Richard+I+of+England

 King Richard I of England

 **King Richard I of England** has been immortalized throughout history as a legendary military leader and crusader—a legacy which earned him the name Richard Coeur De Lion. This legacy has however divided modern historians with some claiming his achievements (or apparent lack thereof) do not warrant his being classified as one of the greatest kings of England and some who remain committed to his legend.

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 BACKGROUND TO RICHARD'S HISTORIC ACHIEVEMENTS IN THE THIRD CRUSADE  In July 1187 Jerusalem and the Holy Cross was captured by the legendary Muslim leader Saladin and his forces. Naturally, it was Richard’s duty as King of England to claim back ands and religious relics which had been taken from the crown. He made his way to the Holy Land in April 1191. After capturing the island of Cyprus on the way, he turned his attentions to the city of Acre and to diffusing the stalemate reached between the French King Philip Augustus’ forces and Saladin’s. Ambroise, Roger of Wendover and the Itinerarium Peregrinorum et Gesta Regis Ricardi all recount that, although ill, Richard mounted a gallant attack on the city. By the 12 of July terms of surrender by Saladin had been agreed upon and the Holy Cross had been restored back to England and France. This was a great victory militaristically, strategically and religiously for the Crusaders but for the Muslim leader Saladin it was a severe setback and a significant blow. Then after two other military victories at Arsuf and Jaffa, Jerusalem became Richard's next goal. However, after careful consideration he decided not to attack as it would undoubtedly entail almost certain disaster. Six months later, on the 7 of July, Richard and his army advanced again on Jerusalem but, however, finding themselves in the same position they had been previously, he once again made the decision to hold off attacking Jerusalem and retreat.

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CRITICISM AGAINST RICHARD’S LEGEND  In the 19th and 20th centuries a significant number of historians chose to disagree with the legend of Richard I and take the view that he was one of the worst kings to rule England. One scholar Du Garde Peach stated that “Richard was not a good king. He cared only for his soldiers”. Other modern historians characterise him as “a king who neglected his kingdom” because he was rarely at home. The main topic of contention is whether one assesses Richard using Medieval Kingship standards or if one uses more modern standards of effective leadership and administrative strategies. One outspoken historian thoroughly against Richard’s deserving of his legacy is Michael Markowski who cites that his failure to take Jerusalem “leads to the conclusion that his self-centred, puerile interests in personal adventures destroyed the chance for success of the Third Crusade and thus prolonged warfare”.

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ARGUMENTS FOR RICHARD’S LEGEND  <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;">On the other hand, another collection of modern historians prefer to believe his shortfalls should be viewed within the context of his religious and militaristic o<span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;">bligations that were unavoidable during his reign. He endeavoured to stabilise and administrate his government and lands as much as the limited time he was in England and the militaristic and religious constraints allowed. In particular he took on the responsibility to oversee English episcopal elections and orchestrated a time of peaceful relations with the Church—providing inner strength and stability for Angevin provinces. Another historian, Heiser, also argues that his “frequent changes of shrieval personnel” should not be criticized, because “he handled these local officials in a manner consistent with contemporary practice” and that the practice of selling offices to draw money out of England was also something prevalent in many other reigns. In essence, these scholars argue that Richard and his officials made decisions in response to Angevin Empire's fiscal worries due to war and conflict, attesting to the view that he was a good King of England.

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<span style="color: #c01b1b; font-family: georgia,serif; font-size: 120%;">SUMMARY <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;"> Overall, modern opinions are divided for Richard’s legacy and this research has aimed to present strong points from both sides of the modern argument with an effort to merely document the debate between these two groups.

<span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;"> //<span style="font-family: 'times new roman',serif;"> ==Notes== // <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;"> //<span style="font-family: 'times new roman',serif;"> // <span style="color: #c01b1b; font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 130%;"> REFERENCES (Below Bibliography)

<span style="color: #c01b1b; font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 130%;"> BIBLIOGRAPHY <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;"> __ Primary Sources: __ <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;"> Ambroise. The Crusade of Richard Lion-Heart. Translated by Merton Jerome Hubert. Michigan: University of Michigan Library, 1976. []

<span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;"> Nicholson, Helen. J, trans. Itinerarium Peregrinorum et Gesta Regis Ricardi: Chronicle of the Third Crusade. England: Ashgate Publishing Ltd., 1997.

<span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;"> Roger of Wendover, ed. J.A.Giles (1849) in Derek Baker. England in the Early Middle Ages: Portraits and Documents. London: Hutchinson Educational Ltd, 1966.

<span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;"> __ Secondary Sources: __ <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;"> Baker, Derek. England in the Early Middle Ages: Portraits and Documents. London: Hutchinson Educational Ltd, 1966.

<span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;"> Bjork, Robert E, ed., The Oxford Dictionary of the Middle Ages (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2010), [|http://www.oxfordreference.com.ezproxy.library.uq.edu.au/views/BOOK_SEARCH.h tml?book=t303&authstatuscode=202].

<span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;"> Broughton, Bradford. B. The Legends of King Richard I Coeur De Lion: A Study of Sources and Variations to the year 1600. Paris: Mouton & Co., 1966.

<span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;"> Fines, John. Who’s Who in the Middle Ages: From the Collapse of the Roman Empire to the Renaissance. US: Barnes & Noble, Inc., 1995.

<span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;"> Gillingham, John. “The Art of Kingship: Richard I, 1189-99,” History Today 35, no. 4 (April 1985): 17-23.

<span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;"> Gillingham, John. The Life and Times of Richard I. London: Weidenfeld and Nicolson Limited and Book Club Associates, 1973.

<span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;"> Heiser, Richard R. “Richard I and His Appointments to English Shrievalties,” The English Historical Review 112, no. 445 (Feb 1997): 1-19.

<span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;"> Markowski, Michael “Richard Lionheart: bad King, bad crusader?,” Journal of Medieval History 23, no. 4 (1997): 351-365

<span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;"> Nicolle, David. The Third Crusade 1191: Richard the Lionheart, Saladin and the Struggle forJerusalem. Oxford: Osprey Publishing Ltd. 2006.

<span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;"> Turner, Ralph V.“Richard Lionheart and English Episcopal Elections,” Albion: A QuarterlyJournal Concerned with British Studies// 29, no. 1 (Spring 1997): 1-13.

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