King_Richard_the_Lionhearted

King Richard: Master of the third crusade In the eleventh century the life of people varied greatly based upon social status. Kings, bishops, and nobles would have massive amounts of wealth and essentially created the phrase, “lives like a king.” They would live in massive castles observing the land while they watched the peasants work the fields. On the other hand the peasants lived in terrible housing with awful conditions. They lived in tiny shacks with their own animals and in their feces on a hard dirt floor. The only thing they had to look forward to was the supposed heaven for being an avid member of the Church, which was the highest authority in their lives. If a priest would tell a peasant to do something they would do it. On the other side of the hemisphere a renaissance was occurring. Art, literature and science were all having massive advances, the Arabian empires were expanding, conquering, and inventing all under the banner of Islam, all the while converting more and more followers to the fast growing faith. Eventually, however, the Muslims became cocky and stopped allowing Christian pilgrims into the Holy Land and the city of Jerusalem. They did this to make a Jerusalem a Muslim only city. The Christians, though, still wanted to visit the holy land. This is what pope Urban II used to start the first crusade, the new series of wars that shaped the relationship between Europe and the Middle East today. Life on a farm was boring. You woke up, raked the fields went to sleep and then did it all again. Except for the occasional break on Sunday to go to church, life was dull. So how would a bored young man escape the mundane life of a farmer' The answer is easy: join a crusade. There were eight official crusades. That is to say, the pope declared them and there were national armies at their disposal, but there were dozens more crusades declared outside of the pope’s jurisdiction. Crusades like the Children’s Crusade and the Peasants’ Crusade usually failed and were not rallied behind like the official ones we still hear about today. The first was arguably the most important because it paved the way for the other eight crusades. Even though few of them actually succeeded they all had their own effect on both Europe and the Middle East. Pope Urban II in 1096 CE started the first crusade, through charismatic speeches and declaring it a religious necessity. It was a success in every way imaginable. The people were enthusiastic and ready to launch a crusade. Men from all over Europe flocked to join the battle that was brewing in the Middle East. He had created an army of bored, curious men looking for a cause. Because religion and farming were the only two things in their lives, they were more then ready to join a crusade. Also, the promise of treasure was given in many of the Pope’s speeches. The Crusade effectively succeeded on a military standpoint as well. The Christian armies took the city and the surrounding area with ease and even kept a large area of land leading them to the site. Unfortunately the Crusaders were a little too successful. Because of this they didn’t take the time to set up a permanent or stable government. This poor judgment on the Crusaders’ part would eventually lead to the pathetic second Crusade (11-10 Doherty). Why was the second Crusade so pathetic' After the first Crusade the lands surrounding the Holy Land were under Christian control, but the lands beyond that point were all Muslim. It was a similar situation to Israel today. And just like modern Israel, no Muslim wanted them there. This caused very high border tension, made worse because Muslims weren’t allowed in the city any more, just like the Christians weren’t allowed in before. This provoked the Muslims to launch a campaign to take back their land. They did so and even took back most of the strip of land from Europe to Jerusalem the first crusaders made. In response, Pope Eugene III launched the second Crusade in 1147 CE. But this time, the Christians faced the most effective and feared Muslim general for the next 300 years. Throughout the second Crusade, Saladin won every battle in which he was a general. This earned him a reputation of being invincible. The Crusaders were crushed. What little land they had before was almost completely gone. Most of them were either killed or captured. The failure of the crusaders marked a turning point for the rivalry between Muslims and Christians. No longer were Christians the undefeatable bullies. The Muslims had proved themselves against the greatest world power at the time. Unfortunately, the Christians didn’t like the ending to the second Crusade. So they were eager to start the third and most terrifying crusade the world had ever seen, and pits the two greatest generals of the time against each other. Richard the Lion Hearted would face Saladin in the third and greatest crusade (21-28 Crompton). Richard was born in 1157, only ten years after the failure of the second Crusade. In the courts all he would hear about was the loss