Richard has twice vanquished  Saladin,  his foe!

The Sultan’s reputation as military leader is at an all time low!

Richard prepares his army for the march to Jerusalem, all systems go!

Flushed with the warm glow of victory, Richard’s keen military antennae now concentrated its focus on Ascalon, which also served as a port for Jerusalem.  On October 1191 Richard set out for Jerusalem.  Down but certainly not out,  Saladin, a man of clear vision sensed as much and now sought to check the Lionheart’s plans of procedure.  The Sultan resolved to extract some particles of satisfaction from the jaws of defeat by destroying the walls of the city of Ascalon, the next item on Richards’s list as he advanced towards the prize of Jerusalem itself.  However, victory does not always bear a fruit that is sweet and a pleasure to eat.  It was this unpalatable fact that confronted Richard in October 1191.

With the advent of winter came the rains, and this served to hamper the crusaders progress. The unrelenting downpours made a swamp of the roads and rendered their food supplies an inedible, soaking, sopping  mush.  Foraging opportunities were minimal because Saladin had destroyed livestock and any other sources of sustenance that the crusaders might have availed themselves of.  Worst of all, the Saracens had fouled the wells which now yielded only a vile smelling, noxious, poisonous fluid.  All the while the crusaders had also to endure the stinging, sweeping attacks of the grinning Saracen mounted bowmen as they toiled footsore,  half-starved and delirious with thirst through the wind, rain and muck.

Every Islamic warrior carries his bow and off the arrows do go!

Our message to the crusaders, you will reap what you chose to sow!

The entire march was conducted amidst a storm of arrows and the resultant torrent of blood from pierced Christian flesh which turned the sand beneath their feet a grisly, slippery rouge.

‘Oh, the arrows are dispatched with the customary ping!

They hit their targets causing a most dreadful sting!

In this way we, the army of Islam will halt the ambitions of the Crusader King!’

This lethal onslaught from laughing, mounted Saracen bowmen accompanied by a relentless shower of torrential rain was a challenge which would sorely test the fortitude of the most dedicated of crusaders.  The dismal visuals,  punctuated by the cries of agony and howls of anguish from the assailed crusaders could not have had a more detrimental effect on the general morale of the army as a whole . How they must have longed for home and the smiles, and indeed even the frowns of familiar faces, the bustle and sound of well-known places.

It took the army almost two months to reach Beit Nuba, some twelve miles from Zion itself where Richard conferred with his commanders. It was at this point that Richard decided to resort to taking the diplomatic avenue.  The Lionheart had been in contact with Saladin through his brother al-Adil.  Richard suggested to the Sultan that his sister Joan and al Adil should marry in order to establish a new dynasty in Palestine.

‘Sally, what about your brother and Joan, my sister!

When al-Adil sees her, he won’t be able to resist her’!

Joan was not at all enthusiastic about the proposed union and the nuptials were never completed.

Seal of Joan of England.

Many of the crusaders now viewed the prospect of attempting to take Zion and securing it for Christendom in perpetuity as a hellish fantasy. As they hunkered down in their winter quarters, the crusaders concluded that even if they were able to successfully besiege the city, they would not be able to hold it permanently. Given the geographical features of the terrain, the Saracens would soon at some point be able to cut their supply lines with the coast. The conquest of Jerusalem, sacred to Christians, Muslims and Jews alike was simply a step too far.

Nevertheless Richard in the summer of 1192 marched once again on Jerusalem with great speed. This time Saladin thought that the city would fall to the Christians.  On his knees, the Sultan prayed more fervently that he had never done before.  However Saladin could not have known that divisions within the crusader camp had widened considerably.  Richard, the astute military strategist, courageous warrior of renown and most faithful of Christian crusaders was now prepared to talk terms.

The Christians march to Jaffa, along the Palestinian coast!

To take the ancient port is their oft-mentioned boast!

Saladin’s Saracens will harry them from the eastern side!

Thus ensuring that the invading infidels have a most uncomfortable ride!

The crusaders, having being victorious at Acre in the first battle of the Third Crusade, now turned their gaze south towards Jerusalem.  Each and every man was engulfed with an overwhelming  sense of burning desire to defeat the Saracens and retake the city of Jerusalem for Christendom.

Their hearts, enthused with the passion inherent in their souls, ensured that their eyes remained constantly and resolutely on the prize!

Contemplate the figure below, a soldier armed with sword and shield!

Ready to stand and face the eastern enemy in the field!

To Christians, the epitome of the brave, honourable, unknown crusader!

But to the Muslims, a blasphemous,  crazed, insidious and rapacious invader!

I, with my fellows here and now do solemnly swear!

That we will enter the portals of that holy city so fair!

This much I, as a soldier of Christ am obliged to declare!

However, the sacred mission had to be proceeded through a process of stages.  No one understood this more clearly than the Lionheart himself and he acted accordingly.  On the 25th of August Richard led his army, some 15,000 strong, out of Acre for the 80 mile trek south to Jaffa, the port used by the city of Jerusalem.

The Lionheart leads the way.

The Lionheart saw that synchronization

was the key to successful organisation!

Each and every decision

would be characterised by strict military precision!

 Here Richard showed himself to be the great commander that he undoubtedly was.  Sticking close to the shore line, the army was protected by ranks of well armed infantry, ready to repel any attack from the land on their left. These included archers and crossbow men who, equipped with ample supplies of arrows would provide a sturdy defence of the crusader army. The fact that the crusaders were drawn from all of the corners of Christendom and spoke a variety of languages, meant that a linguistic misunderstanding in the heat of battle could prove fatal. This was an eventuality for which Richard had prepared. The king  took the precaution of organising the troops into  sections where they all spoke a common tongue.  This was a most prudent initiative, given that military success or disaster can depend on a swift mode of communication.

