First Coronation of Richard I
The First Coronation of Richard I, also known as Richard the Lion-Hearted, took place on September 3, 1189, at Westminster Abbey. Richard ascended to the throne following the death of his father, King Henry II, and was notable for his participation in the Crusades, a series of religious wars aimed at reclaiming Jerusalem from Muslim control. Born on September 8, 1157, Richard was the third son of Henry II and Eleanor of Aquitaine, and his early life was marked by familial conflict and rebellion against his father.
Following his coronation, one of Richard's primary goals was to launch a military campaign to recover Jerusalem, which had been captured by the Muslim leader Saladin in 1187. He implemented the "Saladin tithe," a tax to fund his military endeavors and successfully raised a substantial army and fleet. Although Richard achieved several victories, he ultimately could not capture Jerusalem and instead negotiated a truce with Saladin in 1192, allowing Christian pilgrims access to the city.
After his return to England in 1194, Richard was crowned again to solidify his rule, particularly after dealing with challenges from his brother John. His reign, though marked by conflict with France, was significant for its impact on medieval England and the ongoing Crusades. Richard's life ended in 1199 from a wound sustained during a siege, and he was buried in Anjou, France. His legacy remains intertwined with the romanticized image of the chivalrous knight and king.
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First Coronation of Richard I
First Coronation of Richard I
Richard I, also known as Richard the Lion-Hearted, was crowned king of England on September 3, 1189. He was a popular king in his time and a prominent Crusader, and he continues to be the subject of many romantic legends. Because he was absent from England for several years fighting in the Crusades, he was crowned again in 1194 upon his return.
The Crusades were a series of military expeditions that were organized by western Christians to recapture the Holy Land, especially Jerusalem (a city considered to be sacred), from the Muslims. There were eight major Crusades between 1095 and 1291, with lesser conflicts taking place during and after this time period. The first Crusade was proposed in November 1095 by Pope Urban II, who called for a Christian expedition to free Jerusalem from the Muslim Turks who were harassing Christians making pilgrimages to Jerusalem. The speech, delivered in Clermont in France, galvanized those who heard it. Thousands of men answered the call to fight a holy war.
Richard was born on September 8, 1157, in Oxford, England, the third of four sons of King Henry II and Eleanor of Aquitaine. While still an infant, Richard was betrothed to a daughter of King Louis VII of France, and in 1172 he was also given his mother's duchy of Aquitaine in France. Richard was not grateful, however, and together with his three brothers waged a civil war against their father from 1173 to 1174. Henry retaliated by jailing their mother, who had supported their efforts, and Richard eventually ceased his rebellion. His father pardoned him, and when the last of his older brothers died in 1183, Richard became heir to the English throne. He angered his family by refusing to cede Aquitaine to his younger brother John as they wished and enlisted the help of the new king of France, Philip II, who helped him force Henry to agree to Richard's retaining Aquitaine.
In 1187 the Muslim prince Saladin defeated European forces at Hattin and succeeded in capturing Jerusalem, compelling Pope Gregory VIII to issue a call for a third Crusade. Richard wished to take part, but that displeased his father. When Henry died in 1189, Richard became king of England in a lavish coronation ceremony at Westminster Abbey on September 3, and he also inherited the French duchy of Normandy. One of his first acts as king was to free his mother from prison. His subsequent actions were driven by his desire to free Jerusalem from Muslim hands, and so he imposed the “Saladin tithe,” a tax to raise funds for his war effort. Richard dug deep into the royal treasury and even sold important government offices to raise money. With these funds he assembled a vast fleet and army and set sail in 1190 for Sicily—the staging point for Christian operations in the Middle East—accompanied by Philip II.
Despite numerous military successes, Richard was unable to wrest control of Jerusalem from the Muslims. In September 1192 he made a truce with Saladin that gave Christian pilgrims access to the holy places in the city. Richard then decided to return home but was captured on his way back to England. He was handed over to Emperor Henry VI, who demanded a huge ransom for Richard's release. Richard agreed to the ransom demands and was freed in February 1194.
Richard returned to England and was crowned a second time on April 17, 1194, but after resting control of the government from his brother John, who had tried to usurp the throne, he put England in the hands of the archbishop of Canterbury and left for Normandy, never to return. He spent the rest of his life embroiled in a war with Philip II over Richard's lands in France. After several years of conflict the French were finally defeated in 1198. In early 1199 Richard was shot by a bowman during a dispute with a feudal lord over treasure found on the lord's property. He died of the wound on April 6, 1199, and was buried in Anjou, France.