‘The King of England, John, may be my uncle!

But to me he is nothing more than an obnoxious carbuncle!

My thanks to you, King Philip for granting me this, my promised inheritance of land!

I acknowledge you as my rightful liege, King Philip Augustus, so high and most grand!’

So say, Arthur, Duke of Brittany (1187-1202/3)

In July of 1202 the grateful teenager, Duke Arthur of Brittany, paid homage to King Philip Augustus for Anjou, Aquitaine and Poitou.  Philip would retain Normandy as his own vassal state.

‘Good career move kid!

Mutual felicitations are now warmly bid!

Of your evil uncle King John, we will both soon be rid!’

It was a truly joyous meeting between the old fox, King Philip Augustus and the young pup, Arthur of Brittany.

This cosy arrangement engendered a swift response from a most affronted uncle John, who promptly arrived in Normandy with an army.  Would he ever be free of King Philip ‘de-esgusting‘ Augustus?  Goodness knows he feared that he would never be!

De-esgusting Augustus with his machinations has always made us Plantagenet’s cross!

He has proved himself to the clan, a veritable and terrible Albatross!

Every time that there was a Plantagenet family dispute, ‘De-esgusting’  Augustus could always be relied upon to stick his nose into it.  John had an ally in his mother Eleanor of Aquitaine, who vigorously supported her youngest and only surviving son in the defence of his empire.  The formidable eighty year old was soon under siege at Mirebeau by her teenage grandson, Duke Arthur who was enthusiastically aided by the Lusignans.  This was the summer of 1202.

‘Tis my solemn duty to rescue my beloved, bestially besieged mother!

I, King John! Yes, I, John am her only son, God knows, there is no other!

She has been insidiously surrounded by forces commanded by the son of my late brother!

To state that John rode to the rescue of his mother at Mirebeau with all speed was something of   an understatement.  On this occasion, John showed uncharacteristic  military flair.  The time was late July and by August 1st, he had defeated the rebel forces besieging his mother.  John had not only rescued Queen Eleanor, but had also captured Arthur of Brittany.  King Philip ‘de-esgusting’  Augustus was therefore forced to retreat from Normandy, his grand plan having failed.  By the close of 1202, John had regained total control of Poitou.  King John now seemed master of all that he surveyed.

King John in a stately pose.

But what of young Arthur?

Art, with the help of the king of France, you made a promising start!

But, Art, in any future events you will not take any part!

Once taken into his uncle’s custody and held at Rouen, the young Duke was seen no more.  It is rumoured that John personally killed the boy in a drunken frenzy and tossed his body into the river Seine.  True or otherwise, Arthur’s disappearance earned him the undying enmity of the Breton people.

The fruits of victory will always at first taste sweet!

But if not wisely nurtured, will soon become as foul as rotten meat!

John now began to antagonize his own supporters.  Perhaps his euphoria at having so easily defeated his upstart nephew, as well as thwarting the designs of the ever present Philip ‘de-esgusting ‘ Augustus, had affected his judgement.

 Mercenaries were regarded as a distasteful but absolutely essential component of any medieval leader’s military machine.  They were to be hired as required, tolerated and dismissed when necessity no longer demanded their presence and maintenance.  However, John now appeared to favour the faithless mercenary commanders over his loyal, long established Norman barons. Indeed, the king placed a number of these soldiers of fortune in positions of authority to which they were singularly unsuited.

You have raised these brigands above men that are known to be stout and true!

This is folly and constitutes an act that you will eventually and sorely rue!

Continue in this vein and your followers will not be many, but really quite few!

He gave free rein to one particularly rapacious mercenary chief, Lupescar, to pillage areas of Normandy at will.  This irresponsible action was not calculated to bolster local support and would later cost John dear. King John would repeat these very same errors in England with greatly unfortunate and unforeseen results.

A good life!

John before the avalanche of strife!