The Saracens deployed immensely effective hit and run techniques.  They would pelt the ranks of the crusaders with a veritable hailstorm of arrows which resulted in terrible casualties.  The knights were under strict orders from the Lionheart to keep formation and resist the temptation to break out and pursue their Islamic  tormentors.  Richard impressed upon his men the fact that a force which loses its formation will become confused and therefore rather more susceptible to attack.

Meanwhile the Christian supply ships sallied south in sight of their comrades on land.  The captains timed the speed of their vessels to the progress of the crusaders as they marched south. At midday the weary troops would halt and set up camp, as the intensity of the afternoon heat could cause heatstroke.  The crusader fleet would drop anchor,  supplies would be brought hither to land, and the wounded ferried aboard the waiting vessels.

The remaining hours of daylight would be spent securing a strongly defensive perimeter in the event of a Saracen attack.  As the darkness descended, the weary crusaders would take their rest underneath the galaxy of stars in preparation for the  rigours of the morrow.

‘Anyone got a clue about what is on the menu?

Barbaqued horse of course!

Mmm, tasty…… any chance of a little sauce?

None for the likes of me and you, but plenty for the select few’!

The Saracens often found that it was more effective to direct their aim at the horses rather than their mounted knights. This provided many a knight with an unexpected source of income as their steeds were their own personal property. The knight could now sell the horse’s carcase to the hungry crusades who were in need of  sustenance. The men had no choice but to pay the knight the high price demanded.

Richard, recognising the hungry soldiers dire need.

Moved by the amount these poor men paid for a morsel on which to feed!

Decided to pay for the carcase of each and every steed!

It was this development which illustrated the genuine generosity inherent in Richard’s character. Richard decided that he would give a horse from his own stable to any knight who donated the carcase of his steed to the soldiers free of charge.

Gosh! We’re getting free nosh!

Yeah, and without having to part with our hard earned dosh!

By early September the crusaders were a mere 25 miles from Jerusalem, something that troubled Saladin greatly and prompted him to act.

Saladin had discovered that dealing with the Lionheart was not a piece of  cake!

Richard’s success meant that the Sultan’s reputation for invincibility was now at stake!

To Saladin, this looked like a time for either make or break!

The battle of Arsuf.

Saladin decided to attack Richard at Arsuf, a mere 10 miles from Jerusalem.  The Sultan had some 30,000 troops under his command including the much-feared bowmen.  Richard was resolute in his determination to keep his army proceeding in formation.  Saladin was equally resolved to break the crusader pattern of defence.  Under the relentless barrage of arrows from Islamic lines, a large number of knights, tormented beyond measure broke formation and attacked the Saracen troops just as Saladin had hoped.

Seeing this, Richard was incandescent with rage but also overwhelmed with worry. What to do?

Saracens and crusaders engage in battle.

There was no alternative but to attack.  Richard divided his forces into two and took the offensive. The Saracens buckled under the sheer ferocity of the onslaught and began to flee from the field.  Saladin’s strategy had failed due to the superior generalship of the Lionheart.  In the wake of this defeat, Saladin withdrew from Jaffa, although he did raze the city’s walls before doing so.  This presenting a great problem, Richard resolved to raise the walls as swiftly as possible.  Richard had won a major victory and he was now the  undisputed ‘Gaffer’ of Jaffa.

‘To Palestine we will sail!

This is a mission which with God’s help we cannot fail!

I have an almighty , dedicated, Christian military host!

With these true men  I will disembark on the Palestinian coast!’

So far so good!  Richard’s conquest of Cyprus would provide him with a vital base close to Palestine for supplies of both men and materials en-route from Europe.  Indeed, Richard’s initial foray as a crusader would prove to be very successful.  Richard’s first blood against the Saracens was an important one and it happened at sea by sheer chance.  The crusaders sank a large Saracen supply ship that they encountered on the ocean whilst sailing to Palestine.

‘The crusader ship whilst on its holy trip, did cause a vital Saracen ship to take an almighty dip!

Richard’s men sent the vessel to the ocean floor, thereby inflicting on Saladin a  wound which he felt sour and sore!’

Therefore Richard’s reputation preceded him and would be consolidated when he stepped on to dry land near Acre on June 8th 1191.  Acre was a Muslim stronghold located in what is now northern Israel.

The crusaders projected plan for a path of progress.

Acre had been a vital port for centuries and was already under siege by the Frankish crusaders. The Frankish besiegers were overjoyed at Richard’s arrival as their hope of capturing Acre had proved to be an agonisingly elusive one.  The forces defending Acre were the cream of Saladin’s army and indeed had been personally selected by him for the task.  Richard pitched his camp north of Acre, as Philip Augustus had already established himself to the east of the city.

The siege of Acre.

Saladin had come across a good many crusaders, but this most astute of Islam’s warriors would soon recognise and eventually acknowledge that Richard was somewhat different from the rest of the Christian military ensemble.

Salah al-Din Yusuf (Righteousness of the Faith).

At first the prospects of a crusader victory appeared somewhat slim.  The garrison defending Acre were a crack outfit endowed with impeccable military and religious credentials; the latter being every bit as important as the former as far as Saladin was concerned. The plight of the besieging Franks was an unfortunate one.  The harsh winter of 1190/91  and an outbreak of disease had reduced the size of their  army quite considerably. Those still standing were being sustained by a diet of putrid horse flesh and sewage infused drinking water, a form of sustenance hardly calculated to enhance military performance.  There was also the uncomfortable fact that Saladin had positioned his formidable forces a mere six miles away ready to attack the Christians whenever the opportunity arose.  As a result, the crusader besiegers of Acre were themselves besieged by Saladin who kept his army at a convenient distance.  To make matters worse, illness dogged both Richard and Philip Augustus early on on, but this did not stop the Lionheart from assuming overall military command.  It is not unreasonable to imagine Richard being ferried around the city’s perimeter on a stretcher in order to plan the next move in the long siege.

