Where Richard the Lionheart rules. Richard I the Lionheart. History of the English King

1. Richard is the third son of King Henry II Plantagenet of England and his wife, Duchess Alienora of Aquitaine. Richard had very little chance of becoming king, but early death older brothers (William (1152-1156), Henry died of dysentery at the age of 28 (1155-1183), as well as the younger Geoffrey (1158-1186), simplified his rise to power after the death of his father.

2. Perhaps it was precisely the fact that he was the youngest and was not intended to be an heir that strengthened Richard’s knightly upbringing - he turned out to be a useless king, but a famous knight.

3. He also had another nickname (not as famous as Lionheart) - Richard Yes-e-No (Oc. N Oc-e-No), which meant that he was easily swayed in one direction or another.

4. Richard was well educated (he wrote poetry in French and Occitan) and very attractive - estimated to be 1 meter 93 centimeters tall, with blue eyes and blond hair.

5. Most of all, he loved to fight - from childhood he showed remarkable political and military abilities, was famous for his courage, and knew how to prevail over aristocrats in his lands.

6. During his lifetime he was compared (and continues to be compared) with Achilles. And the comparison is justified in one most important point - fame. Fame attracted him. Eleanor of Aquitaine, Richard's mother, wrote to the Pope: “While my son, like Achilles, fought under the walls of Accra...” This is where this comparison comes from!

7. The marriage with Berengaria of Navarre was fruitless; he had many extramarital affairs with women. Illegitimate son - Philip de Falconbridge (1175-1204), lord of Cognac from a relationship with NN. Richard the Lionheart followed his fortunes and blessed the union of his illegitimate son Philip de Falconbridge with Amelia de Cognac in 1190.

8. Received the nickname Lionheart during the Third Crusade in 1190. Cyprus, captured by Richard in 1191, was needed to maintain Frankish possessions in Palestine for another century.

9. Some of Richard's military exploits made him one of the most prominent figures in medieval history and literature, along with Roland and King Arthur. Contemporaries, however, even suspected him of treason and betrayal; Muslims reproached him for excessive cruelty.

10. Didn't speak English. During the 10 years of his reign, he spent less than six months in England and treated the army as a source of income. Managing the country was reduced to extracting taxes, trading in state lands, posts and other “preparations” for the Crusade.

11. Had many enemies. While returning to Europe, Richard was recognized, captured and imprisoned, where he remained for about two years. He was ransomed for a lot of money; his mother took an active part in the release of her son.

12. During the siege of the Chalus-Chabrol castle in Limousin on March 26, 1199, a crossbow bolt pierced his shoulder near the neck. The operation was unsuccessful, gangrene and sepsis developed. Eleven days later, on April 6, Richard died in the arms of his mother and wife - in full accordance with the heroism of his life.

13. The wounded Richard ordered the French knight Pierre Basil, who mortally wounded the king, not to be executed and even to pay him 100 shillings. After the death of the king and the capture of Chalus Castle, Basil was flayed and then hanged.

