford. He was the second son in the family and could not lay claim to the English crown. But as an inheritance from his mother, he inherited Aquitaine. At the age of fifteen he put on the ducal crown, but for several years he was forced to fight for his dukedom with arms in hand.

1183 - Henry II demanded that Richard take the oath of fief to his elder brother, who was declared King Henry III. Because there had been no such practice before, the Duke of Aquitaine flatly refused. The elder brother went to war against the rebellious one, but soon died of a fever. Thus, Richard became the direct heir to the crowns of England, Normandy and Anjou.

However, apparently, Henry II did not like his son and did not see in him the ability to government activities. He decided to transfer Aquitaine to his youngest son John, the future reformer king John the Landless. The king went on campaign to Aquitaine twice, and Richard was forced to reconcile, but Aquitaine remained in the hands of his mother.

Henry II continued to insist on transferring the dukedom to John. It was also doubtful that he would leave the throne of England to Richard. In addition, the Duke learned that his father had asked King Philip II Augustus of France for the hand of his sister Alice for John. This deeply offended Richard, because Alice was then engaged to him. And the Duke took the extreme step. He entered into an alliance with Philip. Together they marched against Henry. In this fight, the king of England lost, a few days before his death he was forced to recognize Richard as his heir and confirmed his right to Aquitaine.

1189, July 6 - The Duke of Aquitaine was crowned at Westminster and he became King of England. Having lived in the country for only four months, he returned to the mainland and visited his kingdom again only in 1194, and even then he stayed there only for two months.

While his father was still alive, Richard vowed to take part in the Crusade. Now that his hands were untied, he could carry it out. Then the young king was already well known as a valiant knight, who had repeatedly proven his military skill in battle and in tournaments. He was considered the model of a knight, and he, without a doubt, deserved this by impeccably fulfilling all the rules prescribed by courtly behavior. It is not without reason that one of Richard I’s virtues was his ability to compose poetry, for which his contemporaries often called him “the king of the troubadours.”

And of course, this knight of knights accepted the idea of ​​​​the Crusade with great enthusiasm. As the famous German historian B. Kugler wrote, “Richard, strong like a German, warlike like a Norman, and a fantasist like a Provencal, the idol of knight errantry, thirsted first of all for wonderful feats, his own greatest glory.”

But personal courage, dexterity in battle and physical strength do not yet make a warrior a commander. That's why many researchers represent Richard I the Lionheart directly opposing positions. A number of historians consider him the greatest military leader of the Middle Ages, while others do not find in him the slightest manifestation of the talent of a commander - after all, the Third Crusade, one of the main leaders of which was the king, completely failed. But almost everyone agrees that Richard was a rather mediocre ruler. True, this is very difficult to prove or disprove, because almost all of it adulthood went on hikes.

1190, summer - thanks to the efforts of the young king, preparations for the campaign were completed. Moreover, historians note “the exceptional indiscriminateness with which [...] Richard sought means for the “holy war”.”

This is confirmed not only by the so-called “Saladin tithe” - the collection of the 10th part of the income and property from those who did not take part in the campaign. At the same time, Jews suffered especially, from whom almost all their property was taken away under threat of physical violence. Richard sold various positions for next to nothing, including bishoprics, rights, castles, and villages. For 100,000 marks, he ceded his feudal rights in this country to the Scottish king. Richard is known to have said that he would even sell London if he found a suitable buyer.

In the early summer of 1190, English troops crossed the English Channel and advanced to Marseille, where a fleet of 200 ships awaited them, rounding France and Spain. By September they were already in Sicily, where they planned to spend the winter in order to avoid the dangers of navigation at this time of year.

At that time, there was a struggle between baronial parties on the island, which broke out after the death of King William II. Following the aspirations of his father, who planned to seize Sicily, Richard I took advantage of the situation and came out on the side of the “legal rights” of the widow of the late king, his sister Joanna. The reason for the hostilities was a clash between one of the English mercenaries and a Messinian grain merchant, which escalated into a fight between the crusaders and the townspeople, who closed the city gates and prepared for a siege.

The king stormed Messina, captured the city and gave it up for plunder. It was there that he received the nickname Lionheart, which, judging by the bloody results, does not at all indicate nobility, but emphasizes the bloodthirstiness of the conqueror. Although, tradition assures that this nickname was given to him by the Messinians themselves, who made peace with Richard and admired his military valor.

In the art of making enemies, Richard I the Lionheart knew no rivals. Already at the first stage of the campaign, in Sicily, Philip II Augustus of France opposed his actions. Chronicles indicate that during the capture of Messina, the ally king tried to disrupt the assault and even personally shot at the English oarsmen with a bow.

