My report is on Richard I, byname Richard the Lion-Hearted. He was born September 8, 1157 inOxford, England. He died on April 6, 1199 in Chalus, England. His knightly manner and his prowess in theThird Crusade(1189-92) made him a popular king in his own time, as well as the hero of countless romanticlegends. He has been viewed less kindly by more recent historians and scholars.Richard was the third son of Henry II and Eleanor of Aquitaine, and he was given the duchy ofAquitaine, his mothers inheritance, at the age of 11 and was enthroned as duke at Poitiers in 1172. Richardpossessed precocious political and military ability, he won fame for his knightly prowess, and quickly learnedhow to control the turbulent aristocracy of Poitou and Gascony. Like all Henry IIs legitimate sons, Richardhad no filial piety, foresight, or sense of responsibility. He joined his brothers in the greatrebellion(1173-74)against his father, who invaded Aquistaine twice before Richard submitted and receivedpardon. Thereafter, Richard was occupied with suppressing baronial revolts in his own duchy. His harshnessinfuriated the Gascons, who revolted in 1183 and called in the help of the Young King Henry and his brother,Geoffrey of Brittany, in an effort to drive Richard from his duchy altogether. Alarmed at the threateneddisintegration of his empire, Henry II brought the feudal host of his continental lands to Richards aid, but theyounger Henry died suddenly(June 11, 1183)and the uprising collapsed. Richard was now heir to England, and toNormandy and Anjou, and his father wished him to yield Aquitaine to his youngest brother, John. But Richard,a true southerner, would not surrender the duchy in which he had grown up.Richard received Normandy on July 20, and the English throne on September 30. Richard, unlikePhilip, had only one ambition, to lead the crusade prompted by Saladins capture of Jerusalem in 1187. He hadno conception of planning for the fut...