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1. Richard is the third son of King Henry II Plantagenet of England and his wife, Duchess Eleanor of Aquitaine. Richard had very little chance of becoming king, but the early deaths of his older brothers (William (1152-1156), Henry died of dysentery at the age of 28 (1155-1183), as well as the younger Geoffrey (1158-1186), simplified his rise to the throne power after the death of his father.
2. Perhaps it was precisely the fact that he was the youngest and not intended to be an heir that strengthened Richard’s knightly upbringing - he turned out to be a useless king, but a famous knight.
3. He also had another nickname (not as famous as Lionheart) - Richard Yes-e-No (Oc. N Oc-e-No), which meant that he was easily swayed in one direction or another.
4. Richard was well educated (he wrote poetry in French and Occitan) and very attractive - estimated to be 1 meter 93 centimeters tall, with blue eyes and blond hair.
5. Most of all, he loved to fight - from childhood he showed remarkable political and military abilities, was famous for his courage, and knew how to prevail over aristocrats in his lands.
6. During his lifetime he was compared (and continues to be compared) with Achilles. And the comparison is justified in one most important point - fame. Fame attracted him. Eleanor of Aquitaine, Richard's mother, wrote to the Pope: “While my son, like Achilles, fought under the walls of Accra...” This is where this comparison comes from!
7. The marriage with Berengaria of Navarre was fruitless; he had many extramarital affairs with women. Illegitimate son - Philip de Falconbridge (1175-1204), lord of Cognac from a relationship with NN. Richard the Lionheart followed his fortunes and blessed the union of his illegitimate son Philip de Falconbridge with Amelia de Cognac in 1190.
8. He received the nickname Lionheart during the Third Crusade in 1190. Cyprus, captured by Richard in 1191, was needed to maintain Frankish possessions in Palestine for another century.
9. Some of Richard's military exploits made him one of the most prominent figures in medieval history and literature, along with Roland and King Arthur. Contemporaries, however, even suspected him of treason and betrayal; Muslims reproached him for excessive cruelty.
10. Didn't speak English. During the 10 years of his reign, he spent less than six months in England and treated the army as a source of income. Managing the country was reduced to extracting taxes, trading in state lands, posts and other “preparations” for the Crusade.
11. Had many enemies. While returning to Europe, Richard was recognized, captured and imprisoned, where he remained for about two years. He was ransomed for a lot of money; his mother took an active part in the release of her son.
12. During the siege of the castle of Chalus-Chabrol in Limousin on March 26, 1199, a crossbow bolt pierced his shoulder near the neck. The operation was unsuccessful, gangrene and sepsis developed. Eleven days later, on April 6, Richard died in the arms of his mother and wife - in full accordance with the heroism of his life.
13. The wounded Richard ordered the French knight Pierre Basil, who mortally wounded the king, not to be executed and even to pay him 100 shillings. After the death of the king and the capture of Chalus Castle, Basil was flayed and then hanged.

Richard I born September 8, 1157 in the family of the English king Henry II and Eleanor of Aquitaine. Being the third son in the family, Richard was not the direct heir to the English throne. In 1170, his elder brother Henry was crowned by the English crown, and Henry II allocated the Duchy of Aquitaine to Richard in 1172. Before his coronation, Richard lived constantly in his duchy; he visited England only twice - in 1176 and 1184. In 1183, Henry II demanded that Richard swear an oath of allegiance to his elder brother Henry. After Richard categorically refused, a mercenary army led by Henry the Younger invaded Aquitaine. In the same year, Henry the Younger suddenly fell ill and died, but his father demanded that Richard cede Aquitaine in favor of his youngest brother John (John). Richard refused this demand and the war continued until he, by order of the king, returned the disputed Duchy of Aquitaine to his mother. An uneasy peace reigned in the family, in which, however, there was no trust between father and son.

In 1188, Richard swore allegiance to King Philip II of France and the throne went to Richard; on September 3, 1189, he was crowned in Westminster Abbey. He lived in England for four months, spending the rest of the time on military campaigns away from his country. However, he visited his kingdom again in 1194 and spent 2 months here. England was only a source of financing for his campaigns and he was unlikely to be a good king for her.

Back in 1187, Richard vowed to participate in the crusade, so he immediately responded to the call of the Pope to carry out the Third Crusade. The powerful monarchs of Germany and France also responded to the call of Clement III. It was decided to get to the Holy Land by sea in order to avoid many hardships and unexpected clashes with the Byzantine emperor. In the spring of 1190, the Crusaders headed towards the Mediterranean Sea through France. In Marseilles, the troops of the English king boarded ships and reached Sicily in September. The inhabitants of Messina met the crusaders very unfriendly, as a result of which a military conflict began, ending with the victory of Richard, accompanied by looting and violence. The troops of the English and French monarchs spent the winter in Sicily and only in the spring of 1191 Richard I moved on, having by this time quarreled with the King of France, Philip Augustus. They were caught in a storm at sea and some of the ships were washed up on the coast of Cyprus. Here the ships were captured by the Emperor of Cyprus, Isaac Comnenus, who refused to return them to Richard. As a result of this, a war broke out; in all battles, Richard showed miracles of valor and bravery, and was always ahead of the attackers. The 25-day war ended with the complete victory of Richard, he received a rich island into his possession, and here he celebrated his magnificent wedding with Berengaria of Nawrr.

