Richard I of England

Richard I
Effigy (c. 1199) at Fontevraud Abbey, Anjou
King of England
Reign3 September 1189 – 6 April 1199
Coronation3 September 1189
PredecessorHenry II
SuccessorJohn
Regent
Born8 September 1157
Beaumont Palace, Oxford, England
Died6 April 1199 (aged 41)
Châlus, Aquitaine
Burial
Fontevraud Abbey, Anjou, France
Spouse
(m. 1191)
IssuePhilip of Cognac (ill.)
HousePlantagenetAngevin[a]
FatherHenry II of England
MotherEleanor of Aquitaine
Military career
Battles/wars

Richard I (8 September 1157 – 6 April 1199), known as Richard Cœur de Lion (Norman French: Quor de Lion)[1][2] or Richard the Lionheart because of his reputation as a great military leader and warrior,[3][4][5] was King of England from 1189 until his death in 1199. 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. He was the third of five sons of Henry II of England and Eleanor of Aquitaine and was therefore not expected to become king, but his two elder brothers predeceased their father.

By the age of 16, Richard had taken command of his own army, putting down rebellions in Poitou against his father.[3] Richard was an important Christian commander during the Third Crusade, leading the campaign after the departure of Philip II of France and achieving several victories against his Muslim counterpart, Saladin, although he finalised a peace treaty and ended the campaign without retaking Jerusalem.[6]

Richard probably spoke both French and Occitan.[7] He 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 reign was spent on Crusade, in captivity, or actively defending his lands in France. Rather than regarding his kingdom as a responsibility requiring his presence as ruler, he has been perceived as preferring to use it merely as a source of revenue to support his armies.[8] Nevertheless, he was seen as a pious hero by his subjects.[9] He remains one of the few kings of England remembered more commonly by his epithet than his regnal number, and is an enduring iconic figure both in England and in France.[10]


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  1. ^ Saunders, Connie J. (2004). Writing War: Medieval Literary Responses to Warfare. D.S. Brewer. p. 38. ISBN 978-0-8599-1843-5.
  2. ^ Trudgill, Peter (2021) European Language Matters: English in Its European Context, Cambridge University Press, ISBN 9781108832960 p. 61.
  3. ^ a b Turner & Heiser 2000, p. 71.
  4. ^ The troubadour Bertran de Born also called him Richard Oc-e-Non (Occitan for Yes and No), possibly from a reputation for terseness.
  5. ^ Gillingham, John (1978). Richard the Lionheart. Weidenfeld and Nicolson. p. 243. ISBN 978-0-8129-0802-2.
  6. ^ Addison 1842, pp. 141–149.
  7. ^ Flori 1999f, p. 20.
  8. ^ Harvey 1948, pp. 62–64.
  9. ^ Turner & Heiser 2000[page needed]
  10. ^ Harvey 1948, p. 58.

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