Richard the lion hearted
Richard the lion heartedBorn: 8th September 1157 at Beaumont Palace, Oxford
Died: 6th April 1199 at Chalus, Aquitaine
Buried: Fontevrault Abbey, Anjou
Parents: Henry II and Eleanor of Aquitaine
Siblings: William, Henry, Matilda, Geoffrey, Eleanor, Joan & John
Crowned: 2nd September 1189 at Westminster Abbey, Middlesex
Married: 12th May 1191 at Limassol, Cyprus
Spouse: Berengia daughter of Sancho VI, King of Navarre
Offspring: None
Richard Plantagenet (also known as "Richard the lion hearted") was born on
September 8th in the year 1157 CE. Although born in Oxfordshire England,
Richard was a child of Aquitaine a part of Southern France. His language was
not English and throughout his life he spoke little of it.
He had four brothers and three sisters, the first of which died at a young
age. Of the remainder, Henry was named heir to the English throne, Richard
was to succeed his mother's Aquitane and Geoffrey was to inherit Brittany.
John was the poorest to fair out receiving nothing from his father. It is
this action that gave him the name John Lackland.
At a young age of twelve, Richard pledged homage to the King of France for
lands of his. At the age of fourteen, Richard was named the Duke of Aquitane
in the church of St. Hillaire at Poitiers (one of the lands made homage to
the French King.) Henry's sons, who had been given lands but no real power
revolted against their King father aided by their mother. In retaliation King
Henry had Eleanor jailed. She remained there for many years.
Richard's Mother Eleanor
Eleanor was the daughter and heiress of William X, duke of Aquitaine and
count of Poitiers, who possessed one of the largest domains in
France--larger, in fact, than those held by the French king. Upon William's
death in 1137 she inherited the Duchy of Aquitaine and in July 1137 married
the heir to the French throne, who succeeded his father, Louis VI, the
following month. Eleanor became queen of France, a title she held for the
next 15 years. Beautiful, capricious, and adored by Louis, Eleanor exerted
considerable influence over him, often goading him into undertaking perilous
ventures.
From 1147 to 1149 Eleanor accompanied Louis on the Second Crusade to protect
the fragile Latin kingdom of Jerusalem, founded after the First Crusade only
50 years before, from Turkish assault. Eleanor's conduct during this
expedition, especially at the court of her Uncle Raymond of Poitiers at
Antioch, aroused Louis's jealousy and...
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