In early June, Richard left for Syria and within a couple of days he found himself under the walls of Acre (Acre, Israel), the siege of which lasted almost two years. With the arrival of fresh forces, hostilities resumed and a month later the crusaders entered the city. The Crusaders demanded that Sultan Saladin return Life-giving Cross, release Christian captives and a ransom of 200 thousand gold pieces for hostages from among the noble townspeople. Along with success, quarrels and discord began in the Christian camp over the candidacy of the future King of Jerusalem. As a result of the discord that arose, the French king and his army left the Holy Land, Richard being the only leader of the crusaders. Having not received the agreed ransom and captured Christians from the Sultan, Richard ordered the slaughter of two thousand Muslim hostages in front of the gates of Acre, for which Richard the Lionheart was allegedly named. A couple of days later he led an army to Jerusalem. During the campaign, Richard showed himself to be a wise organizer, outstanding commander And brave warrior. At Arzuf, the Christians won a brilliant victory, losing 700 people, while Saladin lost 7 thousand people. Soon the attack on Jerusalem was suspended due to the fact that Saladin ordered the severe destruction of Askelon and it had to be hastily restored. The new campaign against Jerusalem was stopped by Saladin's attack on Joppe. Richard managed to defend the city, and at the same time showed miracles of courage and bravery.

At this time, bad news began to reach Richard about the excesses of his younger brother. brother John, who governed England during his absence. Richard hastily concludes a peace treaty with the Sultan on very unfavorable terms, which nullified all his military successes. Jerusalem and the Life-Giving Cross remained in the power of Muslims, and captive Christians were not released. Having concluded such an unfavorable agreement in September, Richard went home at the beginning of October. The return turned out to be very unsuccessful, the ship ran aground near Venice and Richard decided to secretly cross the possessions of his enemy Duke Leopold, was caught and imprisoned in Durenstein Castle. For silver, Richard was handed over to the German emperor, from whom only a year later he managed to buy his freedom for gold, and in addition took the feal oath to the emperor.

In March 1194, Richard landed on the shores of England. John could not resist his brother and submitted to him. Despite John’s unseemly behavior, bordering on treason, Richard forgave his brother and two months later left England forever. On the continent, he successfully led an offensive against Philip II and managed to return part of the Norman lands captured in his absence. During the siege of the castle on March 26, 1199 in Limousin, he was wounded in the shoulder. The wound seemed not to be dangerous, but blood poisoning occurred and after 11 days the brave King Richard the Lionheart died. In human memory, Richard remained a noble knight, a brilliant military leader, fearless warrior and a just king.

Crusades: King Richard I the Lionheart of England

The early life of Richard the Lionheart

Born on September 8, 1157, Richard was the third legitimate son of King Henry II of England. It is often believed that he was the favorite son of his mother, Eleanor of Aquitaine. He had two older brothers and a sister: William (died in infancy), Henry and Matilda, and four younger siblings - Geoffrey, Eleanor, Joanna and John. Like many of the English rulers of the Plantagenet dynasty, Richard was essentially French, and devoted more attention family lands in France rather than in England. Following his parents' divorce in 1167, Richard was granted the Duchy of Aquitaine.

Well educated and energetic, Richard quickly demonstrated his skill in military matters and personified his father's authority in French lands. In 1174, at the instigation of their mother, Richard, Henry (the Young King) and Geoffrey (Duke of Brittany) rebelled against their father. Reacting quickly to the uprising, Henry II suppressed it and captured Eleanor. Along with his defeated brothers, Richard submitted to his father's will and asked for forgiveness. His ambitions for greater things were curbed and Richard turned his full attention to maintaining his dominance in Aquitaine and controlling its nobles.

Right with an iron fist, Richard was forced to suppress serious baronial revolts in 1179 and 1181-1182. During this time, tensions arose again between Richard and his father when he demanded that his son take homage (an oath of vassalage) to his older brother Henry. Refusing this, Richard was soon attacked by Henry the Young King and Geoffrey in 1183. Faced with this invasion and the rebellion of his own nobles, Richard was able to skillfully repel the attacks. After the death of Henry the Young King in June 1183, Henry II ordered John to continue this campaign.

