Why is Richard called the Lionheart? Richard I the Lionheart: why the king actually got such a nickname

The image of the English king Richard I the Lionheart covered with an aura of romance and courage. His name was often mentioned in the medieval epic as the hero of legends and novels. But, if we turn to history, then everything is not so rosy. And the king received the nickname "Lionheart" not for outstanding courage, but for incredible cruelty.

Richard the Lionheart was the son of King Henry II of the Plantagenet dynasty and Eleanor of Aquitaine, one of the richest and most powerful women of that period. Mother actively interfered in the politics of England and France, which is why, over time, relations between the spouses became very strained. It got to the point that Eleanor of Aquitaine rebelled against the king and returned to her castle in Poitiers (Aquitaine). Henry II was supported by his three sons, and Richard chose to take the side of his mother.

Historical chronicles have preserved a lot of information about the strong connection between Richard the Lionheart and Eleanor of Aquitaine. The son was brought up under the influence of his mother and, being in adulthood, he always listened to her advice. Mother even went on a crusade with her son, although this was completely unusual for women of that time.

When Richard the Lionheart came to the English throne (by the way, he did not even know English), he spent only six months in the country itself. The king immediately began to gather in the Third Crusade, a vow to participate in which he had given long before. While Richard earned his fame in battles on foreign soil, England suffered the most, because the inhabitants were forced to pay huge taxes in order to support the army. During the reign of Richard I, the country was practically ruined.

The English king became the hero of numerous literary works. So, in the novels of the XIV-XV centuries, his image is almost perfect. Allegedly in a fight with a lion, Richard put his hand into his mouth and pulled out a pulsating heart. But in fact, "Lionheart" he was nicknamed for a completely different reason.

During the Third Crusade, Richard I captured the city of Acre and negotiated with Saladin for a prisoner exchange. When the Muslim leader never exchanged anyone, Richard the Lionheart ordered the death of 2,700 prisoners. For this, the Muslims called him the Stone Heart. A little later, when the peace treaty was signed, the English king executed another 2,000 captured Saracens because the Muslim commander was in no hurry to fulfill all the terms of the treaty.

Another nickname for the king was Richard Yes-and-No. This is a kind of mockery of his subjects for the fact that he often changed his decisions, being influenced from outside.

The English king had enough opponents not only among Muslims, but also among Christians. Intrigues and the struggle for influence in the European arena led to the fact that, after returning from the Crusade, Richard was captured by the Holy Roman Emperor Henry VI.

According to legend, at first no one knew that Richard was languishing in prison. But one day the troubadour Blondel passed by the prison and sang a song composed by the English king. And then suddenly a voice was heard from the prison window, which sang along with him.

The emperor requested 150,000 marks for the ransom of the king. This amount was the taxes of the British for two years. The first to rush to the rescue of the king was Eleanor of Aquitaine. She ordered that a quarter of their income be collected from the people. The English medieval historian William of Newburgh wrote that after Richard's release, Emperor Henry VI lamented that he had not left "a strong tyrant who truly menaced the whole world" languishing in prison.

The king died during the next battle. It was the siege of the Châlus-Chabrol castle in Limousin. The king was wounded by a crossbow arrow. The cause of death was blood poisoning. Richard the Lionheart died in the presence of Eleanor of Aquitaine.

Eleanor of Aquitaine - the most desirable bride of the 12th century, who became the mistress of two kingdoms

History, as a rule, remembers kings and is silent about their spouses. But the name Alienors of Aquitaine it's impossible to forget. This red-haired beauty was considered the most desirable bride and the most influential woman of medieval Europe. She managed to become the wife of two kings who fell in love with her and then hated her. Eleanor was not one of those who humbly accepted her fate. The queen actively intervened in politics and took part in the crusade. Even when she was well into her seventies, the troubadours still sang of the beauty of their queen.

Many sources call the queen a more euphonious name for the modern man in the street, Eleanor, but from birth she was Eleanor. Her father, Duke Guillaume of Aquitaine, named his daughter in honor of his wife Aenora. From the Latin Eleanor is translated as "another Aenor" (allia Aenor).

Not a single lifetime portrait of Eleanor has survived to this day. But, if you believe the few descriptions of contemporaries, the Duchess of Aquitaine was short, with large dark eyes and luxurious red hair. The troubadours called their beloved lady none other than "aigle en or" - "golden eagle", which was also consonant with her name.