Fortune now afforded a time of solace in the life of John, the spectre of discord, military disaster and territorial losses could not have been further from his unbalanced mind as he reclined with the divine Isabella in the royal bedchamber.  The prince who was expected to inherit very little and was dubbed ‘John Lackland’ now lacked for nothing.  He had become the master of  the entire Angevin empire just as his father, Henry II (dear papa) and his brother Richard had been. John’s totally unexpected good fortune had been crowned with a marriage to a very beautiful woman so life was now utterly sublime.

It is said that love conquers all and as a consequence,  the flow of royal business came to a temporary halt.

The newly married royal couple now embarked on their honeymoon!

John so deeply enchanted that, whenever he saw Isabella he would positively swoon!

John clearly enjoyed his honeymoon with Isabella mark II in the late summer of 1200.  Indeed so enamoured were they of each other’s company it is said that the King and Queen rarely rose from their bed before twelve in the day.  John and Isabella, basking in this glow of early marital bliss, might be imagined to comment:

My goodness, Issy,  just look at the time, a hearty morsel I could gladly munch!

Alas! Dearest Johnny, ’tis rather late to be served breakfast and indeed somewhat too early to take lunch!

No matter my dear Issy, we shall now prepare to partake of a convivial brunch!

However, there was to be no such agreeable dalliance with the continental magnates whom John had upset with his high-handed manner.

A fourteenth century painting depicting John in a relaxed frame of mind. This happy interlude was not to last.

John was angry with Hugh of Lusignan’s ‘sour grapes’ attitude, as he had been replaced as groom by John to Isabella, at quite literally the last minute.  John instructed his subordinates to give Hugh as much grief as possible, whilst he himself remained in England.  This was to lead to considerable unexpected and unforeseen long term unpleasantness.  Hugh as a vassal of the French crown had a helpline, in the event of his being harassed.  That point of aid was the right of appeal to the king, the Angevin nemesis, Philip ‘Disgusting’ Augustus.  John might be the king of England, but Hugh complained about his behaviour not as a foreign monarch, but as Duke of Aquitaine to their joint overlord, King Philip.

In England, John as king, you have great power!

In France you must bend the knee to he who is represented by the fleur de lis flower!

Hugh was perfectly within his rights to complain about John as Duke of Aquitaine to the king of France, if he felt that he was being treated unjustly.  Philip, as part of his regal responsibilities, was duty bound to investigate Hugh’s grievances.  However, some might say that Philip, given his track record with the Angevin kings, might have been seen as a somewhat less than an impartial arbiter in any dispute involving this particular dynasty.

Philip Augustus, King of France.

King Philip  summoned John to attend court in Paris on April 28th 1202 to answer for his poor treatment of Hugh of Lusignan in his capacity as Duke of Aquitaine (not as King of England).  John declined the order, as he no doubt felt that as a king himself, it would be outrageous that he be placed in such an abject situation as ‘the accused’.  John was beside himself with indignation.

‘Aw, you’re, you know, well, you’re just so disgusting, Augustus!’

You say that you are only enacting laws that are there to be simply used!

Accused? This is a case of an anointed king being diabolically abused!’

No king had ever been called before a court and John most certainly did not intend to be the first, so he duly ignored the royal summons to attend the hearing.  It must be said that the idea of an sovereign king having to account for himself before a court was something that very much disturbed people at the time.  But then again, the situation of one individual being anointed king of one country and vassal of the crown in another, was a recent development and a consequence of the Norman conquest of England.

At the appointed time for him to appear before the court the call was not:

‘Heere’s Johnny’ 

But rather:

 ‘Johnny’s no heere’!

My status is royal, and to this God bestowed birthright, I will remain loyal!

You! Yes you, ‘Disgusting’ Augustus are to me nothing but a repulsive gargoyle!

My goodness how you verily make my blood boil!

Your indecent machinations I fully and ultimately intend to foil!