Seeking help, Richard entered into an alliance with the French king Philip II Augustus in 1187. In exchange for Philip's help, Richard ceded rights to Normandy and Anjou. That summer, upon hearing of the defeat of Christian troops at the Battle of Hattin, Richard and other members of the French nobility began preparing for a crusade. In 1189, Richard and Philip joined forces against Henry II and won a victory at Ballan on 4 July. Having met with Richard, Henry agreed to proclaim him his heir. Two days later, Henry II died and Richard ascended the throne. He was crowned at Westminster Abbey in September 1189.

Richard I – King of England

Following the coronation of Richard I, a wave of anti-Semitic violence swept across the country as Jews were forbidden to attend the ceremony, but some wealthy Jews defied the ban. Punishing those responsible for Jewish pogroms, Richard immediately began making plans for a crusade to the Holy Land. Sometimes resorting to extreme measures to raise money for the army, he was finally able to assemble an army of about 8,000 men. In the summer of 1190, having prepared the defense of his possessions in his absence, Richard and his army went on a campaign. Richard planned the campaign, later called the Third Crusade, in collaboration with King Philip II Augustus of France and Holy Roman Emperor Frederick I Barbarossa.

Meeting Philip in Sicily, Richard helped settle a dispute over the island's succession involving his sister Joanna and led a short campaign against Messina. During this time, he proclaimed his nephew Arthur of Brittany as his heir, which prompted his brother John to begin planning a rebellion. Moving on, Richard landed in Cyprus to rescue his mother and future bride, Berengaria of Navarre. Having defeated the island's despot, Isaac Comnenus, he completed the conquest of Cyprus and married Berengaria on 12 May 1191. He arrived in the Holy Land, or rather near Acre, on June 8.

Upon arrival, he supported Guy of Lusignan, who was fighting with Conrad of Montferrat for power in the Kingdom of Jerusalem. Conrad, in turn, was supported by Philip and Duke Leopold V of Austria. Putting their differences aside, the crusaders captured Acre that summer. After the city was captured, problems arose again as Richard disputed Leopold's contribution to the crusade. Although he was not a king, Leopold led the troops of the Holy Roman Empire in the Holy Land after the death of Frederick Barbarossa in 1190. After Richard's soldiers threw down Leopold's banner from the wall of Acre, the Austrian Duke left the Holy Land in anger and returned home.

Soon after this, Richard and Philip began a dispute regarding the status of Cyprus and the Kingdom of Jerusalem. While ill, Philip returned to France, leaving Richard without allies to face Saladin's Muslim forces. Moving south, Richard defeated Saladin's forces at the Battle of Arsuf on September 7, 1191, and then attempted to begin peace negotiations. Initially rebuffed by Saladin, Richard spent the first months of 1192 rebuilding the fortifications of Ascalon. Over the course of the year, the positions of both Richard and Saladin began to weaken, and they were forced to enter into negotiations.

Knowing that he could not hold Jerusalem even if he took it, and that at home John and Philip were plotting against him, Richard decided to demolish the walls of Ascalon in exchange for a three-year truce for Christian access to the holy sites in Jerusalem. After the agreement was signed on September 2, 1192, Richard went home. Having suffered a shipwreck on the way, Richard was forced to travel overland, and in December he was captured by Leopold of Austria, through whose lands he was traveling. Prisoner first at Dürnstein and then at Trifels Castle in the Palatinate, Richard was largely comfortable in captivity. For his release, Holy Roman Emperor Henry VI demanded 150 thousand marks.

Although Eleanor of Aquitaine tried to raise money, John and Philip offered Henry VI 80 thousand marks to keep Richard captive at least until the day of the Archangel Michael (in the Catholic tradition - September 29) 1194. Having refused them, the emperor received a ransom and released Richard on February 4, 1194. Returning to England, he quickly forced John to submit to his will, but declared his brother his heir instead of his nephew Arthur. Having settled the situation in England, Richard returned to France to deal with Philip.

Having formed an alliance against his former friend, Richard achieved several victories over the French over the next five years. In March 1199, Richard besieged the small castle of Chalus-Chabrol. On the night of March 25, while walking along the siege fortifications, he was wounded by a crossbow bolt in the left shoulder (in the neck). He was unable to remove the arrow himself, so he called a surgeon, who pulled out the arrow, but during this process he severely opened the wound. Richard soon developed gangrene, and the king died in his mother's arms on April 6, 1199.