‘Despite a really debilitating illness, Dick proved himself to be a hardy old stick!’

Throughout June and into July the crusaders attacked the city with catapults, siege machines and sappers working away at the foundations of the wall.  The forces under Philip Augustus concentrated their catapult on the city’s famous Cursed Tower.  As massive stones shipped by Richard from Sicily, courtesy of… well, “thank you, Tancrad” were catapulted into the city, infantry attempted to reach the battlements with scaling ladders.

Acre’s defences as they are today.

The siege engines made breaches in the walls, but when this occurred the defenders used smoke signals to alert Saladin’s forces who would then attack the crusaders from the rear and flanks. This allowed the garrison time to repair the damage while the Christians were preoccupied with fending off the attack from Saladin.

Nevertheless, the garrison were feeling the strain and on July 7th they requested immediate help from Saladin, warning him that they would surrender if it was not forthcoming.  Unfortunately, no such undertaking was given by the Sultan and the garrison commanders reluctantly asked  the crusaders for terms of surrender on July12th 1191.  The garrison were assured that their lives and that of their families would be spared.  Of course nothing in life is free and many of them were to be ransomed and others were to be exchanged for Christians held captive by Saladin.  In addition, Saladin promised to hand over the ‘True Cross’ upon which Christ had been crucified as part of the settlement.

The siege was now over, but the appalling bloodshed was not.  The surrender was finalised with an unusually high degree of unpleasantness wrought by both protagonists.  Whether this was the fault of Richard, or of Saladin, or indeed was the responsibility of each, has been debated down the centuries.

The city of Acre now taken, Richard was eager to march south to Jaffa and wished to conclude the surrender settlement as swiftly as possible.  However, Sultan Saladin did not as promised hand over the ‘True Cross’ and it appears that he was in no rush to exchange prisoners, or pay the ransoms.  Richard believed that this tardiness was a deliberate ploy to delay the crusaders journey south, and took the view that time was more important than money or lives.  The Lionheart decided to take extreme action.

‘These two warrior princes so clever, mighty and grand!

Their lasting legacy at Acre was to leave a surfeit of blood in the sand!’

On August 20th, Richard had around 2,700 prisoners marched into sight of Saladin’s forces and  slaughtered.  The victims included women and children, who with their menfolk were roped together and killed with a good deal of cruelty.  The savagery wrought was not only physical but had a psychological aspect as well. The victims were forced to watch as their loved ones were put to the sword before they too suffered the same fate. As many of the victims would have swallowed their gold and silver, the soldiers cut their stomachs open before tossing their bodies on to bonfires specifically constructed for their disposal.  Observing the butchery from his vantage point some distance away, the Sultan resolved to return the compliment in kind. The Christian prisoners that he held were similarly dispatched shortly afterwards.

An image of the execution of the prisoners from 1491, some three hundred years later. The Lionheart watches from left.

This particular episode concluded, Richard departed for Jaffa on August 25th.

Richard having little faith in Tancred’s ability to behave himself had taken the precaution of taking Joan with him.  As the ship left Messina, Richard, standing on deck, surveyed the calm Mediterranean waters and reflected on his first mission on foreign soil.

The king felt a sense of ‘mission accomplished’ but there were some lingering feelings of possible regret.  With his faithful retainer Ranulf at his side, Richard, squinting into the horizon tugged at his beard and said:

‘You know Ranulf, I really had to stop and put that bounder, Tancrad in his place. I really had!’

‘Verily sire, these Sicilian characters are a very slippery commodity. His conduct towards the Princess Joan was an act of  intolerable indecency. ‘Tis good that he was hurt where it hurts most, the purse.’ The funds extracted from his foul paws will be put to good use and all in the name of God’!

‘Yes, Ranulf, you speak with wisdom. However I am still a little troubled at my behaviour towards the Princess Alice. I was brought up to be a chivalrous knight, but I was a little less than gallant towards Philip Augustus’ sister. But when I looked upon her countenance ….I ..I saw…….’

‘The face of a dog, sire.

‘I fear that you are right, Ranulf.  I know that a prince cannot marry for love and goodness knows, mistresses there are aplenty, and of them good use can and does be made. However it must always  be remembered that a king  does have a duty to produce an heir, and…..but my God, there are limits! It would have required an effort of truly herculean dimensions!’

‘No night would have been dark enough, sire, nor the interior decor of any boudoir  black enough to facilitate the satisfactory conclusion of the required deed. As you so rightly say, sire, duty does have limits but these do not stretch to infinity.’ 

‘Never a truer word spoken, Ranulf!’ King Philip Augustus was somewhat indignant at the hurt caused to his sister, the lady Alice but thankfully he was mollified by the 10, 000 marks that I gave him in compensation.’

‘ T’was money well spent, sire. Gold and silver never served a better purpose. In any case it was coins squeezed out of that wretched Sicilian cur, Tancred, which remedied the unfortunate situation!’

‘By God’s teeth, Ranulf, your words ring with the truth of the almighty. Tis done, we to the Holy Land, and God speed!’

One potential bride down, but another appears Richard’s mother, the redoubtable Eleanor had been indulging in the age old practice of match making.

Eleanor of Acquitaine.