The girl was orphaned at the age of 15. According to her father's will, the French king Louis VI the Fat was appointed her guardian until Eleanor married. Formally, the dukes of Aquitaine recognized themselves as vassals of the kings, but in fact they were independent rulers and had richer lands than the monarch. Louis VI could not miss the opportunity to "restrain" the wayward southern vassals, who did not consider themselves French, and gave Eleanor of Aquitaine for his son Louis VII the Young. While the newlyweds traveled from Aquitaine to Paris, they learned that the king had died. Therefore, the Duchess immediately became Queen of France.

At the court of Eleanor, she was frankly bored. Louis VII was incredibly pious. He prayed for hours, wore a stiff sackcloth under his clothes, and dreamed of crusades against the infidels. He rarely visited his wife's bedchamber, so Eleanor could not become pregnant for a long time. When, nevertheless, she gave birth, the whole court did not hide the disappointment that it was not a boy - the heir to the throne, but a girl.

In order not to waste away at all, Eleanor invited poets and troubadours from Aquitaine to the palace, who sang of her youth and beauty. Eleanor soon had the opportunity to escape from the boring walls of the palace. Louis VII was going on a crusade, and his wife persuaded him to take her with him. The journey to the Holy Lands turned out to be not as exciting and carefree as it was sung in ballads. The queen had to endure many hardships.

Eleanor of Aquitaine. | Photo: thinglink.com.

When the army of Louis VII reached Antioch, Eleanor's conditions improved. Her uncle Raymond of Toulouse was in charge there. He was very loving and, of course, showed very non-ambiguous signs of attention to Eleanor. Whether there was a love affair between them, history is silent, but Louis VII and his wife returned home separately.

In Paris, the king removed Eleanor from participation in all state affairs. The birth of a second daughter, and not a son, further worsened relations between the spouses. It got to the point that in March 1152 they divorced. The official reason for the dissolution of the marriage was called the consanguinity of the spouses. Eleanor hurried back to her possessions in Aquitaine.

Around the same time, Eleanor was courted by Count Henry II Plantagenet (of Anjou), whose father was married to the daughter of the King of England. Henry was 11 years younger than Eleanor, but this did not bother him, and in May of the same 1152, the Duchess of Aquitaine and the Count of Anjou got married.

Two years after his marriage, Henry took the English throne, and Eleanor of Aquitaine became Queen of England. At the English court, the beautiful southerner lives even worse than in Paris. Usually the queens of England signed "By the grace of God, Queen of England", but Eleanor was self-willed, signing: "By the grace of God, Queen of England." Over time, Henry admitted to her that he married only because of the dowry - the rich lands of Aquitaine.

After these words, the queen harbored a grudge against her husband and, as the children grew up (among whom was Richard the Lionheart), she began to support their claims to certain lands. Returning to her castle in Poitiers (Aquitaine), Eleanor rebelled against her husband, but two years later he got the better of his obstinate wife, and she spent 16 years in prison.

The queen's suffering ended when her son Richard the Lionheart came to the throne. While he earned his glory in numerous campaigns, his mother ruled on his behalf. Eleanor of Aquitaine lived an incredibly long life for that time. She passed away at the age of 82, outliving eight of her ten children. Eleanor of Aquitaine has been called the "grandmother of European monarchs" by historians.

1. Richard is the third son of King Henry II Plantagenet of England and his wife, the Duchess Eleanor of Aquitaine. Richard had very little chance of becoming king, but the early death of his older brothers (William (1152-1156), Henry died of dysentery at the age of 28 (1155-1183), as well as the younger Geoffrey (1158-1186), made it easier for him to come to power after the death of his father.

2. Perhaps it was precisely the fact that he was the youngest and was not intended to be the heir that strengthened Richard's chivalrous upbringing - he turned out to be a useless king, and a famous knight.

3. He also had another nickname (not as well known as the Lionheart) - Richard Yes-and-No (ox. N Oc-e-No), which meant that he was easily swayed one way or the other.

4. Richard was well educated (he wrote poetry in French and Occitan) and very attractive - he was (estimated) 1 meter 93 centimeters tall, blue-eyed and fair-haired.

5. Most of all, he loved to fight - from childhood he showed remarkable political and military abilities, was famous for his courage, knew how to take precedence over aristocrats in his lands.

6. He was already compared during his lifetime (and continues to be compared) with Achilles. And the comparison is justified in one most important point - glory. He was attracted by fame. Eleanor of Aquitaine, Richard's mother, wrote to the Pope: "While my son, like Achilles, fought under the walls of Accra..." That's where this comparison comes from!

7. Marriage with Berengaria of Navarre was fruitless; he had many extramarital affairs with women. Illegitimate son - Philip de Falconbridge (1175-1204), lord de Cognac from connection with NN. Richard the Lionheart followed his fate and blessed the union of his illegitimate son Philip de Falconbridge with Amelia de Cognac in 1190.