The outcome of Richard's reign is largely controversial - some historians point to his military skill and willingness to go on crusade, while others emphasize his cruelty and disdain for his state. Although he was king for ten years, he spent only about six months in England, and the rest of the time was either in the French possessions or abroad. He was succeeded by his brother John, who became known as

Image of the English king Richard I the Lionheart covered with an aura of romance and courage. His name was often mentioned in medieval epic as a hero of legends and novels. But if we look at history, everything turns out to be not so rosy. And the king received the nickname “Lionheart” not for his outstanding courage, but for his incredible cruelty.

The English king became the hero of numerous literary works. Thus, in the novels of the 14th-15th centuries, his image is almost ideal. Allegedly, in a fight with a lion, Richard put his hand into its mouth and tore out its pulsating heart. But in fact, he was nicknamed “Lionheart” for a completely different reason.

Another nickname for the king was Richard Yes-and-No. This is a kind of ridicule from his subjects for the fact that he often changed his decisions, being influenced from outside.

According to legend, at first no one knew that Richard was languishing in captivity. But one day the troubadour Blondel passed by the prison and hummed a song composed by the English king. And then suddenly a voice was heard from the prison window, singing along with him.

The emperor asked for 150 thousand marks for the king's ransom. This amount amounted to the taxes of the British for two years. The first to rush to the king's rescue was Alienor of Aquitaine. She ordered a quarter of their income to be collected from people. The English medieval historian William of Newburgh wrote that after the release of Richard, Emperor Henry VI lamented that he had not left “a strong tyrant, truly threatening the whole world” to languish in prison.

The king's mother herself lived a long life.

The conflict between the English monarch Richard I (1157 - 1199) and Duke Leopold V of Austria (1157 - 1194) began due to a dispute over supremacy in the Third Crusade (1189 - 1192). The hot-tempered Richard the Lionheart, when the soldiers of Duke Leopold V of Austria took possession of one of the walls of Acre, ordered the Austrian banner to be torn down and replaced with his own. By this, the English king offended the entire German knighthood and received a personal enemy in the person of the duke.

Subsequently, the conflict was aggravated: King Richard supported Guy de Lusignan in his claims to the throne of Jerusalem (de Lusignan was overthrown as a result palace coup), and Duke Leopold V was a supporter of Conrad of Montferrat, his relative. In 1192, Conrad was killed by assassins; many attributed this murder to the English monarch.

On September 2, 1192, Richard made peace with Saladin and left Syria in October. However, the way home presented considerable difficulties, since the English king made powerful enemies everywhere. The route through Southern France was blocked by the troops of the Count of Toulouse, and the road through Italy by numerous supporters of the Holy Roman Empire. The Emperor ordered that if King Richard appeared on the lands subordinate to him, he would detain the King of England. The English monarch was accused of betraying the cause of the crusaders, wanting to hand over the French king Philip Augustus to Saladin, ordering the murder of Conrad of Montferrat, and poisoning the Duke of Burgundy. Philip Augustus even feared the assassins that Richard might send and strengthened his security. The threat at sea was the ships of Byzantium, outraged by the seizure of Cyprus, and the ships of Pisa and Genoa, allies of the German emperor. In addition, autumn storms excluded the possibility of passing through Gibraltar and sailing to Atlantic Ocean.

On November 11, Richard landed on the island of Corfu. Here the king hired 2-3 galleys and moved on with a small retinue. Perhaps he wanted to land on the coast of Dalmatia, which, together with Croatia, was part of Hungary. In the Kingdom of Hungary, Richard could count on a friendly reception, and from there he could get to Bohemia to Ottokar, an ally of Henry the Lion. From Bohemia it was possible to travel to lands that belonged to Richard's friends and relatives. Richard's sea voyage ended in the Gulf of Venice, between Venice and Aquileia. Apparently, the king's ship was driven there by a storm and was wrecked.