Hugh was not the only vassal of Philip whom John had offended. In politics, one needs if not friends, but certainly allies in order to create alliances which are necessary for survival. John was swiftly running out of both.  By refusing to attend court, John had given Philip‘Disgusting’ Augustus a god sent opportunity. The French King, quite reasonably, in a technical sense found John to be in contempt of court and therefore of the French crown. King Philip decided that as a punishment, that the territories  held by John were to be forfeit. Philip declared that Normandy would be returned to the French crown whilst the other lands were to be transferred to John’s nephew, Arthur, Duke of Brittany, son of the late and unlamented Geoffrey.

This decision would have fatal consequences for both uncle and nephew.

Indeed the initial and subsequent actions of the two regal protagonists would result in a turning point in the course of European history.

Now begins a reign which for this particular king, would end in shameful pain!

For Phil ‘disgusting’ Augustus, it was gain and gain over and over again!

John was never expected to be king, so his father Henry II who had actually given him the nickname ‘Lack land’, decided to establish him as king of the newly acquired lands in Ireland.

The island of Ireland.

However John’s conduct on his trip across the Irish sea in 1185 had not endeared him to the Irish chieftains.  Gerald of Wales who had accompanied the young prince to Ireland reported that John and his entourage made fun of the Irish nobles, amusing themselves by tugging at their unruly beards.

John’s seal as king of Ireland.

John’s first diplomatic foray was somewhat less than successful, but Henry had made additional provision for his youngest son.

Wife number 1 – Issy from Gloucester.

Henry had  negotiated a marriage for John which would provide him with substantial lands. In 1189, John at the age of twenty two, had married Isabella of Gloucester at Marlborough castle in Wiltshire.  Isabella was the heiress of a large earldom on the Welsh Marches, and the marriage was arranged in order to solve the problem of John’s ‘lackland’ status.

The motte of Marlborough castle as it is today.

There was a slight problem that would have cast a shadow over the nuptials.  The couple were both great-grandchildren of Henry I, and therefore second cousins.  This made them within the condition of consanguinity, and such a union was forbidden by the church.  The Archbishop of Canterbury, Baldwin of Ford was totally opposed, but John said that he would get a papal dispensation to legitimise the union.  This was the year that Richard became king and John was not expected to ascend to the throne.

Isabella of Gloucester.

This unfortunate fact also marred another ceremony, John’s coronation in May 11199.  Isabella would not be crowned as queen because the church refused to accept the validity of her marriage to John.  Despite being married for ten years, John did not keep his promise to ask for a papal dispensation.  A disappointing start to the reign, but a moment of unpleasantness that evaporated into insignificance given the context of future happenings.

John adopts a royal stance!

He ensures his control over the Angevin lands in France!

Re-enter King Philip (disgusting) Augustus II of France.  The French king thought it politic to grant his seal of approval to John’s aspirations.

The seal of King Philip Augustus II of France.

The King of France’s support for Arthur had led to rebellions in Anjou, Maine and Touraine against John which he quickly crushed.  John was the third Plantagenet king with whom Philip (disgusting) Augustus had had to deal with and he would bide his time.  At the Treaty of Le Goulet, agreed in May 1200, Philip acknowledged John as the heir to the Lionheart’s continental lands but he had to swear fealty to the French King as overlord.  Philip’s view of the future might be summed up in the following way:

‘I am prepared to take my time and play the long game!

I have some experience of those kings of the Plantagenet name!

This particular member of the family, unlike the other two, I will ultimately tame!’

Conduct unbecoming.

‘Oh Johnny, bad, bad behaviour, what’s new?

Alas, what else would any of us ever expect from you!’

Wife number 2 – Issy from Angouleme.

John’s capacity for behaviour of an unbecoming nature continued undiminished as he proceeded in his regal role.  The king decided to put aside his wife, Isabella of Gloucester and choose another consort.  This in itself was not regarded as being beyond the pale in an age when marriage was considered as a required vehicle of material convenience.  However, the manner in which he conducted the arrangements of his second marriage most certainly was.