8. Nicknamed the Lionheart during the Third Crusade in 1190. Captured in 1191 by Richard, Cyprus was necessary to maintain the Frankish possessions in Palestine for another whole century.

9. Some of Richard's military exploits made him one of the most prominent figures in medieval history and literature along with Roland and King Arthur. Contemporaries, however, even suspected him of treason and betrayal; Muslims reproached him for excessive cruelty.

10. Didn't speak English. During the 10 years of his reign, he spent less than six months in England, he treated the army as a source of income. Governance of the country was reduced to extortion of taxes, trade in state lands, posts and other "preparation" for the Crusade.

11. Had many enemies. During his return to Europe, Richard was recognized, captured and imprisoned, where he was kept for about two years. He was ransomed for a lot of money, his mother took an active part in the release of his son.

12. During the siege of the castle of Chalus-Chabrol in Limousin on March 26, 1199, a crossbow bolt pierced his shoulder near the neck. The operation was unsuccessful, gangrene and sepsis developed. Eleven days later, on April 6, Richard died in the arms of his mother and wife - in full accordance with the heroism of his life.

13. The French knight Pierre Basil, who mortally wounded the king, was ordered by the wounded Richard not to be executed and even to pay him 100 shillings. After the death of the king and the capture of the castle of Shalu, Basil was flayed, and then he was hanged.

Registration number 0107054 issued for the work:

Richard is the third son of King Henry II Plantagenet of England and his wife, the Duchess Eleanor of Aquitaine. Richard had very little chance of becoming king, but the early death of his older brothers (William (1152-1156), Henry died of dysentery at the age of 28 (1155-1183), as well as the younger Geoffrey (1158-1186), made it easier for him to come to power after the death of his father.
Perhaps it was precisely the fact that he was the youngest and was not intended to be the heir that strengthened Richard's chivalrous upbringing - he turned out to be a useless king, and a famous knight.
He also had another nickname (not as well known as the Lionheart) - Richard Yes-and-No (ox. N Oc-e-No), which meant that he was easily swayed one way or the other.
Richard was well educated (he wrote poetry in French and Occitan) and very attractive - an estimated height of 1 meter 93 centimeters, blue eyes and blond hair.
Most of all, he loved to fight - from childhood he showed remarkable political and military abilities, was famous for his courage, knew how to take precedence over aristocrats in his lands.
He was already compared during his lifetime (and continues to be compared) with Achilles. And the comparison is justified in one most important point - glory. He was attracted by fame. Eleanor of Aquitaine, Richard's mother, wrote to the Pope: "While my son, like Achilles, fought under the walls of Accra..." That's where this comparison comes from!
The marriage to Berengaria of Navarre was fruitless; he had many extramarital affairs with women. Illegitimate son - Philip de Falconbridge (1175-1204), lord de Cognac from connection with NN. Richard the Lionheart followed his fate and blessed the union of his illegitimate son Philip de Falconbridge with Amelia de Cognac in 1190.
He was nicknamed the Lionheart during the Third Crusade in 1190. Captured in 1191 by Richard, Cyprus was necessary to maintain the Frankish possessions in Palestine for another whole century.
Some of Richard's military exploits made him one of the most prominent figures in medieval history and literature along with Roland and King Arthur. Contemporaries, however, even suspected him of treason and betrayal; Muslims reproached him for excessive cruelty.
Didn't speak English. During the 10 years of his reign, he spent less than six months in England, he treated the army as a source of income. Governance of the country was reduced to extortion of taxes, trade in state lands, posts and other "preparation" for the Crusade.
Had many enemies. During his return to Europe, Richard was recognized, captured and imprisoned, where he was kept for about two years. He was ransomed for a lot of money, his mother took an active part in the release of his son.
During the siege of the castle of Chalus-Chabrol in Limousin on March 26, 1199, a crossbow bolt pierced his shoulder near the neck. The operation was unsuccessful, gangrene and sepsis developed. Eleven days later, on April 6, Richard died in the arms of his mother and wife - in full accordance with the heroism of his life.
The French knight Pierre Basil, who mortally wounded the king, was ordered by the wounded Richard not to be executed and even to pay him 100 shillings. After the death of the king and the capture of the castle of Shalu, Basil was flayed, and then he was hanged.

History of King Richard the Lionheart

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

Richard I - 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 a model of a knight.

A whole era in the history of the Middle Ages was the crusades, which, despite the remoteness of events, do not cease to attract the attention of historians and participants in the movements, united in different clubs under the conditional name "clubs of historical reconstruction".