Richard's overland journey began. He traveled under an assumed name, and with him were Baldwin de Bethune, Guillaume de Etang, secretary Master Philip of Poitiers, chaplain Anselm and several Knights Templar. Richard let his beard grow and long hair. It is unknown why Richard headed northeast to Vienna, into the hands of his enemy Leopold of Austria. Perhaps the group lost its way, not turning east in time to Croatia and Hungary, or northwest to Bohemia. Perhaps the group was hampered by bad weather, impassable passes, or a pursuit. In addition, it should be noted such a character trait of Richard the Lionheart as an irresponsible, frivolous attitude towards himself (Richard treated himself not as a king, on whom the future of thousands of people depended, but as a simple warrior), love of risk. He often teased fate, which led to situations where he had to strain all his mental strength and available resources to get out of the current situation. Therefore, it may well be that the path through Austria was chosen deliberately, Richard took the risk himself.

It is clear that the group of about twenty pilgrims of Anglo-French origin, who literally showered money along the way, did not go unnoticed. Meinhard, Count of Görtz, on whose land Richard began his journey, did not detain the strange group, but informed his brother, Count Engelbert, about it. He sent a detachment in pursuit. The chase intercepted Richard, but did not detain him. Richard left a separate group with Bethune so that she would divert attention to himself, and moved on. In Friesach in Carinthia, several more people were detained, but Richard was able to escape. Soon only two people remained with him. After going hungry for several days, Richard went out to populated areas and was detained. This happened on the outskirts of Vienna on December 21, 1192. The Austrian Duke immediately arrived at the place of detention, to whom Richard handed over his sword.

The arrest of the King Knight became one of the most important political events late 12th century Western Europe. This led to significant losses for the English crown in Normandy and the transition of the Kingdom of Sicily to the rule of the German emperors. The German Emperor Henry VI of Hohenstaufen considered Richard as an ally of the Sicilian king Tancred of Lecce, who seized the throne of Sicily, which belonged to the emperor. In addition, Richard was a relative and supporter of the emperor’s opponent, Henry the Lion. And Duke Leopold, who was not only Richard’s personal enemy, but also a supporter of the emperor, knew about his attitude towards the English king and about the agreement between Henry and Philip of France to capture Richard the Lionheart. It is quite possible that without information about the enmity of these great rulers towards the English king, the Duke would not have dared to detain Richard.

On December 28, Henry informed Philip about the capture of “the enemy of Our Empire and the troublemaker of Your Kingdom.” The French king Philip II Augustus immediately wrote a letter to Leopold, saying that Richard was guilty of the death of Conrad of Montferrat, a relative of the French king and emperor, as well as the attempt on his life, Philip, and demanded not to release the English king without consulting with him and the emperor. Then the French king told this pleasant news to Richard's brother John. The emperor and the duke made no secret of the arrest; on the contrary, they notified everyone in order to quickly receive the ransom.

Richard's first prison was Durnstein Castle, sixty kilometers from Vienna, and then in Oxenfurt, near Würzburg. On January 6, 1193, in Regensburg, Leopold of Austria showed Richard to the emperor, but took him back because there was no agreement yet. On February 14, an agreement on the extradition of the English king was signed in Würzburg. The agreement guaranteed Richard's immunity. Henry VI was to receive 50 thousand Cologne marks, Richard also guaranteed personal participation with a squadron of 50 galleys and 200 knights in the capture of Sicily for the emperor. The Duke was also to receive 50 thousand marks and the hand of Richard's niece Alienora (Eleanor) of Brittany for one of his sons. The Duke also demanded the release of Isaac of Cyprus and his daughter. Richard had to get the Pope to lift the possible excommunication from the Duke and Emperor. The word “ransom” does not appear anywhere in the documents.

In March, Richard was brought to Speer for a meeting of the princes. The most terrible threat to Richard at this time was his extradition worst enemy- the French monarch. In this case, he was guaranteed life imprisonment, the loss of all possessions on the mainland, and John could establish himself on the throne in England. In this regard, Leopold of Austria immediately became Richard's ally. When Richard was transferred to the French king, instead of profit, the Duke received complete losses: the “dowry” along with Alienor, the release of Isaac and the lifting of excommunication could only be guaranteed by Richard. As a result, the Duke, from an enemy, became Richard's protector and even, to a certain extent, an ally.

