Richard I (1157 - 1199)
Richard I Richard was a king of England, later known as the 'Lion Heart', and famous for his exploits in the Third Crusade, although during his 10-year reign he spent only six months in England.
Richard was born on 8 September 1157 in Oxford, son of Henry II and Eleanor of Aquitaine. He possessed considerable political and military ability. However, like his brothers, he fought with his family, joining them in the great rebellion against their father in 1173. In 1183 his brother Henry died, leaving Richard heir to the throne. Henry II wanted to give Aquitaine to his youngest son, John. Richard refused and, in 1189, joined forces with Philip II of France against his father, hounding him to a premature death in July 1189.
As king, Richard's chief ambition was to join the Third Crusade, prompted by Saladin's capture of Jerusalem in 1187. To finance this, he sold sheriffdoms and other offices and in 1190 he departed for the Holy Land. In May, he reached Cyprus where he married Berengaria, daughter of the king of Navarre. Richard arrived in the Holy Land in June 1191 and Acre fell the following month. In September, his victory at Arsuf gave the crusaders possession of Joppa. Although he came close, Jerusalem, the crusade's main objective, eluded him. Moreover, fierce quarrels among the French, German and English contingents provided further troubles. After a year's stalemate, Richard made a truce with Saladin and started his journey home.
Bad weather drove him ashore near Venice and he was imprisoned by Duke Leopold of Austria before being handed over to the German emperor Henry VI, who ransomed him for the huge sum of 150,000 marks. The raising of the ransom was a remarkable achievement. In February 1194, Richard was released. He returned at once to England and was crowned for a second time, fearing that the ransom payment had compromised his independence. Yet a month later he went to Normandy, never to return. His last five years were spent in intermittent warfare against Philip II. While besieging the castle of Châlus in central France he was fatally wounded and died on 6 April 1199. He was succeeded by his younger brother John, who had spent the years of Richard's absence scheming against him.
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Edward I (1239 - 1307)
Edward I A English king best known for his campaigns to subdue Wales and Scotland, Edward was also responsible for significant legal and administrative reform in England.
Edward was born in June 1239 at Westminster, the son of Henry III. In 1254, he married Eleanor of Castile. Edward's early adulthood took place against a backdrop of civil strife between his father and rebel barons. Edward was himself held captive by rebel leader Simon de Montfort before escaping and leading royalist forces to victory at the Battle of Evesham in August 1265, where de Montfort was killed.
In 1270, Edward left England to join the Eighth Crusade. His father died in 1272 and Edward returned to London, arriving in August 1274. He was determined to enforce his primacy in the British Isles. The first part of his reign was dominated by his campaigns in Wales. He invaded in 1277, defeated the Welsh leader, Llywelyn ap Gruffyd and built a ring of castles to enforce his authority. When his rule provoked rebellion, he invaded again. Gruffyd was killed in battle in 1282 and his brother David executed, ending Welsh hopes of independence. Wales was brought into the English legal and administrative framework and in 1301 Edward's son was proclaimed prince of Wales - a tradition that persists to this day.
At home, Edward was responsible for a variety of legal and administrative reforms, asserting the rights of the Crown, promoting the uniform administration of justice and codifying the legal system. His military campaigns necessitated increases in taxation which in turn required more regular meetings of parliament - by the end of Edward's reign, these had become an established feature of political life. The desire for financial gain contributed to Edward's expulsion of Jews from England in 1290.
In 1292, Edward was asked to arbitrate in a succession dispute in Scotland and nominated John Balliol as king. Balliol duly swore allegiance to Edward, but Edward's demands pushed the Scots into an alliance with France. Edward invaded and conquered Scotland. Opposition gathered around William Wallace, but he was captured by the English and executed in 1305. In 1306, the Scottish nobleman Robert the Bruce rebelled.
Edward was on his way to fight Bruce when he died, on 7 July 1307
Richard I Richard was a king of England, later known as the 'Lion Heart', and famous for his exploits in the Third Crusade, although during his 10-year reign he spent only six months in England.
Richard was born on 8 September 1157 in Oxford, son of Henry II and Eleanor of Aquitaine. He possessed considerable political and military ability. However, like his brothers, he fought with his family, joining them in the great rebellion against their father in 1173. In 1183 his brother Henry died, leaving Richard heir to the throne. Henry II wanted to give Aquitaine to his youngest son, John. Richard refused and, in 1189, joined forces with Philip II of France against his father, hounding him to a premature death in July 1189.
As king, Richard's chief ambition was to join the Third Crusade, prompted by Saladin's capture of Jerusalem in 1187. To finance this, he sold sheriffdoms and other offices and in 1190 he departed for the Holy Land. In May, he reached Cyprus where he married Berengaria, daughter of the king of Navarre. Richard arrived in the Holy Land in June 1191 and Acre fell the following month. In September, his victory at Arsuf gave the crusaders possession of Joppa. Although he came close, Jerusalem, the crusade's main objective, eluded him. Moreover, fierce quarrels among the French, German and English contingents provided further troubles. After a year's stalemate, Richard made a truce with Saladin and started his journey home.
Bad weather drove him ashore near Venice and he was imprisoned by Duke Leopold of Austria before being handed over to the German emperor Henry VI, who ransomed him for the huge sum of 150,000 marks. The raising of the ransom was a remarkable achievement. In February 1194, Richard was released. He returned at once to England and was crowned for a second time, fearing that the ransom payment had compromised his independence. Yet a month later he went to Normandy, never to return. His last five years were spent in intermittent warfare against Philip II. While besieging the castle of Châlus in central France he was fatally wounded and died on 6 April 1199. He was succeeded by his younger brother John, who had spent the years of Richard's absence scheming against him.
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Edward I (1239 - 1307)
Edward I A English king best known for his campaigns to subdue Wales and Scotland, Edward was also responsible for significant legal and administrative reform in England.
Edward was born in June 1239 at Westminster, the son of Henry III. In 1254, he married Eleanor of Castile. Edward's early adulthood took place against a backdrop of civil strife between his father and rebel barons. Edward was himself held captive by rebel leader Simon de Montfort before escaping and leading royalist forces to victory at the Battle of Evesham in August 1265, where de Montfort was killed.
In 1270, Edward left England to join the Eighth Crusade. His father died in 1272 and Edward returned to London, arriving in August 1274. He was determined to enforce his primacy in the British Isles. The first part of his reign was dominated by his campaigns in Wales. He invaded in 1277, defeated the Welsh leader, Llywelyn ap Gruffyd and built a ring of castles to enforce his authority. When his rule provoked rebellion, he invaded again. Gruffyd was killed in battle in 1282 and his brother David executed, ending Welsh hopes of independence. Wales was brought into the English legal and administrative framework and in 1301 Edward's son was proclaimed prince of Wales - a tradition that persists to this day.
At home, Edward was responsible for a variety of legal and administrative reforms, asserting the rights of the Crown, promoting the uniform administration of justice and codifying the legal system. His military campaigns necessitated increases in taxation which in turn required more regular meetings of parliament - by the end of Edward's reign, these had become an established feature of political life. The desire for financial gain contributed to Edward's expulsion of Jews from England in 1290.
In 1292, Edward was asked to arbitrate in a succession dispute in Scotland and nominated John Balliol as king. Balliol duly swore allegiance to Edward, but Edward's demands pushed the Scots into an alliance with France. Edward invaded and conquered Scotland. Opposition gathered around William Wallace, but he was captured by the English and executed in 1305. In 1306, the Scottish nobleman Robert the Bruce rebelled.
Edward was on his way to fight Bruce when he died, on 7 July 1307