Richard the Lionheart, son of Henry II Plantagenet and Eleanor of Aquitaine, was born on September 8, 1157. Initially, Richard was not considered as the direct heir to the throne, which to a certain extent influenced the formation of his character. In 1172, Richard was proclaimed Duke of Aquitaine, which forced the future king to fully taste all the delights of feudal strife. Very soon, a confrontation with his own father and brother was added to the classic petty feudal strife. In 1183, Richard was faced with a difficult choice: to take the oath to his elder brother and completely lose political independence, or choose the path of an independent ruler. Richard chose the latter. In response to his insolence, Richard's older brother Henry invaded his domain, but soon fell ill and died. Despite what happened between the children, Richard's father Henry II ordered him to give Aquitaine to his younger brother John. Richard resisted the will of his father and went to aggravate the conflict, during which a real war broke out between him and his younger brothers Jeffrey and John. Realizing the unsightly essence of what was happening, threatening to develop into an absurd fratricide, King Henry II decided to end the fraternal dispute over the lands of the duchy, transferring it to the possession of Richard's mother. Despite the relative reconciliation, good kinship in the family of Richard was never restored. This was due to rumors that Henry II, in violation of customs, intends to transfer power to his youngest son John.
The French king hastened to take advantage of the quarrels in the English royal family. In 1187, he showed Richard the text of a secret message from his father, in which Henry II asked Philip's permission to marry John his (Philip) sister Alice (previously betrothed to Richard), and then transfer the Duchies of Anjou and Aquitaine to him.
So a new conflict was brewing in the royal family, which eventually forced Richard to oppose his father. In 1189, in alliance with the French king, Richard began an open confrontation with his father, as a result, Henry II lost all continental possessions, except Normandy. Already in the summer of 1189, Henry II surrendered all his positions, after which he died.
On September 3, 1189, Richard was crowned at Westminster Abbey. After gaining power, Richard began preparations for the Third Crusade, organized with the blessing of Pope Clement III. In addition to Richard, the German emperor Frederick I Barbarossa and the French king Philip II Augustus took part in this campaign.
Richard I convinced the French king of the advantages of the sea route to the Holy Land, which saved the crusaders from many troubles. The beginning of the campaign fell on the spring of 1190, at which time the crusaders went through France and Burgundy to the shores of the Mediterranean Sea. In early July, Richard of England and King of France Philip Augustus met in Wesel. The monarchs and their warriors, having greeted each other, continued their journey together for some time. However, from Lyon, the French crusaders moved towards Genoa, and Richard went to Marseille.
Having embarked on ships, the British began a march to the east, and on September 23 they made their first stop at Messina in Sicily. However, they had to delay due to the hostile attitude of the local population. The inhabitants of Sicily not only showered the crusaders with ridicule and harsh abuse, but also did not miss the opportunity to attack and cruel reprisals against the unarmed crusaders. On October 3, a minor market collision sparked a real war. Armed hastily, the townspeople prepared for battle, settling themselves on the towers and walls of the city. Despite the fact that Richard tried to prevent the devastation of the Christian city, the British decided to storm. And after the sorties undertaken by the townspeople the next day, the king led his army, and the British, driving the enemy back into the city, captured the gates and dealt severely with the defeated.
This delay forced the campaign to be postponed until next year, moreover badly affecting the relationship between the two monarchs. From time to time, minor clashes arose between them, as a result, they left Sicily, finally quarreling. Philip went directly to Syria, and Richard had to make another stop in Cyprus.
The fact is that during the storm, some of the British ships were washed ashore by the raging waves. The ruler of Cyprus, the emperor Isaac Komnenos, appropriated them, relying on the coastal law, which was formally on his side. Of course, this was not to the liking of the crusaders who landed in Cyprus on May 6, 1191. The battle began, but the Greeks quickly retreated, unable to withstand the blow. The battle was resumed the next day, Richard fought bravely in the front row, he even managed to capture the banner of Isaac, knocking the emperor himself off his horse with a spear. As in the previous battle, the Greeks were defeated.
Less than a week later, on May 12, the wedding of King Richard and Berengaria of Navarre took place in the captured city. Meanwhile, Isaac, realizing his own miscalculations, began negotiations with Richard. The terms of the peace treaty obliged Isaac not only to pay an indemnity, but also to open all the fortresses to the crusaders, and the Greeks had to send auxiliary troops for the crusade.
However, Richard did not intend to deprive Isaac of the imperial power until Isaac fled to Famagusta, accusing Richard of encroaching on his life. Enraged by the treachery of Comnenus, the king ordered the fleet to guard the coast so that Isaac would not flee again. After that, Richard sent an army to Famagusta, capturing which he went to Nicosia. On the way, another battle took place near Tremifussia, after the victory in which Richard I solemnly entered the capital, where he was delayed for some time by illness.
At this time, in the mountains of Cyprus, the crusaders under the command of the Jerusalem king Guido captured the strongest castles, and the only daughter of Isaac was among the captives. Under the yoke of all these failures, on May 31, the emperor surrendered to the mercy of the victors. So, in less than a month of war, Richard captured the island of Crete, the strategic importance of which is difficult to overestimate today.