Eleanor (Bonny Mama) had joined her favourite son in Sicily, but she did not arrive unaccompanied.  Bonny Mama had with her a nuptial package for Richard, Berengaria of Navarre.  The Princess had a comely appearance, and the Lionheart purred with satisfaction.

‘It’s going to be a great spring !

Bonny Mama has done an incredible thing!

She has introduced me to a really great girl

With whom I will dance the holy nuptial twirl!’

We will wed in Cyprus with a feast, where we will all wine and dine!

Followed by an action packed honeymoon in ancient, sunny Palestine!

This sounds good and everything will be fine!’

Berengaria of Navarre.

There was however a hitch which proved to be a blessing in disguise. The area was hit by a storm which shipwrecked a number of the fleet on to the shores of Cyprus. The ruler, Isaac Comnenus imprisoned the survivors, and worse still would not grant free passage to the ship carrying the King’s fiancee, Berengaria, and sister Joan into the harbour in Cyprus. They were left in the waters outside of the island bereft of essential supplies. Was this any way to treat women of royal blood? This was an impertinence unheard of!  What was it with these Mediterranean princes? Tancred had been bad enough but this fellow, Isaac, was if anything worse.  Richard resolved to terminate Isaac’s command.

The crusader army very quickly conquered the island and Isaac was soon captured. This had two important consequences. Firstly, it meant that Richard had the pick of any of the plum venues that the island had to offer in which to hold his marriage to Berengaria. This, as befits its importance promised to be a most sumptuous affair and it most certainly was. Secondly, the island’s position in the eastern Mediterranean made it of great strategic significance as a launching pad for conducting military operations in the middle east. Indeed successive English/British governments would hold the island for centuries for this very reason.

The pleasantries of the nuptials most pleasantly concluded and the island safely secured for his own strategic interests, Richard set sail for the Holy Land.

‘I gotta say! Thanks dad!

I was not always a good lad!

There were times when I acted awful bad and made you feel sad!

But!  Right now you! Yes you,  have made me feel, well  so, so real  glad!

With the Saladin Tithe, you left with me one mighty purse!

With that I will go to the Holy Land and remove this dreadful curse!’

 Henry II’s  ‘Saladin Tithe’ had brought in much needed revenue for Richard’s proposed middle eastern military project.  However, as countless leaders of every nationality have discovered, foreign affairs have an irritating  habit of throwing up expenses of a totally unexpected and extremely costly nature.  As the talented military commander that he was, Richard was only too aware of this, so he decided that there was to be no taking of chances.  On this one he had to be sure.  So, what to do?  The newly crowned king raised funds through a massive sell-off of castles, titles and lands with which to augment the ‘Saladin Tithe.’  In fact, he is reputed to have said:

‘I would sell London if I could find a buyer.’

By the following year, Richard had assembled a large army and a huge fleet with which to convey his forces to Palestine.

Richard and his occasional ally, King Philip Augustus, decided to make the crusade a joint venture.  However, a certain frostiness had latterly crept into their relationship.  The French king had asked for some lands from Richard that he believed were rightfully his.  Richard did not agree and ensured that the defences in the disputed territories were strengthened in order to repel any attack which might come from the French crown.

Philip Augustus being crowned in the presence of Richard’s father, Henry II.

At this time, Richard was betrothed to Philip Augustus’s sister, Alice.  One  might think that this fact would have engendered a little chuminess between the two monarchs. I n the long run it would prove to be the source of further conflict.

In July 1190, Richard’s grand army sailed from England and the governance of the kingdom was assigned to the capable William de Longchamp for the duration of the royal absence.

‘Richard with his great military host would travel east!

There in the Holy Land they would slay the infidel beast!

This noble deed was to be done in God’s name!

Failure to do so would bring unspeakable shame!

Victory there would ensure the Lionheart’s eternal fame!’

 

Richard’s army would travel by sea to the eastern Mediterranean because it would be quicker than by following the overland route.  Nevertheless the voyage would mean a large number of men living at very close quarters enduring the rigours of intense heat, maggot-ridden food, stagnant drinking water and debilitating seasickness.  Under such conditions, tempers will inevitably become frayed.  Richard was determined to keep discipline tight and misdemeanours  to an absolute minimum.

Richard’s fleet on the high seas en route for Palestine.

By all accounts this particular Mediterranean cruise went off without a hitch.  The punishment for slaying a fellow crusader was to be tied to the victim’s body and then cast overboard.

 The first stop of significance would be in Messina in Sicily. It concerned his favourite sister Joan, who was the widow of William II, King of Sicily.

‘Hello, Joan my sis!

You, I really do miss!’

I just can’t wait to give you an affectionate, brotherly kiss!’

Here Richard had business of a most personal nature.  The new king, Tancred  had treated Joan in the most appalling manner, keeping her as a prisoner.  The Lionheart was extremely close to Joan, so recriminations were inevitable.

Tancred, King of Sicily.

‘You have been bad to my lovely sister Joan!

Keeping her locked up, confined, all alone!

For this, I am sure going to make you moan and groan!

It might even mean you losing your lousy Sicilian throne!’

Joan of England

Richard’s presence precipitated Joan’s immediate release from confinement.  Now Richard made Tancred pay a hefty price for his ungallant conduct towards his sister, and this provided further resources with which to fight the Saracens.

‘ Your Sister! Your sister!

She! She’s your skin and blister!’

The Lionheart now behaved in a considerably less than gallant fashion towards the sister of Philip Augustus to whom he had long been betrothed.  He informed Philip that he was breaking off the engagement to Alice, as he had found a rather more suitable bridal proposition.

‘Sorry Phil, but sister Alice can never live as queen in my royal palace!