John’s marriage to Isabella of Gloucester was annulled on grounds of consanguinity.  Nothing wrong there, in fact it was merely seen as the rectifying of an unfortunate error.  Another Isabella had become the focal point of John’s lecherous and greedy eye.  This was the twelve year old Isabella of Angouleme who was renowned for her beauty.

Isabella of Angouleme.

Isabella’s famed beauty was one attraction for John, but there was another.  Isabella was already engaged to another man, Count Hugh de Lusignan.  Their union would mean that Isabella’s lands and Hugh’s would become as one, and this would pose a threat to the Angevin empire.  Hugh, although a man of wealth and status, could not match the King of England.  Also, because of his position as Count of Poitou, John was Hugh’s overlord and felt that he was within his rights to stop the marriage and take Isabella as his own bride.

Coat of arms of the House of Lusignan,

Isabella’s father judged that a King would prove to be a more favourable suitor than a mere Count for his daughter, and was happy with the arrangement.  John’s message to the jilted Count was :

‘I am sorry Hugh but this is simply not your cue!

Please don’t cause trouble, because if you do!

Please remember that my followers are many and yours are but few!’

John and Isabella were duly married at Bordeaux on August 24th 1200.  Hugh chose not to heed the warning from John and swore vengeance on his liege as John was as Duke of Acquitaine.  Although early in his reign, the seeds of John’s downfall were already sown.

 

King John.

1166-1216.

Richard’s decision to name John as his successor was not greeted with unanimous approval. The word on the street was:

‘Richard left everything, you mean, the entire outfit to John, his kid brother?’

The only living son of Queen Eleanor, the royal mother!

‘You got to be kidding!’ 

‘There’s more than a few who will be reluctant to do his bidding!’

The Lionheart had died without leaving a legitimate male heir so with his dying breath he named John as his successor.  Some said that the son of Richard’s and John’s brother Geoffrey, Arthur Duke of Brittany had a stronger claim to the Angevin empire.  No matter, Richard bequeathed all to his younger brother.  Upon hearing of the Lionheart’s demise, John immediately proceeded to his father’s favourite palace, Chateau Chinon, not for reasons of nostalgia, but with a view to taking possession of the treasury there.

So the youngest of Henry II’s and Queen Eleanor’s five sons who was expected to inherit very little, hence the nickname, ‘sans terre’ is now the master of the entire empire.  A domain that he had coveted for so very long and one that he would lose in an exceedingly short space of time.

However, this was all in the future, and John’s jubilation at his own coronation at Westminster in May of 1199 can only be imagined.  He!  Yes he, John, who had grown up in the shadow of his illustrious older brethren, Henry the Young King and of course the Lionheart, Richard, had at last come into his own!

‘His four older brothers had all suffered from things that seriously affected their health!

‘Leaving kid brother, now King John with all of the family wealth!’

Scant attention had ever been paid to John, the youngest son of this right royal brood of brothers.  He, who had been expected to be no more than the overlord of a territory located in the  inconsequential island of Ireland, was now ruler of the entire Angevin empire.

The French territories of the Angevin empire. Only the southern tip of England, the veritable jewel in the crown is shown. The booby prize, the eastern area of Ireland is not depicted at all.

The eyes of Christendom were upon John as he walked in solemn, but joyful, procession into Westminster Abbey to be anointed and crowned as king.

Westminster Abbey in King John’s time.

He must have been thinking of his ancestor, William the Conqueror who had been crowned there more than one hundred and thirty years before, and of course Richard, who had been anointed as king a mere ten years earlier.  It really was a case of:

Heeere’s Johnny!!!

The youngest brother of a brood  who was never considered as someone destined to rule!

John will now sit upon the throne of England truly regal and cool!

