Richard I (1157-1199) was king of England from 1189 to 1199. He is known in history as Richard the Lion-Hearted, or Richard Coeur de Lion. He was a son of Henry II, the first king of the Plantagenet dynasty, and Eleanor of Aquitaine. After Richard became king, he joined Philip II of France in a crusade to the Holy Land, which was then under the control of the Muslims. Richard captured Acre (now called Akko) but soon realized that Jerusalem could not be recovered.
During the crusade, Richard aroused the hatred of Leopold V, Duke of Austria. In 1192, while Richard was on his journey home, Leopold seized him. Leopold kept Richard in a castle as a prisoner of the Holy Roman Emperor, Henry VI. Richard was later taken to Henry, who released him in 1194 after a ransom was paid.
As a Plantagenet, Richard had inherited not only England but also most of northern and western France. While Richard was in prison, Philip II seized some of the Plantagenet lands in France. Richard spent the rest of his reign fighting to get the lands back. He left efficient ministers in charge of England while he concentrated on the war with Philip. In 1199, Richard was killed during the siege of a castle, and his brother John became king.
Richard was born in Oxford, England, but spent nearly all of his life in France. In 1183, Richard’s older brother died. However, their father, Henry II, refused to recognize Richard as heir to the throne of England. Richard rebelled against his father several times. Richard finally defeated Henry II in 1189.
See also Plantagenet.