I do not wish to appear callous,

So please do not react with any act of malice!

You know,  just as we sweeten bitter offerings with a little honey!

So likewise please, in good faith accept this gift of money!’

The French king was outraged at this insult to his sister, but the forces under his command were no match for those at the Lionheart’s disposal.  Richard softened the blow by giving Philip 10,000 marks to compensate for his lack of gallantry.  Philip had no choice but to reluctantly agree. Thereafter, the relationship between the two monarchs would be characterised by an almost tangible coolness.

His business in Sicily completed, Richard departed the island on March 30th 1191.

The first of the Plantagenets, Henry now lies in the tomb!

The throne passes to his son, Richard, fruit of Eleanor’s womb!’

Henry died harbouring an extremely low opinion of Richard. At their last meeting the dying king was said to have cursed his heir for what he regarded as a gross betrayal.  Father and son were never to be reconciled. Nonetheless Richard went to pay his respects to the late monarch who was lying in state at Chinon.  There had been so much anger and anguish between the two, perhaps Richard could make some token of reconciliation with his father by some act of atonement as the old man lay dead. The gesture was to be rebuffed in a most unexpected and really quite disturbing manner!

‘Alas as everyone knows

The true sign would come through Henry’s  nose’

The moment Richard walked into the chamber where the body had been laid out, blood suddenly began to flood from the dead king’s nostrils. This was taken by contemporaries as a final sign of great odium by the dead towards the living as they themselves entered the afterlife.

‘ There are occasions when an expression of hate!

From those whom, so recently, were rendered late!

May verily serve to set an uneven record straight!’

However Richard was concerned only with matters of an earthly nature and to this end he moved swiftly. Protocol and practicality dictated that the ancient city of Rouen would be the first port of call.  Here, Richard would be invested as Duke of Normandy.

The arms of the Duchy of Normandy.

Richard then proceeded to England, the veritable jewel in his newly acquired crown, for his coronation.  The Lionheart was crowned King of England in Westminster Abbey on September 3rd 1189.  It was a momentous occasion and the first coronation in living memory.  The last had been his own father’s coronation in 1154.  Perhaps Richard thought of the coronation of that other great warrior, his great-great grandfather, William the Conqueror, whose grand coronation at the Abbey had been marred by sudden violence.  Unfortunately for Richard, his  great day at Westminster, just as William’s was,  would also be spoilt by some quite unexpected unpleasantness.

                                                       Prince Dickie becomes King Richard.

The figure of Richard, with his great height and his noble, military bearing must have enthralled those fortunate enough to be present.  The solemnities of the ceremony completed the new king, resplendent in his coronation robes, followed by his fawning entourage, moved in joyous procession to the elaborately decorated banqueting hall.  There within the tapestry adorned walls,  the dignitaries sat down to a sumptuous banquet for which no expense had been spared. As they feasted on course after endless course, they were entertained by the very finest of musicians and by singers of whom it is said, their voices constituted a true heavenly choir.

However the dulcet tones and exquisite harmonies from within the banqueting hall were soon drowned out by the sounds of the most appalling violence from outside!

The leaders of the local Jewish community had come to present Richard with gifts on his coronation but were denied entry into the royal presence. The crowds of Londoners gathered at the entrance took this as a cue to attack the unfortunate deputation and a number of the Jews were killed.  Richard was furious that his coronation celebrations had been spoilt in this way and immediately had some of the rioters executed. How dare these Londoners select the day of his coronation as a time to vent their fury on the indigenous Jewish community! Why had they not selected another less distinguished occasion to misbehave? Their timing was appalling and the whole thing really quite distracting to the guests enjoying the wonderful royal festivities.  It appears that Richard might have been more annoyed by the timing of the anti-semitic violence rather than the murders themselves.

‘After King Richard’s ceremony of royal coronation,

In the wake of the nation’s passionate acclamation!

These violent wretches had the poor manners to spoil the grand coronation meal!

For this Richard, made them from a gallows high, dance a final deadly reel!’ 

The incident appears to have ignited a foul storm of anti-semitic fury, which resulted in deadly pogroms that occurred as far north as the city of York.  Below is an image from the age showing the violence visited upon the Jewish people.

A contemporary image of the Jewish people being persecuted in medieval England.

Unlike his regal predecessors, Richard’s immediate ambitions lay far beyond the borders of his own lands or even that of his neighbours.  In 1187 an event occurred which shook the whole of Christendom to its very foundations.

The forces of Islam under the leadership of the Kurdish warrior, Saladin had overrun the Crusader states in Palestine and had captured the holy city of Jerusalem.  It is impossible for us now, to fathom the depths of consternation felt by Christians at what they regarded as a catastrophe of unimaginable dimensions.

The medieval city of Jerusalem

Richard regarded it his moral, religious and even spiritual duty to see that the Holy Land be wrestled from the armies of Islam and delivered back to Christendom.  He announced that he would take up the cross and wasted no time in preparing an army for an invasion of the middle east.  Indeed within a year Richard had departed for Palestine.  His speedy departure was facilitated somewhat less by his own logistical competence, but rather more by the prescience of his late father, Henry II.

When the Muslims had taken Jerusalem, Henry was still king and he too had declared his intention to join a crusade.  With a view to paying for this large undertaking, the old king had levied a tax, the ‘Saladin Tithe’ across his empire.  Henry had not lived to carry out his plan so the money lay unspent.  Above all things, Richard sought glory as a Christian warrior and his unlamented father, through his fiscal prudence had provided him with the means with which to achieve it.

The Third Crusade had begun.