The 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 a complete victory of Christianity over the Muslims. The vizier Yusuf Salah-ad-din (Saladin), who in 1171 seized the supreme power in Egypt, was able to unite Egypt, part of Syria and Mesopotamia into one whole and threw all his forces into the fight against the crusaders. Its main goal was to destroy the Kingdom of Jerusalem, which appeared after the capture of Jerusalem by the crusaders 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 the stroke. His successor, Gregory VIII, called on the Christians for a new Crusade to "return the Holy Sepulcher" and the lands occupied by the Saracens.

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

The idea of a new Crusade was especially welcomed by the King of England, Henry II Plantagenet, the largest of the European sovereigns 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 claim the English crown. But he inherited Aquitaine from his mother, Eleanor of Aquitaine. At the age of fifteen, he put on the ducal crown, but for several years he was forced to fight for his duchy with weapons in his hands.

1183 - Henry II demanded that Richard take an oath of fealty to his elder brother, who was declared king by Henry III. Because there was no such practice before, the Duke of Aquitaine flatly refused. The older brother went to the recalcitrant war, 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 him as capable of state activity. He decided to transfer Aquitaine to his youngest son John, the future reformer king John Landless. The king twice went on a campaign to Aquitaine, and Richard was forced to accept, but Aquitaine remained in the hands of his mother.

Henry II continued to push for the transfer of the duchy to John. It was also doubtful that he would leave the throne of England to Richard. In addition, the duke learned that his father asked the king of France, Philip II Augustus, for John, the hand of his sister Alice. This deeply offended Richard, for Alice was then betrothed to him. And the duke went to the extreme step. He entered into an alliance with Philip. Together they marched against Henry. In this struggle, 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.

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

During his father's lifetime, Richard vowed to take part in the Crusade. Now that his hands were untied, he could fulfill it. Then already the young king was well known as a valiant knight, who more than once proved his martial art in battle and in tournaments. He was considered a model knight, and he undoubtedly deserved it by the impeccable execution of all the rules prescribed by courtly behavior. Not without reason, among the merits of Richard I was the ability to compose poetry, for which 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 well-known German historian B. Kugler wrote, “Richard, strong as a German, militant as a Norman, and a visionary, as a Provençal, the idol of a knight-errant, craved, first of all, miraculous deeds, his own greatest glory.”

But personal courage, dexterity in battle and physical strength still do not make a commander out of a warrior. Therefore, many of the researchers present Richard I the Lionheart from directly opposite 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 his entire adult life was spent on campaigns.

1190, summer - through the efforts of the young king, preparations for the campaign were completed. Moreover, historians note “the exceptional promiscuity with which […] Richard sought funds for a “holy war”.”

This is confirmed not only by the so-called "Saladin's tithe" - the collection of a 10th part of income and property from those who did not take part in the campaign. At the same time, Jews were especially affected, from whom, under the threat of physical reprisal, almost all their property was taken away. Richard sold various positions for nothing, including episcopal, rights, castles, villages. For 100,000 marks, he ceded his feudal rights in this country to the Scottish king. Richard is famous for saying that he would even sell London if he could find a suitable buyer.

At the beginning of the summer of 1190, the English troops crossed the English Channel and advanced to Marseilles, where a fleet of 200 ships was waiting for them, rounding France and Spain. By September they were already in Sicily, where they were supposed to spend the winter to avoid the dangers of navigation at this time of the year.

At that time, there was a struggle of baronial parties on the island, which broke out after the death of King Wilhelm II. Following the aspirations of his father, who planned the capture of Sicily, Richard I took advantage of the situation and took the side of the "legal rights" of the late king's widow, his sister Joanna. The reason for the hostilities was a skirmish between one of the English mercenaries and a Messinian bread merchant, which turned 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 to 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 reconciled with Richard and admired his military prowess.

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 testify that during the capture of Messina, the ally king tried to disrupt the assault and even personally shot from a bow at the English rowers.

According to legend, the hatred of the King of England for the French was based on an episode related to the fact that the king, who was proud of his physical strength, was thrown off his horse in a tournament by some French knight. There were frictions between the monarchs and on personal grounds: Richard refused to marry Alice, who was suspected of having a relationship with his father, and preferred Berengaria of Navarre, who soon arrived in Sicily with Eleanor of Aquitaine to marry her fiancé.

Soon, Richard still had a chance to settle the conflict with the ruler of Sicily, Tancred 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 caused the hatred of the ally.