Further path of Richard lay in Syria. In early July, Richard arrived at the siege camp under the walls of the city of Acre. With the arrival of Richard's knights, the siege of the city intensified. Gaps were made in the walls of the city, and on July 11 the besieged agreed to negotiate the surrender of the city. The very next day, the knights entered the city, which had been under siege for two years.
The victory gave rise to controversy in the ranks of the crusaders. The question arose as to who should become the king of Jerusalem. Each of the allies proposed his own candidacy and did not want to give up. The general triumph and the scandalous episode with the Austrian banner overshadowed. Most historians describe it like this. After the capture of Acre, by order of the Austrian Duke Leopold, the Austrian standard was raised over his house. Seeing this, Richard became angry and ordered to tear down the banner and throw it into the mud. The fact is that Leopold is located in a house in the English occupation sector. The result of the scandal that broke out was the departure of a significant part of the crusaders on their way back. With their departure, Richard became the sole commander of the Crusader forces.
Now about why Richard I of England got his sonorous and romantic nickname. At first glance, the nickname "Lionheart" indicates the regal bravery of its bearer and was given for some brave feat. However, this is not at all the case. Richard was known as an extremely cruel and angry leader to the point of unbridled and even absurdity. With the surrender of Acre, conditions were put forward for Saladin: to release all the captured crusaders and to pay an indemnity of 200 thousand gold marks. Saladin did not refuse to fulfill these requirements, however, he did not keep up with the predetermined deadline. Upon learning of this, Richard flew into a rage and ordered the execution of about 2,000 Muslim hostages in front of the gates of Acre. For this truly bestial cruelty, which, among other things, doomed many captive Christians to a similar fate, Richard I of England received his famous nickname "Lionheart". In addition, one of the main Christian shrines, the Life-giving Cross, remained in the hands of Muslims.
Soon Richard decides to launch an offensive against Jerusalem. Gathering a 50-thousandth army of crusaders, he set out on a campaign. It was in the Jerusalem campaign that Richard's military leader's genius was fully revealed, combining the talent of a military strategist and the greatest organizer, who managed to unite under his banners a multi-tribal crowd of knights accustomed to feudal strife.
The trek was organized in the strictest manner. Richard categorically forbade his soldiers to engage in minor skirmishes and thereby follow the lead of the enemy, who was trying to disrupt the marching formation of the crusaders. To repel the threat posed by Muslim horse archers, Richard ordered a reliable guard of crossbowmen.
The most notable fighting episode during the march of Richard's army to Jerusalem took place on September 7, 1191 near the village of Arzuf. Saladin ambushed and attacked the rear of Richard's column. First, Richard ordered the rearguard not to respond and to continue the march. Some time later, an organized counter-attack by the Crusaders followed, which determined the outcome of the battle within a few minutes. The losses of the crusaders amounted to 700 people, while the Mamelukes of Saladin lost ten times as many killed - 7,000 soldiers. After that, Saladin no longer entered into open combat with Richard's knights.
However, petty skirmishes between the Crusaders and the Mamelukes continued. Simultaneously with the sluggish hostilities, Saladin and Richard negotiated, which, however, ended in nothing, and in the winter of 1192, Richard resumed his campaign against Jerusalem. However, this time the campaign was not completed, the crusaders returned to Askelon, restoring the destroyed city and making a powerful fortress out of it.
In May 1192, Richard took Daruma - a powerful fortification south of Askelon, after which he again set out on Jerusalem. But this time the campaign ended at Beitnub. The reason for this was the doubts of the leaders of the crusaders about the expediency of the future assault on Jerusalem. There were proposals to turn to Egypt or Damascus. Be that as it may, the crusaders began to gradually leave Palestine.
According to the agreement signed by the opponents in September, Jerusalem and the Life-giving Cross remained with the Muslims, the fate of the captured crusaders was also in the hands of Saladin, and the crusader fortress of Askelon was dismantled. All of Richard's military successes in the region were practically zero.
After the conclusion of the contract, Richard sailed to England. And then he remembered old grievances. The hunt for Richard was started by his sworn enemy - the Austrian Duke Leopold. In addition, due to the fact that Richard maintained close relations with the Welfs and Normans, longtime enemies of the Hohenstaufens, the German Emperor Henry VI also became Richard's opponent.
Off the coast of Italy, Richard's ship ran aground and he was forced to go ashore. Duke Leopold soon found out about this, and on December 21, 1192, Richard was arrested.
The German emperor Henry VI learned about the capture of Richard, and the Duke Leopold handed the captive to him. Richard was forced to take the oath of allegiance to Henry VI and only after that was released. In March 1194, he finally reached England. London greeted the king with celebrations. However, not having stayed in England even until the summer, Richard, who initially preferred to engage in war rather than government, left for Normandy.
During the years of Richard's wanderings, King Philip II of France managed to significantly squeeze the British on the continent. Richard was impatient to confuse the French cards. During the Norman expedition, Richard managed to win several major victories and take a number of fortresses. Philip had to sign a peace treaty, under which the French were deprived of eastern Normandy. However, behind them there were still several strategically important fortresses on the Seine. On March 26, 1199, during the siege of the castle of Chalus-Chabrol, Richard was seriously wounded by a crossbow arrow. And although the arrow did not touch any important organ, the injury and further operation led to blood poisoning, which became the cause of his death. King Richard I of England the Lionheart died 813 years ago - on April 6, 1199.
