Richard The Lionheart | Reign 1189-1199

King Richard the Lionheart was the King of England from 1189 till his death in 1199 He succeeded the throne after the death of his father, Henry II.

Before that, he had ruled as the Duke of Normandy, Duke of Aquitaine, Count of Anjou, and had other titles. During the Third Crusade, he also served as the central Christian commander.

Origins of the Name Lionheart

Contrary to popular perception, the title of “lionheart” was given to Richard I much before his accomplishments during the Third Crusade. He was given the title during the successful siege and capture of Castillon-sur-Agen which was the castle of nobles who had rebelled against Henry II.

Subsequently, he received various other victories which made the title a permanent part of his name.

Bronze statue made in honour of the great medieval king Richard the Lionheart also known as King Richard I

Richard the Lionheart biography

Richard the Lionheart was born on 8 September 1157 and assumed the command of his army at the young age of 16. He excelled in various military commands under his father, Henry II, and later on against him.

Christian and Muslim Battle Third Crusades

Christian armies attack Saladin’s armies in the third crusades

He also led the Third Crusade as the commander and earned fame with his feats against his Muslim counterpart, Saladin. Richard the Lionheart died on 6 April 1199 at the age of 41.

Muslim Leader Saladin

Richard the Lionheart Crusades

Upon hearing the news of the fall of Jerusalem to Saladin in 1188, Richard the Lionheart decided to leave on a campaign to the HolyLands along with Philip II. They both arrived in Sicily in September 1190 and then went on to conquer Cyprus in April 1191.

He arrived in the Holy Land on 8 June 1191 and led some successful expeditions, although he failed to recapture Jerusalem from Saladin.

King Richard the Lionheart was the legendary King of England from 1189
Henry II was the father of Richard the Lionheart from whom he inherited the kingdom
King Richard’s nickname “the Lionheart” was given to him during the siege of “Castilian Sur Agen”
King Richard the Lionheart commanded his first army at only 16 years of age
King Richard excelled within the military and studied warfare from his father King Henry II

Richard The Lionheart Coat of Arms

Richard the Lionheart & Saladin

Richard the Lionheart engaged Saladin in various battles during the Third Crusade and they both came to respect each other as great military leaders. However, they never met each other in person.

Medieval King Richard the Lionheart with his brother John

Upon learning that Richard’s horse had been killed on the battlefield, Saladin sent him a new horse as a gift. On one occasion, he also sent fresh water and fruit to Richard when the latter was suffering from fever.

Richard the lionheart facts

One of the most interesting facts about the life of Richard the Lionheart is that while he ruled over England for over a decade, he actually lived less than a year in England and spent most of his time in France and on military expeditions.

Richard the Lionheart also had a fear that his sons might turn against him and so didn’t allow them to have swords.

Richard the lionheart Death

The death of Richard the Lionheart occurred under very peculiar circumstances. It was caused by an infection that resulted from an arrow wound.

Richard the LionHeart - Famous Medieval Knight

Richard the Lion-Heart was one of the most famous medieval Knights of medieval times

He sustained this injury during the siege on an unimportant French castle when he was walking around without wearing any protective chain mail and died 10 days later. Thus came the unremarkable end of his extraordinary life.

Richard the Lionheart Summary

Richard I, also known as Richard the Lionheart, was the King of England during the 12th century. He became the king after the death of his father, Henry II, and took part in various expeditions, the most important of them being the Third Crusade. He died from an arrow wound during the siege on a French castle.

Richard the Lionheart Fast Facts

Richard the Lionheart was also known as King Richard I
Richard the Lionheart became even more famous and revered during the Crusades to the Holy Lands
Although Saladin and Richard the Lionheart were enemies they had great respect for each other
Saladin sent a new horse to King Richard on hearing that his favourite horse had been killed
Richard the Lionheart was a great warrior and spent most of his time in battle overseas

We hope you enjoyed the information and facts on Richard the Lionheart who was also known as King Richard and Richard I.

Richard the Lionheart left his mark on medieval history, if you’d like to learn more about medieval Kings such as Richard the Lionheart please follow the links at the bottom of this page or click on images of Kings contained within this medieval history website.