Discord between the two main leaders of the Crusade brought to the point 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 who left Messina ten days later than the opponent

On the way, Richard captured the island of Cyprus, received rich booty and married Berengaria there. It is known that the king fought in the forefront, he himself captured the banner of the enemy and knocked down the Emperor Isaac Komnenos, who ruled Cyprus, from his horse with a spear. The king of England, not inferior in cunning to the eastern rulers, ordered the Cypriot ruler to be chained in silver chains, since he, upon surrender, put forward a condition that iron fetters were not imposed 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 was a rather successful acquisition from a strategic point of view. Richard I the Lionheart made the island an important stronghold for the crusaders. Subsequently, through Cyprus, he established an uninterrupted supply of troops by sea, avoiding the mistakes of the commanders 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 - the Marquis of Montferrat. As a result, the contradictions intensified even more. And Richard's success as a military leader of the crusaders brought the situation to the highest point of heat.

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

As a result, Acre fell on July 11, 1191. Humiliated, Philip left the crusaders on the pretext of illness, 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 on the capture of Richard if he would return from Palestine through the lands subject to the emperor.

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

After that, the Englishman in the eyes of Muslims became a real scarecrow. No wonder mothers in Palestine frightened capricious children, saying: “Don’t cry, don’t cry, here comes King Richard,” and the horsemen reproached the shy horses: “Did you see King Richard?” During the campaign, the king repeatedly confirmed his opinion about his militancy and bloodthirstiness, returning from another 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 strong man, challenged an 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 afraid of opponents: due to inconsistency in decision-making, violation of his own instructions, he earned a reputation among Muslims as an unhealthy person.

At Acre, the king acquired another enemy. They 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 plucked and thrown into the mud. Later, Leopold remembered this insult, playing a major role in the capture of Richard on the road 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, 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 both to be destroyed, so that the crusaders got only the ruins.

Then the 50,000-strong army of the crusaders moved along the coast in short passages. Lionheart did not want to tire the warriors ahead of time, who were facing a long siege under the scorching sun. The king was able to establish a staff service and a regular supply of the army. He also implemented some innovations unfamiliar to medieval military leaders. In particular, camp laundries operated in the army to avoid epidemics.

The army of Salah ad-Din accompanied the army of the crusaders, but did not enter into battle with him, limiting himself to small skirmishes on the flanks. The Englishman ordered them not to pay attention to, 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, attacks were repulsed by crossbowmen, who were placed along 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 were deployed and could help their fellow believers. But the king ordered not to pay attention and go ahead. He himself planned a counterattack.

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

The sultan no longer dared to openly disturb the crusader army, limiting himself to individual sorties. The army safely reached Ascalon (modern Ashkelon), wintered there, and advanced to Jerusalem in the spring.

Saladin, not having the strength to give the crusaders an 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 fell asleep. 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.

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

Not the last 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 soon 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 did not forget the insult at the capture of Acre. 1192, December 21 - in the village of Erdberg near Vienna, he was seized and imprisoned in the 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 looking for him. While in Germany, he learned that some noble prisoner was being held in a castle not far from Vienna. Blondel went there and heard from the window of the castle a song that they once composed with the king.

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

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

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

The remaining years of his life the legendary king spent in endless wars with his longtime friend and foe Philip II Augustus. In this case, it all boiled down, as a rule, to the siege of fortresses. On the evening of March 26, 1199, Richard went to a castle owned by Viscount Adémar of Limoges, who was suspected of having links with the King of France. Probably, Richard I the Lionheart was not ready for an ambush, as he was not protected by armor, so one of the arrows hit him in the shoulder. The wound was not dangerous, but the infection began, and 11 days later, on April 6, 1199, Richard died, leaving in his memory the romantic image of a knight without fear and reproach, but giving nothing to his people.

V. Sklyarenko

Another nickname for the king was Richard Yes-and-No. This is a kind of mockery of his subjects for the fact that he often changed his decisions, being influenced from outside.

The mother of the king herself lived a long life.

The image of the English King Richard I the Lionheart is covered with an aura of romance and courage. His name was often mentioned in the medieval epic as the hero of legends and novels. But, if we turn to history, then everything is not so rosy. And the king received the nickname "Lionheart" not for outstanding courage, but for incredible cruelty.

Fresco in the Cathedral of St. Radegundy in Chinon. Eleanor of Aquitaine and her husband Henry II.

Another nickname for the king was Richard Yes-and-No. This is a kind of mockery of his subjects for the fact that he often changed his decisions, being influenced from outside.

King of England Richard the Lionheart.

The mother of the king herself lived a long life. Eleanor of Aquitaine was adored by everyone except her husbands - the kings of England and France.