of what they considered their great land and he would reclaim that land (119 Crompton). Richard had one problem though: his dad Henry II. His dad wanted to divide the kingdom between his three sons: Philip, John, and Richard. As might be expected, this didn’t work well with the three brothers. John’s strategy was to make himself Henry’s favorite son. This was about to work when in 1177 Richard launched a revolt against his father. There was fighting all over England and eventually Henry had to give his lands to Richard when he died. This was one of the first signs of how ruthless and selfish Richard was. Some even speculate that Richard killed his own father (45-51). Richard now ruled all of England but he was restless. He didn’t like domestic rule, and he was also terrible at it. Richard only spent eight months at home in his country during his reign and when he left he would leave incompetent substitutes. This caused domestic unrest and led to the most inept of all English kings to gain power, King John. Richard’s domestic policy was appalling. He infected the minds of the people with bad ideas. One such people he ruined the reputation of were the Jews. On his crowning ceremony he banned all Jews from the service. This alone was an insult. He was never encouraged to do so and was obviously an anti-Semite. Some Jewish people did arrive at the ceremony and were not treated kindly. They were beaten, stripped and thrown out (56 Crompton). At this time people would follow whatever the king decided to do. So people would riot in Jewish neighborhoods and burn down Jewish buildings and even Jews themselves. Richard, not wanting a full out massacre, made laws to protect the Jews. These were loosely enforced though and there were still terrible incidents.    Soon, however, Richards’s domestic flaws wouldn’t be a problem. In 1189 Phillip II along with many other Christian kings decided it was time to reclaim the Holy Land. Richard hated England and longed to leave (139 Gillingham). He stated England was cold and always raining. Also Richard had proved his own on the battlefield. When he was younger he led a very successful rebellion against his father and when his father made up with him put down the barren rebellion that followed suit (55). The other kings were originally very happy to let Richard join, England did have one of the biggest armies in the world, so Richard went off to take the first city on the crusaders list, Acre. Then the problem was raised that if Richard left nobody would be able to rule the country. So Richard appointed his brothers, Philip and John. This would eventually lead to one of the most important documents in the history of government being signed: The Magna Carta. But this document had to be made for all the wrong reasons (27 Gillingham).          John was immediately an unpopular leader. He increased taxes, embezzled and didn’t know how to rule, but as most inept leaders do he got addicted to power. But he also knew the crusades wouldn’t last forever and he would have to give up the throne eventually. On Richard’s journey home from the crusades he was a well-known man. So Philip Augustus captured him and charged a king’s ransom for him to be returned. John saw this as an opportunity to rule England for a little longer. He sent a letter to Philip telling him to keep Richard there for as long as he could. It wasn’t long before Richard did get out and learned of John’s crime. If Richard had given John what he deserved the Magna Carta may never been made. The Magna Carta was made when John failed to supply the war after charging a high tax, as well as other abuses of power. A group of Barons, bishops, and nobles gathered to make a seal that would keep the king from becoming a despot and exploiting them for money and power. John turned out to be a terrible ruler, so much so that there was never again a king John (281 Gillingham).       Richard’s campaign to Jerusalem was a long and bloody one. But he wasn’t alone: two major leaders, Fredrick Barbarossa and Philip II of France, were both accompanying Richard into the Middle East, though neither would make for long. Fredrick was the first to go. Fredrick was an older man. He was a leader of the Holy Roman Empire but was far too old to be going on this crusade. In Armenia Frederick decided to bring his horse to the water. He fell in along with his armor and drowned. He lead most of the German forces and the Muslims took this opportunity to ravage and destroy the already damaged army until only about five thousand soldiers remained.  