However storm clouds were appearing upon the horizon.  Arthur’s mother, Constance of Brittany, was indignant at what she regarded as her son’s disinheritance, and decided to contest the succession.  In this, Constance was supported by powerful interests in France not least, the king, Philip II (disgusting) Augustus.  Not for the first time, Philip (disgusting) Augustus pursued a policy of sowing discord within the Angevin empire.  When it came to political sweet talk, King Philip Augustus was in a class of his own:

King Philip Augustus (L) saying to Duke Arthur of Brittany (R):

‘Artie, I couldn’t stand your grandpa or your uncles, but I was fond of Geoffrey, your dad!’

‘John has taken what is rightfully yours and that makes me feel real sad!’

‘Art, when your dad was killed after been thrown from his horse!’

‘I was so upset, that for days on end, I cried myself completely and totally hoarse!’

Philip went on to say:

‘Art, in your attempt to regain what is rightfully yours!

 I humbly request to take part!’.

Arty! Yes honestly, Arty!

My greatest wish is to be the guest of honour at your coronation party!’

King John’s treatment of his nephew, Duke Arthur, attracted considerable attention at the time and remains an indelible stain on John’s reputation.  The young Duke was never to attain what he considered to be his birthright, and he would die in obscure circumstances at a very early age as a guest of uncle John.

There were to be three monarchs who would rule England during the course of the 13th century. Two of whom would be king for a considerable length of time.  John’s reign would be by far the shortest of the three and its ending certainly the most ignominious.

Why so?

Well to find out,yes to get in the know!

Further along we must go!

Swinging London, and how the citizenry did cheer and the church bells ring!

Joyful at their king’s return, of blessed, brave Richard and his deeds, they did sing!

The streets of London were adorned with banners befitting the return of a king.  Richard basked in the adulation of his subjects, but circumstances precluded a lengthy period of rest and relaxation.  Due to the machinations of brother John, also known as John Lackland, some unfinished business remained.  The treacherous younger sibling had placed some forces, loyal to his disloyal person, encamped in various castles throughout the realm

So John had left Richard some mopping up to do.  The Lionheart had never baulked at getting his hands dirty and he approached the cleansing task with characteristic gusto and vigour.  He would reassert his seal of approval over England.

King Richard’s Great Seal.

This is my royal seal,

‘Tis the only viable deal!

Submit to my will, get real!

If you resist, I will certainly let you know how I feel!

Well, Richard did, and there were more than a few hard feelings.  A swift campaign in Cornwall and Nottingham cleared up the running sore created by brother John.  At the latter venue, Nottingham castle,  a large gallows was constructed in full view of the besieged, so that they could witness the death throes  of their garrison colleagues unlucky enough to be captured by the Lionheart.

Swing high! Swing low!

You have upset me, now watch how things will go!

 ‘Tis a choice between rope or hope!

Get sense! Don’t be a dope!

The castle soon surrendered.  This would not be the last time that Nottingham castle would feature as the scene of a royal power struggle.  Richard’s strategy was successful and the entire realm was  loyal once more.  In order to drive the point home Richard, for the first time in English history, decided to have himself crowned for a second time.  This time the coronation venue would be Winchester cathedral.

A second coronation!

This time without the first’s aggravation!

To leave no one in doubt as to who is supreme head of the English nation!

But what of brother John?  He, known as John Lackland?

An understandably aggrieved Richard declared John’s lands forfeit and he was arraigned on a charge of treason in his absence.  Brother John, of course, had decamped to Normandy as soon as he had heard of Richard’s imminent return.  The Lionheart now decided to catch up with brother John and more importantly, ‘Disgusting Augustus’.  The French king had invaded Normandy and Richard was determined to eject his nemesis with all possible speed.  In May 1194, in the company of his mother, Eleanor, Richard landed at Barfleur in Normandy.

The arms of the port of Barfleur.

The prodigal brother John abandoned by Philip Augustus,  presented himself to Richard and was immediately forgiven for past transgressions.  Richard mounted a masterful and extremely energetic campaign against ‘Disgusting Augustus’.  The French king was no match for Richard’s military ability and he soon beat a hasty retreat.  Richard and Philip Augustus agreed an uneasy peace agreement, the Treaty of Louviers in January 1196. However, Richard resolved to take additional precautions to thwart any attempted incursion into Normandy from the French king.

