Who was Richard the Lionheart, the brave and ferocious king?

Highlights in the life of Richard the Lionheart

A brave and ferocious king

8 September 1157: Richard the Lionheart is born at Beaumont Palace, Oxford.
1189: Richard the Lionheart is crowned King of England following the death of his father, Henry II.
1192: Richard the Lionheart is captured by Leopold, Duke of Austria.
6 April 1199: Richard the Lionheart dies of a crossbow wound sustained during the siege of Châlus.

10 years of reign, including a year and a half in captivity, were enough for Richard the Lionheart to become a legend. Whether in Ivanhoe, Robin Hood or numerous films and novels, he still enjoys the privilege of being portrayed as the ideal king. Here’s a look back at the story that has fed the myth.

The King’s childhood

The third son of Eleanor of Aquitaine and Henry II Plantagenet, Richard the Lionheart was born in Oxford, England in 1157. He moved to France at an early age, notably to the lands of Aquitaine, where he was raised by the duchess of the time.

Having a good relationship with his mother, Eleanor of Aquitaine, Richard was appointed Count of Poitiers at the age of 11 and then Duke of Aquitaine when his parents separated.

Vue rapproché du gisant Richard Coeur de Lion

Clochet de l'église Abbatiale Fontevraud

The Knight King

Supported by their mother Eleanor of Aquitaine, the sons of Henry II Plantagenet rose up against their father in 1173. The revolt failed and the sons begged forgiveness from the King of England. After this failure, Richard was given the task of subduing the rebellious lords of Aquitaine.

In 1189, King Henry II died in Chinon. Richard was crowned King of England. In 1190, he set off on a crusade with the King of France, Philip Augustus, to retake Jerusalem from Saladin, Sultan of Egypt. Philippe-Auguste and Richard both took the city of Saint-Jean d’Acre, but the relationship between the two sovereigns deteriorated. King Philip-Augustus abandoned the crusade and returned to France.

In 1191, under pressure from his mother Eleanor of Aquitaine, Richard the Lionheart married Berengaria of Navarre, daughter of Sancho VI of Navarre, in Limassol, Cyprus.

The King of England continued to fight, winning the battle of Arsour but unable to retake Jerusalem. Nevertheless, his valour in battle was praised by the chroniclers: Richard was considered to be the bearer of chivalric virtues. On 2 September 1192, Saladin and his enemy signed the Treaty of Jaffa, agreeing to the freedom of Christian pilgrimages to Jerusalem.

Intérieur de l'église abbatiale Fontevraud

The absent king

In 1192, on his way back from the Holy Land, Richard was forced to pass through the Holy Roman Empire, of which he was an enemy. He decided to disguise himself but was spotted and captured in Vienna by Leopold, Duke of Austria, whom he had humiliated in Acre.

Richard was then handed over to Emperor Henry VI and held captive. In exchange for his freedom, the Emperor demanded a ransom of 150,000 silver marcs, a sum that represented the revenue of the kingdom of England for around two years. Eleanor of Aquitaine, Richard’s mother, finally managed to raise the desired sum. Her son was released in 1194.

Richard then travelled to Normandy and Aquitaine to put an end to Philip-Augustus’ designs on his continental possessions. Then, in 1199, the sovereign of England went to Châlus and died during the siege of the castle, without ever having seen England again.

His recumbent remains can now be seen at Fontevraud Royal Abbey, alongside those of Eleanor of Aquitaine, Henry II Plantagenet and Isabella of Angouleme.

The poet king, protector of the troubadours

Duke of Aquitaine and Duke of Normandy before becoming sovereign of England, Richard the Lionheart was a protector and patron of the troubadours, like his mother, Eleanor of Aquitaine.

Having acquired a taste for poetry and writing at an early age, Richard composed ballads. During his imprisonment by the Emperor, he also wrote a number of courtly works. His compositions were recognised by poets and troubadours, who praised his talent. They sang of the exploits of the sovereign Lionheart and mourned his death.

‘I mourn him who was my master in all things
No joy can dispel my grief,
Englishmen, Normans, Bretons, Gascons will shed bitter tears.
You were the king of courtesans, the emperor of valiant men.
We are all plunged into despair
for the barons, the troubadours, the jugglers, have lost everything.’

Bertran de Born, troubadour knight and loyal companion of Richard the Lionheart

Why was Richard called ‘Lionheart’?

It was during the revolt of the sons of Eleanor of Aquitaine against their father Henry II Plantagenet that Richard became ‘Lionheart’, in tribute to his courage and ferocity in battle. This nickname emphasises a physical characteristic but also the moral values, temperament and appearance of Richard’s reign.

Cultivating chivalric values such as courage, valour and prowess in battle, Richard was nonetheless nicknamed by the troubadour knight Bertran de Born ‘Oc e no’, meaning ‘Yes and no’ in Occitan.

This nickname refers to the versatile and changeable character of the sovereign, who sometimes broke his word.

It was also a mnemonic used by chroniclers to distinguish sovereigns by nickname.

Richard Coeur de Lion gisant abbaye Fontevraud

John Lackland, a king scorned

In 1167, at the age of 45, Eleanor of Aquitaine gave birth to her last child. Born late, John was not destined to ascend the throne and did not inherit any territory, all of which had already been distributed to his elder brothers. He was nicknamed ‘Landless’.

The death of his brothers changed the situation, and John Landless finally became king in 1199, on the death of Richard the Lionheart.

Once crowned king, John travelled to France and implemented a defensive strategy along the Normandy borders in order to reach a truce with France and stabilise his continental possessions. But with the loss of Normandy in 1204, the sovereign earned the nickname ‘John the Soft Sword’.