Despite the formidable alliance arrayed against him, King Henry II would prevail.  A lesser man might have sued for peace but not the great-grandson of the Conqueror.  Henry conducted an extremely successful campaign, deploying an effective defensive strategy, decisively beating the Bretons and his nemesis, Louis, the King of France in the French theatre.  He skilfully defeated the opposition in England where the Scot, King William the Lion was attempting to expand his territory.

William I of Scotland

‘In England, the Scottish Lion decided that he would roam!

He wished to make the land of Northumbria part of his regal home!

His intentions were ignoble and foul!

Into battle, he led his men with a fearsome growl!

Captured at Alnwick by an English knight’s equestrian trick!

He was tied by the feet and dragged at the rear of a horse, enduring many a kick!’

The proud King of Scotland’s lofty ambitions would end in ignominious captivity.  The ‘Lion of Scotland’ was quite literally done with roaming; he was packed off over the channel to Henry’s castle at Falaise in Normandy where he was caged for five months.

The castle at Falaise.

Henry had won a momentous victory which established his hegemony across the continent. Although the rebellion was over, the brood were still brooding.

‘The eldest son, his father’s pride and joy!

Found that the life of a powerless king did fearfully cloy!

He demanded of his father what he thought was his by right!

He gathered his forces and proceeded to take up the fight!’

The eldest of the litter, young Henry, would simply not lie still and in 1183 got up on his hind legs to claw at his father once again. The ‘Young King’ rebelled again and during the course of his destructive tantrum, he plundered the rich shrine at Rocamadour.  The reason for this apparent sacrilege was not engendered by a desire to defile, but by the dire necessity to pay his mercenaries.  This being done, he then  then fell gravely ill with dysentery.

The shrine of the Black Virgin at Rocamadour.

Realising that death was near and thus his ambitions at an end, young Henry became racked with contrition and sent word to his father to come for one last visit of reconciliation. The young man requested that he be laid on a bed of ashes with stones laid at his head.

‘Ashes to ashes!

‘Dust to dust’!

This was the mark of the penitent, a stance that his father had himself adopted after the death of Thomas Beckett.  Young Henry felt that, given the considerably less than satisfactory circumstances, this was the only possible manner in which to greet his father.

Alas, the old king suspected a trap and declined his son’s invitation to visit, but nevertheless he sent him a sapphire ring once worn by his grandfather, Henry I as a sign of forgiveness.  Young Henry died on June 11th 1183 and by doing so he united his parents, the ill-matched Henry and Queen Eleanor.  They who had quarrelled fiercely for so very long, heartbroken and languishing a great distance apart, they were nonetheless totally united in an all-consuming grief at the death of their son.

The final days.

Henry’s problems with his sons were far from over. His unloved son, the treacherous Geoffrey was killed on August 19th 1186 in Paris aged twenty-seven.  The unfortunate prince had become unseated during a jousting tournament and was trampled to death underneath the hooves of the horses.

Knights Jousting.

There was speculation that Geoffrey was not in Paris solely for purposes of a sporting nature. It has been suggested that he was visiting the King of France, Philip Augustus with a view to hatching yet another plot against his father.  Geoffrey’s untimely passing appears to have engendered little, if any mourning at the the family home, Chateau  Chinon where life continued curiously uninterrupted.  Geoffrey’s wife would be delivered of a son some six months after the fateful tournament.

Then there were but two!

This of course left two sons, heirs legitimised by virtue of the the sanctity of marriage. These were the thirty-two year old accomplished warrior and proven ruler of Aquitaine, Richard and his younger brother, the callow inexperienced youth, John aged nineteen.

Henry and Eleanor’s children, as they were.

All of the boys died young and the youngest, John would live the longest.

Endgame

Despite his father’s efforts, Richard had not been rehabilitated after the debacle of the ‘Great Rebellion of 1173’ and there had been further trouble following the death of the ‘Young King, ‘ Henry .

Richard in familiar mode.

It was now in 1189 that matters came to a head and the long saga of family feuding would come to a sad end.  With his older brother dead, Richard regarded himself as the sole heir to his father’s vast empire.  King Louis VII had also died and his son Philip Augustus had ascended to the throne of France.  The cast may have altered a little but the drama continued unabated. Richard now began to have reason to suspect that his father intended to disinherit him in favour of brother John. He was encouraged in this line of thinking by the King of France.  Philip wished to manipulate the family feud with a view to eventually incorporating the Angevin Empire into the kingdom of France.

Richard now demanded full acknowledgement of his rights as heir to the Angevin Empire but was rebuffed by Henry.  The son now decided on action and was enthusiastically supported by Philip.

Whilst having been stricken with sickness at his home town of Le Mans, Henry was faced with an attack from Richard aided by Philip.  In an attempt to counter their advance, Henry had the buildings outside of Le Mans set alight.  Unfortunately for Henry, at a most inopportune moment the wind changed, and the flames began to engulf the town itself.  Henry had no choice but to flee and from his vantage point on a nearby hill watched helplessly as his beloved birthplace was devoured by fire.

Already physically unwell, the episode at Le Mans had served to greatly undermine his emotional state and Henry agreed to a parley at Tours.  Here the old king, so sick that he could scarcely stand, met with his son for the last time. It was hardly a joyous reunion and Henry did not conceal his feelings of resentment towards Richard.  Nevertheless, he conceded all of his son’s demands albeit through gritted teeth.

His strength rapidly slipping, his mind shrouded in sorrow and harbouring notions of vengeance, Henry retreated to his sanctuary at Chinon. There in its hallowed halls, Henry lay supine and took stock of this veritable wheel of misfortune which had trapped him in a ghastly circle of unimaginable misery.  Perhaps he comforted himself with the thought that no further ill could possibly befall him. However, in this he was mistaken.