The Lionheart decided to construct a huge castle high above the river Seine.  The castle would guard the Seine valley route into Normandy.  It was to be called Chateau Gaillard and it would incorporate the most up to date, sophisticated, defensive features of castle architecture and no expense was spared in its construction.

The castle was quite simply Richard’s pride and joy.  Indeed, he would lovingly refer to it as his one year old child after its completion.  Chateau Gaillard would be captured by ‘Disgusting Augustus’ in 1204 but that was years after Richard’s death when brother John Lackland sat on the throne.

The endgame!

What’s in a name?

The Lionheart’s enduring fame!

A large amount of gold believed to have dated from Roman times was discovered by a peasant on land held by Viscount Aymar of Limoges in the spring of 1199.  Richard as Aymar’s overlord declared that the treasure was rightfully his.  The impudent Aymar refused, but offered Richard half of the treasure trove as if he were dealing with a man of equal rank.  To the Lionheart this was an act of inexcusable impertinence.  Richard resolved to take possession of the gold and swiftly departed for the castle at Chalus where Aymar had deposited it.  Laying siege to the sparsely defended castle, Richard was inspecting the progress of his sappers as they worked to undermine its fortifications.  Reckless to the end, Richard ventured close without his chain mail and was struck with a crossbow in the shoulder.  The wound turned gangrenous and Richard writhed in agony fully aware that death was inevitable. The seventy- seven year old Eleanor quickly travelled to Chalus to be at her dearest son’s bedside.  Richard did not neglect his responsibilities regarding the succession, he named his brother John as his heir.

The fatal wound!

Just before he died on April 6th 1199, Richard asked to see the bowman who had delivered the fatal arrow.  It is said that he was but a boy and instead of punishing the young marksman, the Lionheart set him free with a purse of gold coins.  However, this final act of magnanimity on Richard’s part is said to have been rescinded by the king’s senior subordinate, and the boy was slowly skinned alive once the Lionheart had breathed his last.

King Richard was entombed at Fontevraud Abbey in Anjou at the feet of his father, Henry II in April 1199; Eleanor would join them there in 1204 at the age of 82.

Richard!  You thought that the Saracens of the east were your ultimate foe!

No!  It is back in Europe that those whose characters are so despicably low!

They capture you! Jail you!  Then demand a huge ransom to let you go!

Richard’s journey away from Palestine did not mean that he was leaving his enemies behind. Far from it!  Saladin may have been his opponent, but now it was his fellow Christians who would prove to be his real foes.  Indeed, he probably had more adversaries in Europe than in the middle east.  The King of France Philip Augustus , once a dear boyhood friend, was now in league with his own treacherous brother John in an attempt to take his lands in both England and France. Things had soured greatly since the great crusader victory at Acre.  When as equal, regal monarchs they had both sat together and acknowledged the surrender of the Saracen garrison.

The Way We Were!

Philip Augustus (centre) and Richard (left) accept the keys of Acre.

‘He’s no longer my friend, Philip Augustus!

But my bitter foe, Disgusting Augustus!’

Posing as a wealthy merchant, Richard decided to travel through the Adriatic sea, thereby avoiding the King of France’s jurisdiction.  This was not all.  There were others with whom he could expect no welcome of audience.  The Lionheart was on very poor terms with the Holy Roman Emperor, Henry VI.  Richard had also grievously offended Duke Leopold of Austria during the battle for Acre and the Austrian still nursed a grudge.

This was most unfortunate as he had to pass through Leopold’s domain to reach Saxony and the safety of the fiefdom of his brother-in-law, Henry the Lion.  So, given the circumstances, a low profile was the most appropriate mode of conduct.

‘To be neither seen nor heard!

Was the method of procedure preferred!’

However a rather unfortunate incident occurred!’