John developed a vigorous activity. In mid-January he was already in Paris. John promised to marry Alice and transfer the Norman Vexin to Philip of France. In addition, he took an oath to Philip for all mainland possessions and, possibly, for England. Returning to England, John began to prepare to seize power. He asked for help from the Scottish king William the Lion, but he, grateful to Richard for liberation from fiefdom and being a relative of Arthur of Brittany, refused. Then Philip asked Baldwin, Count of Flanders, for help. He began to collect ships and warriors. However, Eleanor and the Justiciar (the highest political and judicial official) called on the knights and people to gather a real army. Patrols were posted along the entire southeastern coast in case of invasion. After capturing several enemy scouts, the invasion was called off. John did not resign himself and strengthened his castles with mercenaries from Wales and Flanders, announced the death of Richard and proclaimed himself king.

The Supreme Justiciar Gautier de Coutances held a state meeting at the end of February, which sent two abbots to Germany. On March 18, Abbots Boxley and Robertbridge discovered Richard in Oxenfurt. On March 21, Richard met with the emperor. On March 22, Richard appeared before the court of princes in Speyer. Many of the princes were in opposition to the emperor, so they were not present. Henry brought several charges against Richard: helping Tancred of Lecce against the emperor, receiving money from him, depriving of power and imprisoning Isaac of Cyprus, selling and reselling his land, participation in the murder of Conrad, attempted murder of Philip, insulting Duke Leopold and other German knights, treason holy land (peace with Saladin and exchange of gifts).

Richard defended himself so eloquently and with such dignity that all suspicions were brushed aside. Richard the Lionheart said: “Carried away by passion, I may have sinned, but my conscience is not stained by any crime.” In conclusion, the king challenged anyone who was ready to accuse him of treason to a duel. Emperor Henry had no choice but to drop the charges, hug Richard and kiss him with the kiss of peace. Having made peace with Richard, Henry expressed his readiness to reconcile the king with Philip. Richard expressed his willingness to pay 100 thousand marks as gratitude. On March 23, Leopold handed Richard over to Henry. On March 25, an agreement came into force, according to which the English ruler had to pay the emperor 100 thousand Cologne marks (of which 50 thousand for Duke Leopold), and also transfer 50 galleys and 200 knights to Henry for a year. After Henry and Richard celebrated Easter together, the English king was sent under house arrest to Trifelse Castle. He was allowed to hunt there, under the supervision of 50 knights. Then he was transferred to the more luxurious castle of Haguenau in Alsace, where the emperor was located.

Somewhat later, Richard's innocence in the murder of Conrad and the attempt on Philip's life was confirmed by two letters from the head of the Assassins, the "Old Man of the Mountain". The first letter, in 1193, was sent to Duke Leopold, informing him that Conrad of Montferrat had been killed for piracy, robbery and violence. The second letter was read in Paris in 1195, it was reported that Richard had nothing to do with the assassination attempt on Philip and the murder of Conrad. Both letters were apparently written in Richard's office and signed either by the head of the Assassins through the mediation of Count Henry of Champagne, or simply in the royal office itself. As a result, both charges were dropped completely.

On April 19, a letter was sent to England with the conditions of release: it was necessary to immediately pay 70% of the amount. A new tax was introduced in the country. The laity and the church were required to give up a quarter of their movable property. Gold and silver utensils, even sacred relics, were given to the church. Mainland possessions also contributed, but to a lesser extent. At the same time, the king's supporters, having received confirmation that Richard was alive, took on John more energetically. The castles of Windsor and Tickhill with his supporters were besieged. However, a truce was soon concluded with him, John transferred the castles of Windsor and Wallingford to his mother for the duration of the peace, Nottingham and Tickhill remained with him.

At this time, Philip achieved significant success in Normandy - his army occupied the fortresses of Gisors and Nofl. This was a severe blow to the entire defensive system of Normandy. In the same campaign, the counties of Aumal and E. were captured. Philip created a base for further offensive. In addition, some border barons, who always balanced between the French monarchs and the Norman dukes, went over to the side of the French king. Philip's troops besieged Rouen, but the defense of the city was led by Richard's associate, the Earl of Leicester. After two weeks of siege, Philip withdrew his troops, fearing the Angevin army. However, Philip managed to take the cities of Pasy and Ivry. Philip accompanied the Norman campaign with intense information war against Richard. The English king was accused of violating his oath to marry Alice and all the charges that Emperor Henry voiced in Speyer.