According to legend, the king of England's hatred of the French was based on an episode related to the fact that the king, who was proud of his physical strength, was thrown from his horse at a tournament by some French knight. There were also frictions between the monarchs on personal grounds: Richard refused to marry Alice, who was suspected of having an affair with his father, and preferred Berengaria of Navarre, who soon arrived in Sicily with Alienora of Aquitaine to marry the groom.

Soon, Richard nevertheless had a chance to resolve the conflict with the ruler of Sicily, Tancred of Lecce. The latter remained in power, but paid Richard 20,000 gold ounces. When Philip II demanded, according to the agreement, half the amount, the Englishman gave him only one third, which aroused the hatred of his ally.

Disagreements between the two main leaders of the Crusade led to the fact that both left Sicily at different times. Both had the same goal - Acre (modern Acre), besieged by the Italian and Flemish knights who had arrived earlier, as well as the Syrian Franks. But he left Messina ten days later than his opponent

Richard captured the island of Cyprus on the way, received rich booty and married Berengaria there. It is known that the king fought in the front ranks, he himself captured the enemy’s banner and knocked the emperor Isaac Comnenus, who ruled Cyprus, off his horse with a spear. The King of England, not inferior in guile to the eastern rulers, ordered the Cypriot ruler to be shackled in silver chains, since he, upon surrender, put forward the condition that iron shackles should not be placed on him. The prisoner was sent to one of the Syrian castles, where he died in captivity.

Despite the fact that the capture of Cyprus was a matter of chance, it became a rather successful acquisition from a strategic point of view. Richard I the Lionheart made the island an important base for the Crusaders. Subsequently, through Cyprus, he established an uninterrupted supply of troops by sea, avoiding the mistakes of the military leaders of the First and Second Crusades, who killed many people precisely because of the lack of sufficient supplies and the impossibility of replenishing them.

Meanwhile, in Acre there was a struggle for primacy between the leaders who arrived from Europe and those who had long settled on the “sacred” land for Christians. Guido Lusignan and Conrad of Montferrat fought for the right to the throne of Jerusalem, which, by the way, was in the hands of Salah ad-din. Arriving in Acre, the English king took the side of his relative Lusignan, and Philip took the side of the Marquis of Montferrat. As a result, the contradictions intensified even further. And Richard's success as the military leader of the crusaders brought the situation to a highest point incandescence

Arriving in Acre, Richard I the Lionheart at a military council insisted on an immediate assault on the city. Philip was against it, but the opinion of the King of England prevailed. Siege towers, rams, and catapults were hastily prepared. The assault was carried out under protective roofs. In addition, several tunnels were made.

As a result, Acre fell on July 11, 1191. The humiliated Philip, under the pretext of illness, left the crusaders, returned to France and, while Richard was in the “holy land,” attacked his possessions on the mainland, and also entered into an alliance with John, who ruled England in the absence of his older brother. In addition, the King of France agreed with the Holy Roman Emperor Henry VI to capture Richard if he returned from Palestine through lands subject to the Emperor.

At this time, the English king was busy with completely different problems. First of all, Richard I brutally dealt with the inhabitants of Acre. On his orders, the crusaders slaughtered 2,700 hostages without receiving ransom for them from Saladin in time. The ransom amount was 200,000 gold, and the Muslim leader simply did not have time to collect it. It should be noted that the Saracens did not take revenge and did not touch any of the Christian captives.

After this, the Englishman became a real scarecrow in the eyes of Muslims. It was not for nothing that mothers in Palestine frightened capricious children, saying: “Don’t cry, don’t cry, here comes King Richard,” and the riders reproached the shying horses: “Did you see King Richard?” During the campaign, the king repeatedly confirmed the opinion of his belligerence and bloodthirstiness, returning from the next operation with a necklace of opponents’ heads that adorned the neck of his horse, and with a shield studded with Muslim arrows. And once, when some emir, who was known among Muslims as an amazing strongman, challenged the Englishman to a duel, the king cut off the Saracen's head and shoulder with his right arm with one blow.

Richard I the Lionheart was not only feared by his opponents: due to inconsistency in decision-making and violation of his own instructions, he earned a reputation among Muslims as an unhealthy person.

At Acre, the king acquired another enemy. He became one of the leaders of the crusaders - Duke Leopold of Austria. During the capture of the city, he hastened to hoist his banner. Richard ordered it to be torn off and thrown into the mud. Leopold later recalled this insult by playing main role in the capture of Richard on the way to England.

After the capture of Acre, the crusaders advanced to Jerusalem. The English king again played a leading role in this campaign. He managed to overcome the ambitions of the other leaders of the campaign and the barons, and to bring together the scattered forces of the Europeans. But attempts to take Jaffa and Ascalon ended ingloriously. Salah ad-din, realizing the impossibility of defending the cities, simply ordered the destruction of both, so that the crusaders received only ruins.