Such is misfortune and ultimately it was the people of England who were forced to pay an enormous fortune. Richard was spotted when he became ill and stopped to rest at a tavern south of Vienna.  It was now December 1192 and he was duly delivered into the custody of a delighted Duke Leopold who was beginning his Christmas festivities.  This was an unexpected Christmas present for the Duke and one that exceeded his wildest expectations. The pope Celestine III had been keen to encourage Christians to take up the cross and therefore had declared that it was wrong to imprison a returning crusader without due cause.  This papal edict was known as the Peace of God, the penalty for breaking it was excommunication from the Catholic church.

Pope Celestine III

‘But Leopold feeling so bold!

Elected to stray from the Catholic  fold!

He decided that he would not toe the papal line!

Leopold declared!  Oh vengeance, so sweet, is mine!

How very divine!

For your freedom Richard, England must pay an enormous fine!’

Leopold, realising that he could hold Richard for a king’s ransom, decided that it was worth the risk.  Richard was ensconced in comfortable but closely guarded captivity at Durnstien castle on the banks of the Danube.  In his defiance of papal authority, Leopold was supported by his liege, Henry VI of Germany, the Holy Roman Emperor.

Durnstien castle.

Both Leopold and Henry were subsequently excommunicated for their behaviour, but this did little to deter them from what they regarded as a most promising financial enterprise.  Henry decided that the price for Richard’s release would be 100,000 marks, a colossal sum for the time. This figure was later  increased to 150,000.

Henry VI, Holy Roman Emperor.

Richard’s whereabouts were not known in England at this point and his mother, Queen Eleanor was frantic with worry about the fate of her favourite son.

Eleanor of Aquitaine

When England received the ransom note, it was not entirely bad news to this mother’s ears!

In fact the avaricious demand served to allay this elderly lady’s worst fears!

It mercifully served to wipe away her most bitterest tears!

The dowager sprung into action with an energy which belied her advanced years!

However the king of France, Philip (disgusting) Augustus was also keen in ‘buying’ Richard, or at least delaying his release.  In this endeavour he was supported by Richard’s brother John. Their intention was to grapple the Lionheart’s empire from him while he was incarcerated.  They did not reckon on the formidable Eleanor, who oversaw the collection of the funds to pay the ransom. England’s finances were drained and the people grievously taxed to ensure the return of their king.

Richard returned to England in March 1194 to a tumultuous welcome from the city of London. There was no welcome of a fraternal nature from brother John. For (kid) brother John had fled to Normandy.

To many a crusader, the aim of the sojourn was Jerusalem or bust!

Now with an overwhelming, unbearable sense of disgust!

They saw their noble ambition turn as to dust!

Richard and the crusaders were clearly distraught that their endeavour to liberate the sacred city of Zion had ended in failure.  In the first instance Richard decided to retreat from Jerusalem in July of 1192.  However, there were further hostilities and these actually showed Richard’s military acumen at its very best.

On July 31st, Saladin attacked Jaffa and the garrison were beaten back into the city’s legendary citidel.  Richard decided to break the siege by dividing his army into two.  He would lead a contingent by sea, while the rest would march and meet at Jaffa.  Approaching Jaffa on his galley, Richard was horrified at what he saw and stood dumbstruck with mortification.  The Saracens were attacking the citadel and the besieged Christians appeared on the brink of defeat.  It was clear that the Saracens heavily outnumbered the crusader army, who desperately attempted to stave off the onslaught.  Standing on the command galley, the Lionheart was engulfed with feelings of abject despair.  The crusader fleet sat still on the waters as the King contemplated the situation.

The priest seeing the King’s ship leapt from the city wall and into the sea!

Reaching Richard, he advised that prompt action would cause the Saracens to turn and flee!

The priest before he decided to take the plunge.

Richard took the plucky prelate’s advice and without further ado proceeded into the harbour. As the galley approached the port, Richard was the very first to jump ashore.  Roaring like a lion, Richard sword in hand, led his men to the fray and the Saracens did just what the priest predicted they would.  They turned tail, ran and kept running until they reached safety, a good many miles inland.

