Richard was born in 1157, the second son of Henry II and Eleanor of Aquitaine (his elder brother Henry died in 1183). Always energetic, he joined his mother in rebelling against Henry in 1173-74. As duke of Aquitaine, Richard established his authority in Aquitaine and then, in an alliance with Philip Augustus, he successfully claimed all of Henry’s French territory. When Henry died in 1189, Richard became king of England, but he spent little time there. In 1190 Richard and Philip Augustus left on the Third Crusade. A brilliant commander and warrior, Richard the Lion Hearted defeated the Muslims, but he was frustrated in his attempt to recapture Jerusalem. In 1192 Richard made a treaty with Saladin that gave Christians access to Jerusalem and the holy sites. On his way home, Richard was captured and held for ransom by Leopold IV of Austria. Meanwhile Philip conspired with Richard’s brother John to acquire Angevin lands. Richard was ransomed in 1193-94 and spent the rest of his life fighting Philip. Richard was a true son of Aquitaine, a troubadour in his own right. Two of his lyrics survive. He was wounded fighting while fighting wars in France at Chalus and died at Chinon. He was buried with his parents, Eleanor of Aquitaine and Henry II, at the abbey of Fontevrault.
With the pressure of constant warfare and under the influence of sophisticated Byzantine and Muslim design, European builders erected huge and effective castles and fortified cities and manor houses. Richard’s castle Chateau Gaillard, a brilliant piece of military engineering built in 1196-98, was a key to Richard’s confrontation with Philip. The castle was the last important design to use a true great tower. After Richard’s death, Philip Augustus took the castle in 1204, but the English king, Henry V, regained the castle after a six-month siege in 1418.
World History