 

Here in his darkest hour he learnt that his youngest and favourite son, John had also deserted him. This would prove to be the cruellest and quite likely the mortal blow. The old king turned his face to the wall and uttered:

‘I care no longer for myself or anything else in this world.’

Henry would die on July 6th 1189 aged 56.  He was buried at the Abbey of Fontevrault close to Chinon where Eleanor and Richard would later join him.

 

‘Bringing it all back home!

‘Tis back to Chinon, we, as a family will always roam,

Therein lies the threat to my hard won throne!

For here in Chinon, from my seat of power, I might well be thrown!’

Thus spake King Henry, with a most heartfelt groan!’ 

 Henry ruled an empire which stretched from the Pyrennes in the south to Cumbria in the north and latterly to Ireland in the west.  An able ruler, Henry governed these lands in an efficient manner and successfully protected his borders from invaders.  However, home is where the heart is, and Henry’s lay at his beloved Chateau, Chinon in France.

Sainte Radegonde chapel, Chinon.

It would be quarrels of a domestic nature that would thwart Henry’s hopes and which would bring him years of exhausting warfare, including the destruction of his beloved birthplace, the city of Le Mans, shameful capitulation and a sad lonely death, deserted and betrayed by both his wife and his dysfunctional brood of heirs.

‘Good at coping with the threats from outside!

Rather less so in dealing with the dangers from the inside!

Their time, his treacherous sons would bide’!

He had been a fine monarch and father and would bequeath his sons a rich inheritance!

The source of this intolerable sorrow was Henry’s decision to divide his sprawling empire amongst his sons.  Like the talented corporate manager that he was, Henry laid his plans for the future in good time and with mathematical precision.

Henry’s sons numbered four.  Henry, the eldest would receive the jewels in the crown, England, Normandy and Anjou.  Richard would receive  his mother’s birthplace of Aquitaine, befitting as he was her favourite son.  Geoffrey would be granted Brittany; and John, the newly acquired lands in eastern lreland.  Very much a mixed bundle of packages, but a collection which reflected medieval custom and protocol.

‘Decision! Precision! Perdition!

The eldest was Henry, perhaps the sibling most dear to his father’s heart, but he would die young as would the third son of the ‘devil’s brood’, Geoffrey.  The second son Richard, his mother Eleanor’s favourite, and formidable soldier who would eventually inherit his father’s empire. The youngest, John ‘Lackland’ so called as he inherited none to speak of from Henry at first.  He too would eventually become ruler of the Angevin empire through the deaths of his brothers. Unfortunately it was ‘easy come, too easy go’ as he would lose his father’s hard held lands!  John went from John Lackland  to John Loads of land and eventually,  John Lose-land! A King’s ransom was lost in the East Anglia sand!

‘Henry had been a good king ,

he expected that of his praises, his sons would sing!

No such thing!

These ungrateful boys were only concerned with the riches

that the end of their father’s reign, to them, would bring!’

Mum’s the word!  M’mm!  Mum ?

That was the problem!

Eleanor of Aquitaine was Henry’s wife and apart from the sons, she also  gave him an awful lot of strife!  The fresco below, which dates from the 12th century, depicts a number of figures , two of whom are crowned and one, a woman who has red hair.  Eleanor was renowned for her mane of golden hair, the hue of which was a fiery red. This was, as it is said, a perfect match for her temperament.

The fresco in Sainte Radegonde chapel, Chinon.

Henry, eldest son of Henry II

Henry’s plan for bequeathing his vast European empire to his brood  engendered a thoroughly unfortunate bout of teenage rebelliousness.  In 1170, Henry had taken the highly unusual step of crowning his eldest son, the sixteen year old Henry as King of England.  He did this because he wished to ensure that there would be no doubt concerning  the succession after he had died. However, Henry took the precaution of keeping all regal authority in his own hands.  In this way, the teenager could ease himself into the job by serving an apprenticeship which would allow him to craft the skills necessary to take up the reins of kingship when the time came.  However, the ungrateful youth saw things somewhat differently. He wanted the power of the throne with immediate effect.  When Henry decided to hand three of young Henry’s castles to the youngest sibling, John, the youth fell into a fury.

In 1173 the young colt deserted the old warhorse and with his loathsome brother, Geoffrey,  galloped to the stable of his father-in-law, the French king, Louis VII.  There he found a sympathetic ear as he vented his spleen about his father.  Louis had once been married to Henry’s mother, Elanor of Aquitaine.  Louis’s words of sympathy masked a mind preoccupied with self-interest.  Louis encouraged the young king to mount a rebellion against his father.

Louis VII of France on his marriage to Eleanor of Aquitaine.

There were others who were only too pleased to assist the young man in this unworthy endeavour.  His brother, the formidable Richard, King William the Lion of Scotland, assorted barons as well as the King of France lined up to march under young Henry’s banner against his father. Even his mother, the redoubtable Eleanor slipped out of house arrest in an attempt to offer her son moral support against his father.  The ‘Great Rebellion of 1173’ had begun.

Strongbow! You are now on your way west!

Ensure that your actions are characterised by the utmost zest!

 

Henry had been happy for Strongbow to go to Ireland and had wished him every success. The problem was, Strongbow had been too successful.  Would Strongbow now establish a kingdom which could rival and threaten his kingdom of England?  Henry decided to nip any such emerging problem in the bud.

The King feared that the seeds of trouble, Strongbow would sow!

Henry would now act to prevent the emergence of any potential foe!

There was no choice, to Erin’s fair shores he must now go!

 

However Henry would have to persuade his barons that a foray to Ireland was a good idea.

Henry makes his nobles an offer that they cannot refuse!

