General Notes

RELI Sources: Microsoft Encarta 1994 ed.Merged General Note: He was also duke of Aquitaine and count ofPoitou.  When he was an infant, Richard was betrothed to adaughter of the French king Louis VII,
and in 1172 he was giventhe duchy of Aquitaine in France, his mother's inheritance. Hisearly years were spent in warring against his father to protecthis own interests; he emerged a brilliant
soldier. In 1189 hebecame king of England and shortly thereafter set out on theThird Crusade. He was accompanied by the young Philip II, kingof France, son of Louis VII. The Crusade proved a failure
almostfrom the start, mainly because of the lack of harmony betweenthe two kings. In Sicily Richard quarreled with Philip andrefused to marry Philip's sister as planned. Instead he marriedBerengaria
of Navarre on Cyprus, which he conquered in 1191.After capturing Acre from the Saracens that same year, Richardexecuted 2700 Muslim prisoners of war. It was Richard's personalvalor in the Holy Land,
however, rather than his ruthlessness,that made his name famous in legend. Conflict over policy in theHoly Land resulted in a break between the two, and Philipreturned to France alone. Richard spent
months in indecisivecontests against Saladin, sultan of Egypt and Syria, beforemaking a truce by which Jerusalem was left in Saladin's hands.Captured en route to England by Leopold V, duke of
Austria(1157-94), Richard was handed over to Holy Roman Emperor HenryIV. He was released in 1194 only after paying a heavy ransom.Richard returned to England and there made peace with hisbrother,
John, later king of England, who in his absence hadbeen conspiring with Philip to usurp the English throne. Leavingthe government of England to the care of the able administratorHubert Walter,
archbishop of Canterbury (died 1205), Richardwent to France in 1194 to wage war against the French king.Campaigns in defense of his European lands continued for fiveyears. Victor in most of the
warfare in which he engaged,Richard was fatally wounded by an arrow during an insignificantskirmish in 1199. As king, Richard had chosen able ministers, towhom he left most matters of
administration. Under his rule,however, England suffered heavy taxation, levied to support hisexpeditions. Sometimes cruel, sometimes magnanimous, and alwayscourageous, Richard was well versed in
the knightlyaccomplishments of his age and was also a poet. He was to becomethe hero of many legendary tales.
RELG @N2438@
DATE 21 MAR 1999