Richard the Lionheart

“Such a King seems born to command the whole world.”

Early Life• Born September 8th, 1157 in Oxford England at

Beaumont Palace.• Second son of King Henry II and Eleanor of

Aquitaine.• Parents separated and he lived with his mother

in France. He grew up there, and only spoke French. He always felt a special loyalty to his French land.

• Became Duke of Aquitaine in 1172.

Gaining the Crown

• Richard refused to give up land that belonged to him for any reason.

• In 1175 King Richard I stopped a large revolt in its tracks. It showed how powerful he was.

• His brother, Henry III, died in 1183 while in a campaign against Richard and his father. This left Richard as the heir to the throne.

• King Richard the overpowered his father in 1188, with the help of Phillip II of France.

• His father died in 1189, leaving Richard to receive the throne of England, Normandy and Anjou.

Getting Ready for the Crusade• Richard was not interested in being king, he was more interested in

warfare.• Richard was determined to raise funds for the Crusades, he went to

extreme measures to do it. • He sold high positions, made current position holders pay for them,

sold prisoners for money, and set taxes to raise money.• In 1190, after raising 4,000 men-at arms, 4,000 foot soldiers and

100 transport ships, King Richard the Lionheart set out on the Third Crusade.

The Third Crusade• After being insulted by the Cyprus

government, King Richard attacked the island and overthrew the government.

• King Richard then continued on to the coast town of Acre. He successfully led an army to capture that town.

• King Richard then went on to take the cities of Arsuf and Jaffa. Although, he was never able to take the Holy City of Jerusalem.

• Before returning to England he did earned Christians a three year truce with Muslims. Christians were now able to go in and out of the Holy City freely.

• On his return trip to England he was captured and given to Henry VI, the Roman emperor. He was released once his empire paid 150,000 marks for him .

• King Richard finally returned home to fend off attacks from Phillip II of France and his younger brother John.

Massacres• King Richard the Lionheart was known for being very cruel to his

enemies.• When he was crowned King of England, he had a few Jews beaten

when they tried to attend the crowning. What followed was a massacre of Jews throughout England. They thought their King wanted all Jews killed.

• After taking Acre Richard had 2700 Muslim prisoners. Saladin the Muslim leader was not able to come up with the ransom Richard called for, King Richard had all 2700 prisoners killed.

End of Reign• On King Richard’s return he looked to strengthen his

empire.• He built Chateau Gaillard, atop Les Andelys. It was a

strategic move, because it would be impossible to take Chateau Gaillard.

• Kind Richard besieged Chalus after the lord there refused to hand over a Roman treasure that was found there.

• During this fight a young boy shot him in the shoulder. The wound would prove fatal.

• King Richard died a few days later on April 6th, 1199. He was buried at Fontevraud Abbey in Anjou.

Lasting Legacy• King Richard gained his

nickname “The Lionheart” on the battlefield. He was brave, loyal, and an unstoppable fighter.

• Richard was a bit reckless as king, but he did all he could to gain more land for his empire.

• He made sound decisions to help his empire become stronger.

• He was sung about by troubadours for years to come, even though he only spent six months of his ten year reign in England. He would always be remembered for his unmatchable military ability.