At the end of May, Richard was transferred to Worms. While in captivity, Richard developed vigorous political and diplomatic activity. He constantly communicated with England and kept the situation there under his control. Richard had to do a lot of work to reconcile the emperor with the Lower Rhine princes, who were outraged by the murder of the Bishop of Liege Albert by the imperial knights and were going to place the Duke of Brabant on the royal throne. The war between the emperor and the princes threatened an alliance between Henry and Philip, who could offer a large ransom and military assistance in the fight against the princes for the English king. However, the Lower Rhine princes were interested in trade relations with England and agreed to an agreement with Richard. Philip's meeting with Henry did not take place. Emperor Henry VI also took into account the fact that Richard’s extradition to France further strengthened Philip’s position. The French king committed a number of unfriendly actions towards the emperor: he took the oath of John (Henry himself wanted to make England dependent); married the sister of the Danish king, who refused to take an oath of fealty to the emperor, etc.

On June 29, the final conditions for the release of Richard the Lionheart were approved in Worms. Richard was supposed to receive freedom after paying 100 thousand marks (of which 30 thousand to Leopold). The remaining 50 thousand marks were to be paid within seven months after liberation. At this time, Richard left hostages: 60 people for 30 thousand to the emperor and 7 people for 20 thousand to Duke Leopold. During these seven months, Eleanor was to arrive in Austria and marry the Duke's son. Thus, immediate military assistance Richard's contribution to the emperor in the conquest of the Kingdom of Sicily was replaced by the payment of an additional 50 thousand marks.

King Philip, having learned about the Treaty of Worms, told John: “Beware, the devil is on the loose.” Having received this news, John fled to France. Philip did not know that there was still six months before Richard’s release, so he hastened to conclude a peace agreement (July 9, 1193 in Manta). According to it, Philip retained the conquered territories, but recognized Richard as the owner of the mainland fiefs. Richard understood that he would not be freed soon, so he ordered the English delegation to conclude “at least some” agreement to stop the war. Even in relation to John, his rights to the lands that belonged to him were confirmed.

While Richard was in captivity for the second winter, ransoms were collected in England. To estimate its size, it is enough to say that the ready income of the royal treasury from England and Normandy was then approximately 30 thousand marks per year. True, the ransom was collected mainly at the expense of the church, the property of the nobility and cities. The state treasury did not suffer large losses, so Richard was able to start a war with France immediately after his return. By Christmas 1193 the Emperor had received so much money that he set Richard's release for 17 January. By this time, his mother had arrived for Richard with the last part of the ransom.

In mid-January, the French king Philip and John made a desperate attempt to maintain the existing situation or even strengthen it. They offered the emperor 150 thousand marks, of which John had to pay a third, for the transfer of Richard to them or for an additional year of his arrest. Another option provided for the transfer of 100 thousand marks to Henry if he detained Richard the Lionheart until the end of autumn. It was also proposed to transfer 1 thousand pounds for each additional month of delay. This proposal interested Henry, and he postponed Richard's release. A new meeting of the imperial princes was scheduled for February 2 in Mainz. Henry reported on the letters of Philip and John, turning to the princes who guarantored the emperor in the treaty. The princes did not support the idea of ​​extending Richard's imprisonment. The English king, on the advice of his mother, threw his last trump card into battle - he took an oath of fealty to the emperor for England. He decided that it was better to suffer moral damage and be freed than to worsen the situation in France by losing new territories. The oath was accompanied by the promise of an annual payment of 5 thousand pounds.

On February 4, Richard was "returned to his mother and freedom." Richard's triumphant journey down the Rhine lasted a week. He was solemnly received in Cologne, Brussels and Antwerp. During this time, he tied the Lower Rhine princes to himself with a number of political and trade agreements (including the payment of pensions). Richard's allies were the archbishops of Cologne and Mainz, the bishop of Liege, the dukes of Brabant and Limburg, the Count of Holland and other smaller rulers. With this, Richard blocked Philip's main ally in the region - the Count of Flanders. On March 13, 1194, Richard the Lionheart landed on the English coast.