Overview of England's Richard I

A "Lionhearted" Crusader and an Absent King of England

May 14, 2008

Though he spent more time fighting in the Holy Land than in his kingdom, Richard I nevertheless enjoyed popularity among his people and a largely stable, peaceful reign.

Richard “The Lionheart”

Henry II’s first son, Henry, died in 1189 meaning Richard acceded to the English Crown. “The Lionheart” is chiefly remembered for his exploits battling Saladin and the Turks in a European-wide Crusade to recapture Jerusalem.

Given his secondary title due to the valour and courage he displayed in battle, Richard possessed qualities typical of an Angevin king: immense energy, bravery, intellectual capacity and often streaks of ruthlessness.

Accession and the European-wide Crusade

After being crowned in September 1189, Richard spent just three months in England, raising money to finance a Crusade to retake Jerusalem in the Holy Land at the behest of the Pope. Images of the Holy Sepulchre being defaced by the Turks and promises that one's debts would be resolved if one joined the campaign, prompted a European-wide Crusade, with the three greatest monarchs at its head; Frederick Barbarossa of Germany, Richard I of England and Philip Augustus of France.

To support such a campaign, money was needed and Richard raised this by selling Church and state offices, imposing the “scutage” tax (allowing feudal taxes to be paid by money instead of the customary armed service) and also a “carucage” tax on every hundred acres of land.

Success in the Holy Land

Arriving in Acre, in modern day Israel in June 1191, the city was taken by Richard within five weeks. However, the campaign soon lost steam, and quarrelling amongst the allies prompted Philip to return home (partly as he saw an opportunity to scheme with Richard’s brother, John), and by 1192 with Jerusalem in sight, Richard too had begun to head home, alarmed at news from England regarding the activities of his younger brother. Jerusalem had not been taken, but after intense negotiation with Saladin, pilgrim rights to the city for Christians had been assured.

Capture and Ransom

On his way home, an enemy, the Duke of Austria, captured Richard and held him to ransom. No news had reached England regarding Richard’s whereabouts or safety, and in 1193, John announced Richard was dead and claimed the throne. It is testament to Richard’s popularity with both the barony and lay population that almost no one took any notice of his young brother's declaration. The Church was unmoved, as was the Archbishop of Rouen Walter de Coutances, the man sent by Richard to preside over the kingdom’s affairs during his time in the Holy Land.

The ransom asked was 150,000 marks, twice the annual income of the Crown, and even after the Church had sold off treasure and land and further “scutage” taxes had been enforced, the combined totals of England and Normandy still fell short of the mark.

A Brief Return to England

However, Richard was released in February 1194 and returned to England for a few months to raise money and fighting men for campaigns in France. He left never to return to his kingdom; during a siege at Chalus he was fatally shot by a crossbowman. On his deathbed, he famously pardoned the soldier responsible (who was later executed anyway) and died on 6th April 1199, aged 41.

Able Governance during Richard’s Absence

Though Richard was an absent King for the majority of his reign, the administrative mechanisms founded by his father Henry II survived and grew under the guidance of able statesmen back in England. Hubert Walter, promoted to the Archbishop of Canterbury was responsible for the origins of the Justices of the Peace, and commissioned many enquires into the laws, customs and privileges held by the Crown and nobility across the country, while Walter de Coutances (who became the head of the Exchequer) began to standardise trading weights and measures, and attempted to revise the taxation system.