The huge Saracen army appeared to be a force that would be almost impossible to beat!

However the Lionheart would snatch victory from the jaws of defeat!

His retaking of Jaffa with breakneck speed, would be remembered by all as no mean feat!

Both sides realised that the crusader victory at Jaffa had created a situation of stalemate. There was no alternative but to negotiate, and a rather lengthy and torturous period of consultation was embarked upon.  For Richard there was an additional reason for wishing to arrange a treaty.  He had heard that his younger brother John and King Philip Augustus were plotting against him in both England and France.

Crusaders and Saracens confer.

On September 2nd a peace treaty between the two sides was agreed upon.  The settlement was in fact a victory for Saladin because he was to keep Jerusalem, but there were concessions. Saladin would allow Christian pilgrims to visit the Church of the Holy Sepulchre and other holy sites.

The Church of the Holy Sepulchre.

The crusaders would retain control of Acre and Jaffa as well as the coastal route connecting the two cities.  It is said that it is easy to be magnanimous in victory and the Sultan was most certainly that.  Saladin invited Richard to visit the city as his honoured guest but the Lionheart declined this generous courtesy.  Richard must have harboured an interest in meeting Saladin, who was his most enigmatic and able of adversaries, but curiosity has its limits.  The Lionheart had come to Palestine to recover Jerusalem for Christendom, but the venture had failed, the Third Crusade was no more.

If Richard could not enter Zion as liberator he would not step inside its hallowed gates as a mere visitor.  Richard’s spirits were understandably at their very lowest possible ebb as summer gave way to autumn.  His great Lion’s heart was on the verge of breaking, as he reflected upon the high hopes, the back-breaking labour and the enormous sacrifices that had characterised the Third Crusade from its inception in the heady days of 1190.

A fourteenth century illustration depicting Richard and Saladin in battle. But of course, the two leaders never actually met.

In October of 1192, the Lionheart, who had arrived with a large army on a fleet of 200 ships sailed from Palestine on a single vessel.  His departure was undoubtedly a muted affair and in truth he left not so much with an almighty roar but perhaps with more of a sorrowful sigh. Nonetheless Richard’s time in Palestine showed him at his most magnificent!  Indeed it was in the smallest of ways that the Lionheart’s magnificence came to the fore.

The great Lionheart was always prepared to play his part!

He would willingly discard his fine attire!

Enthusiastically and happily descending into the dusty mire!

To his men, he was now simply regal Rick,

Who energetically worked alongside them rebuilding defences brick by brick!

Who could forget how, when the fortifications required rebuilding, Richard donned the labourers humble tunic and personally helped rebuild the walls. The memory of him standing bare chested in the searing heat, tool in one hand and stone in the other as he toiled with his men, accepting no preferential treatment from the overseers.

Did a crown adorn this royal head?  Yea! Nay!  Only the same beads of sweat that emanated from the pores of the assembled ranks of enlisted men who toiled beside the Lionheart under the unforgiving,  unrelenting sun. The meagre fare that was doled out to the common soldiers was gladly accepted by Richard as he hunkered down beside them in a rare moment of respite from the punishing, almost debilitating labour.  The spittle laced jugs of dark, stagnant water passed from mouth to mouth were gratefully received, as were the concrete textured, enamel challenging loaves of bread offered as a means of sustenance.

The besieged Christians at Acre on the brink of catastrophic defeat just months before would always remember that despite being heavily outnumbered, he came to their aid and routed the Muslim forces.  This act of heroism and tactical skill saved their lives and secured the port for Christendom.  They would be forever in the Lionheart’s debt.

However this was all now in the past, but of course memories live on; as God be merciful, so they should.  On this particular day the inevitable, painful moment of  departure from the Holy Land beckoned.  Richard left Palestine for the first and last time.

The Third Crusade at sunset.

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.