Then the 50 thousandth army of the crusaders moved along the coast in short passages. Lionheart did not want to prematurely tire the warriors, who faced a long siege under the scorching sun. The king was able to establish a headquarters service and regular supplies to the army. He also introduced some innovations unfamiliar to medieval military leaders. In particular, in the army, in order to avoid epidemics, camp laundries operated.

The army of Salah ad-Din accompanied the army of the crusaders, but did not enter into battle with it, limiting itself to minor skirmishes on the flanks. The Englishman ordered not to pay attention to them, accumulating forces for the battle near Jerusalem. He understood that the Muslims wanted to provoke the dismemberment of the army so that the heavily armed knights would become easy prey for the swift Muslim horsemen. By order of Richard I, the attacks were repelled by crossbowmen, who were placed at the edges of the entire army.

But the Sultan did not give up his attempts: in early September, not far from Arsuf, he set up an ambush, and the rear of the crusaders was subjected to a powerful attack. Salah ad-Din hoped that the rearguard would nevertheless get involved in the battle and be destroyed before the advanced detachments deployed and could help their co-religionists. But the king ordered not to pay attention and go forward. He himself planned a counterattack.

Only when the Saracens became completely bold and came close was a predetermined signal given, at which the knights, ready for this, turned and rushed into a counterattack. The Saracens were scattered in a few minutes. They lost about 7,000 killed, the rest fled. Having repulsed the attack, again on Richard's orders, the crusaders did not pursue the enemy. The king understood that the knights, carried away in battle, scattered across the desert, could become easy prey for the Saracens.

The Sultan no longer dared to openly disturb the army of the crusaders, limiting himself to individual forays. The army safely reached Askalon (modern Ashkelon), spent the winter there, and in the spring advanced to Jerusalem.

Saladin, not having the strength to give the crusaders open battle, held back the enemy army as best he could, leaving scorched earth ahead of him. His tactics were successful. On the approaches to the coveted city, Richard realized that there would be nothing to feed and water the army: all the crops around were destroyed, and most of the wells were filled up. He decided to abandon the siege so as not to destroy the entire army. 1192, September 2 - peace was concluded between the crusaders and Saladin.

Christians retained a narrow coastal strip from Tire to Jaffa. The main goal of the crusade - Jerusalem - remained with the Saracens; however, for 3 years, Christian pilgrims could freely visit the holy city. Christians did not receive the Holy Cross, and Christian captives were not released.

Not the least role in the fact that Richard I the Lionheart left Palestine was played by rumors that his younger brother John wanted to take the throne of England. Therefore, the king wanted to get to England as quickly as possible. But on the way back, a storm brought his ship into the Adriatic Gulf. From here he was forced to travel through Germany. The king, disguised as a merchant, was identified by Leopold of Austria, who had not forgotten the insult during the capture of Acre. 1192, December 21 - in the village of Erdberg near Vienna he was captured and imprisoned in Dürenstein Castle on the Danube.

In England, nothing was known about the fate of the king for a long time. According to legend, one of his friends, the troubadour Blondel, went in search of him. While in Germany, he learned that a noble prisoner was being held in a castle not far from Vienna. Blondel went there and heard a song coming from the castle window that he and the king had once composed.

But this did not help the king gain freedom. The Duke of Austria handed him over to the hands of Emperor Henry VI, who declared that the king could not be held captive by the duke, because this honor belonged only to him, the emperor. In reality, Henry wanted a rich ransom. But Leopold also agreed to give up the prisoner only after paying compensation in the amount of 50,000 marks of silver.

The emperor had the king for two years. Pope Celestine III, concerned about popular unrest in England, had to intervene. Richard had to take a fief oath to the emperor and pay 150,000 marks in silver. 1194, February 1 - Richard was released and hurried to England, where the people received him with delight. Prince John's supporters soon laid down their arms. The king forgave his brother, sailed to Normandy and never visited his kingdom again.

During the Crusade, the English king saw what powerful fortifications Byzantium and Muslim cities had, so he began to build something similar in his own country. The Château-Gaillard castle in Normandy became a monument to his desire to strengthen the defensive power of the state.

The legendary king spent the remaining years of his life in endless wars with his longtime friend and foe Philip II Augustus. In this case, everything usually came down to the siege of fortresses. On the evening of March 26, 1199, Richard went to a castle owned by Viscount Adhemar of Limoges, who was suspected of having connections with the king of France. Probably, Richard I the Lionheart was not prepared for the ambush, since he was not protected by armor, so one of the arrows hit him in the shoulder. The wound was not dangerous, but infection began, and 11 days later, on April 6, 1199, Richard died, leaving in his memory the romantic image of a knight without fear or reproach, but without giving anything to his people.

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 his youngest brother John (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 towards the Mediterranean Sea through 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 the Life-Giving Cross, release Christian captives and a ransom of 200 thousand gold 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.