He will tell them that they have everything to win, nothing to lose!’

 

He gathered them together for a sit down and banquet at Chinon in Normandy.  After a superb dinner of locally sourced venison, Henry made his pitch.  In doing so, he evoked the memory of their respective great-grandfathers. The dialogue probably went along these lines:

‘My proposition to you is the same as my great grand father, William the Conqueror, made to your great-grandfathers here in Normandy about invading England in 1066!

After giving him a hand at that skirmish over there at Hastings they were handed a real estate portfolio that surpassed their wildest dreams!

I propose that we deal with the Irish in the same way that our great-grandfathers dealt with the English! We win a battle, after which we erect a motte and bailey castle, and then move on to the next Irish tough guy!

There were murmurs!

‘Sire, those Irish are known to be savage beyond belief!’

Another:

‘Even the Romans left them alone’!

Yet another:

They are rumoured to be man-eaters!’

Henry put down his goblet, wiped his mouth, rose to his feet and made his announcement.

‘If your great-grandfathers had that attitude in 1066, you guys would still be hustling geese and onions in the mean streets around the market at Caen rather than lording it in your castles over in England!

I’m offering you and your families the best career opportunity in over a century!

If your answer is no!

You really don’t want to know!

Maybe! Maybe, you’re right! It ain’t the way to go!

I can talk to someone else!

I have some Sicilian friends, of Norman descent, and when they smell wealth the word fear disappears from their lexicon!

I hear that Palermo is a little hot and overcrowded at this time of year’

‘Perhaps those Sicilian guys might feel the urge to relocate!

Should they wish to…

In that case some Irish territory, to them, I might well  allocate!’

The barons decided to follow their monarch. The king now made plans for a trip west.  A formidable military force was assembled and Henry landed at Waterford in October of 1171.

Henry landing in Waterford, October 18th 1171.

As their great-grandfathers had done a century earlier against the English, the Anglo-Normans would defeat the Irish tribes in battle and then construct a motte and bailey castle. When the local clan chief had been pacified by whatever means necessary,  the Anglo- Normans would divide the best land amongst his followers. There was no shortage of takers from England. Real estate opportunities were hard to come by during that time, and many were only too happy to make the journey to the ports of Bristol and Chester to travel to Ireland.

The long and troubled relationship between the two countries had begun.

A motte and bailey castle.

 

Illustration of an ancient Irish brooch.

 

The year of 1171

did not bring Henry a huge amount of fun!

Although the new year of 1171 was one that did not start at all well for Henry,  it proved to be a time that was one of the most important of his reign.  Beckett’s death had made the great palaces of France and England a little less welcoming than hitherto.  At mass, the priest would cast him brief, but intensely resentful glances.  During special ceremonies the bishops would huddle together, muttering amongst themselves whilst glaring at him from behind their croziers; then falling strangely and totally silent when he came close, their heads bowed as if deep in prayer.

The atmosphere was oppressive and Henry felt that he had to get away from the miasma of resentment and latent hostility which permeated his royal domains.  The master of his vast territories? He felt like a trespasser when dwelling in his many palaces, he simply had to flee!

I simply have to flee! Yes flee!

Can ye not see?

It is elsewhere, anywhere, I must be!

Ironically it was actually the Church which provided him with the perfect avenue with which to do so.

Pope Adrian IV.

The Vatican had long been expressing concern about the state of the Church in Ireland.  Pope Adrian, the only English Pope, had wanted Henry to launch a crusade to Ireland way back in 1155.  The Pope is said to  have sent the young King this papal bull in which he encouraged Henry to go to Ireland.

‘Thou hast signified to us, indeed most beloved son in Christ, that thou’s dost desire to enter into the island of Ireland, in order to subject the people to the laws and to extirpate the vices that have there taken root…’

 

The young Henry would have  been only too happy to comply with the Pope’s wishes but his mother, the formidable Matilda still exerted considerable influence over her  son and she effectively vetoed the idea.  MUM’S THE WORD! The proposal was shelved.

Then something occurred that put the matter back on the agenda.

In 1166, Dermot MacMurragh had been deposed as king of Leinster by the High King, Rory O’Connor.  Dermot fled to the court of Henry II with a view for asking for assistance in regaining his kingdom.  At this point Henry was somewhat indifferent to events in Ireland but he allowed Dermot to recruit mercenaries and encouraged his people to aid Dermot.  In return for this help, Dermot agreed to swear an oath of loyalty to Henry.

 

Dermot swears fealty to Henry II.

‘Tis amazing what you can achieve by swearing loyalty to royalty!

At King Henry’s feet I did kneel!

A firm promise, the King and I did seal!

King Henry offered me a very good deal!

Rory O’Connor, with you, I am going to get real!

A number of Welsh-Norman noblemen offered to help Dermot in his endeavour; prominent among these was Richard de Clare, the earl of Pembroke also known as Strongbow.  Dermot had offered Strongbow a deal whereby  in exchange for his help, Dermot would give his daughter, Aife in marriage to the nobleman and name him his heir as king of Leinster.  Strongbow leapt at the offer. In 1170, Dermot and Strongbow had a number of military successes and they had indeed regained control of Leinster.  In May 1171 Dermot died, and Strongbow, in a blatant breach of Irish hereditary custom, declared himself King of Leinster.

Seal of Richard de Clare, Strongbow.

Henry, watching events from Normandy, took the view that Strongbow was attempting to establish a rival Norman kingdom in Ireland that could pose a threat to his English realm. The King concluded that it was now time for Ireland to receive it’s first royal visit from the English crown, whose King was actually a Frenchman. Why not, he even had a papal blessing to do so!