Richard I (8 September 1157 – 6 April 1199) was
King of England from 1189 until his death in 1199. He was the third of five sons of
King Henry II of England and
Duchess Eleanor of Aquitaine. He was known as Richard Cœur de Lion or
Richard the Lionheart because of his reputation as a great military leader and warrior. He also ruled as
Duke of Normandy, Aquitaine and
Gascony, Lord of Cyprus, Count of Poitiers, Anjou, Maine, and
Nantes, and was overlord of
Brittany at various times during the same period.
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| Ruins of Dürnstein Castle |
Richard was born in
England, where he spent his childhood; before becoming king, however, he lived most of his adult life in the
Duchy of Aquitaine, in the southwest of
France. Following his accession, he spent very little time, perhaps as little as six months, in
England. Most of his life as king was spent on
Crusade, in captivity, or actively defending his lands in
France. He remains one of the few kings of
England remembered by his epithet, rather than regnal number, and is an enduring iconic figure both in
England and in
France.
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| 19th-century portrait of Richard the Lionheart by Merry-Joseph Blondel |
According to
Ralph of Coggeshall, Henry the Young King instigated rebellion against
Henry II; he wanted to reign independently over at least part of the territory his father had promised him, and to break away from his dependence on
Henry II, who controlled the purse strings. He abandoned his father and left for the
French court, seeking the protection of
Louis VII; his younger brothers,
Richard and
Geoffrey, soon followed him, while the five-year-old John remained in
England.
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| Henry the Young King, Junior King of England |
When
Henry II and
Louis VII made a truce on 8 September 1174, its terms specifically excluded
Richard. Abandoned by
Louis and wary of facing his father's army in battle,
Richard went to
Henry II's court at
Poitiers on 23 September and begged for forgiveness, weeping and falling at the feet of
Henry, who gave
Richard the kiss of peace.
Richard was given control of two castles in
Poitou and half the income of
Aquitaine. Being an accomplice in the rebellion,
Eleanor remained
Henry II's prisoner until his death, partly as insurance for
Richard's good behaviour.
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| A silver denier of Richard, as count of Poitou |
After the conclusion of the war, the process of pacifying the provinces that had rebelled against
Henry II began. In January 1175
Richard was dispatched to
Aquitaine to punish the barons who had fought for him.
Richard concentrated on putting down internal revolts by the nobles of
Aquitaine, especially in the territory of
Gascony. The increasing cruelty of his rule led to a major revolt there in 1179. Hoping to dethrone
Richard, the rebels sought the help of his brothers
Henry and
Geoffrey.
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| Henry II of England |
In 1181–1182
Richard faced a revolt over the succession to the county of
Angoulême. His opponents turned to
Philip II of France for support, and the fighting spread through the
Limousin and
Périgord. The excessive cruelty of
Richard's punitive campaigns aroused even more hostility. However, with support from his father and from the Young King,
Richard the Lionheart eventually succeeded in bringing the
Viscount Aimar V of Limoges and
Count Elie of Périgord to terms.
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| A 19th-century portrait of Philip II of France by Louis-Félix Amiel |
In exchange for Philip's help against his father, Richard promised to concede to him his rights to both Normandy and Anjou. Richard paid homage to Philip in November 1187. With news arriving of the Battle of Hattin, a crusader battle, he took the cross at Tours in the company of other French nobles. In 1188 Henry II planned to concede Aquitaine to his youngest son John. But Richard objected. Henry II bring Queen Eleanor out of prison. He sent her to Aquitaine and demanded that Richard give up his lands to his mother who would once again rule over those lands.
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| Battle of Hattin |
In 1189,
Richard attempted to take the throne of
England for himself by joining
Philip' of France expedition against his father. On 4 July 1189, the forces of
Richard and
Philip defeated
Henry's army at
Ballans. Henry, with
John's consent, agreed to name
Richard his heir apparent. Two days later
Henry II died in
Chinon, and
Richard the Lionheart succeeded him as
King of England, Duke of Normandy, and
Count of Anjou. Richard I was officially invested as
Duke of Normandy on 20 July 1189 and crowned king in
Westminster Abbey on 3 September 1189.
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| Richard I being anointed during his coronation in Westminster Abbey |