This caused a massive dent in the crusader forces but Richard, being brave, pushed on (83 Doherty). Phillip lasted longer than his German friend but still not as long as Richard. As it was, there was a poor relationship between Richard and Phillip. This crusade just made things worse. Richard split up with Phillip when he went by land and Phillip went by sea. Because of this the French and English armies were away for a long time and created a rift between both forces. This led to a weaker military force, which would have negative effects in the case of an attack. This also made Phillip more likely to return to France. Soon Phillip became sick with dysentery. So his crusading spirit decreased even more. Additionally Richard was acting very smug in Phillip’s presence because of his success at Acre. This made Phillip realize that because Richard and his armed forces were in the Middle East the British-occupied parts of France were undefended. This was the straw that broke the camel’s back. Phillip was tired, sick, had low morale, was being insulted, and had promise of capturing land he had always had his eyes on. He was leaving the crusade (179 Gillingham). Richard didn’t only annoy Phillip. He annoyed his own men and other allies as well. For instance during the siege at Acre he denied his men access to vital resources which caused crusaders to get annoyed and disloyal. He also insulted the duke of Austria, Leopold. He did this when they captured the city of Acre. When they captured Acre they put up flags all around the city. Leopold put up way too many flags and Richards’s men tore them all down. Leopold deserted the cause but was not ready to forget. After the war Richard made his delayed journey home. Leopold knew of Richard’s fame and hated him for his arrogance. So he captured Richard, took him hostage, and charged such a large amount of money he created the phrase a king’s ransom. This was only one of the relationships Richard found himself destroying (123 Doherty). Richards’s marriage was just as ugly. Right before he left Cyprus, Richard would marry Berengaria, first-born daughter of King Sancho VI of Navarre. The wedding was held in Limas sol on 12 May 1191 at the Chapel of St. George. He even invited his sister Joan who attended the ceremony. The weeding was a huge celebration. There was food, wine, partying, and great entertainment. It was truly a party worthy of a king and celebrations followed, to commemorate the event. Among the other grand ceremonies was a double coronation. Richard made himself to be crowned King of Cyprus, and Berengaria was able to become Queen of England and of Cyprus as well. When Richard married Berengaria he was still officially married to Alys, and Richard pushed for the match in order to obtain Navarre as a fief like Aquitaine for his father. In addition, Eleanor supported the match, as Navarre bordered on Aquitaine, thereby securing her ancestral lands' borders to the south. Richard took his new wife with him briefly on the crusade. However, they returned separately. Berengaria had almost as much difficulty in making the journey home as her husband did, and she did not see England until after his death. After his release from German captivity Richard showed some regret for his earlier conduct, but he was not reunited with his wife ( 286 Hamilton). Richard was the greatest crusader leader the world had ever seen. His tactical leadership and his bravery in battle were commendable. Richard started his campaign by meeting in Sicily. There he discussed his war strategy and plan of attack. But other matters were raised. After the king of Sicily died, his cousin Tancred of Lecce had stolen power and had been crowned early in 1190 as King Tancred I of Sicily, although the legal replacement was William's aunt Constance, wife of the new Emperor Henry VI. Tancred had imprisoned William's wife, Queen Joan, who was Richard's sister, and did not give her the money she had inherited in William's will. When Richard came to Sicily, he demanded that his sister be released and given her money. The presence of foreign troops also caused unrest: in October, the people of Messina revolted, demanding that the foreigners leave. Richard attacked Messina, capturing it on October 4,1190. After looting and destroying the city, Richard established his base there. He remained there until Tancred finally agreed to sign a treaty on March 4,1191. Then all the armies went to take Acre (149-150 Gillingham). Acre was arguably the most important battle in the war. At the time Escalon and Jaffa were under Muslim control. These cities were either to far or too well controlled at the time. On the other hand Tyre and Beirut were under Christian rule. The second biggest city was Acre so it was their first target. The first soldier there was Conrad de Monferat from Tyre. Conrad was a templar; templars were soldiers who stayed in the Middle East after the crusades. They were almost a secret organization that operated outside of the church. This caused many soldiers not to trust templars, although many templars made up the ranks of Richard’s army. Conrad and his templars started the siege. By July 1191 the city was surrounded. No was able to get in or out. Saladin began to realize the situation at this point and tried to encourage increased resistance inside the city. Richard was becoming impatient though he wanted to start the final push to take the city. So he devised a plan to destroy the city walls. He promised four gold coins to every soldier who would take a stone from the city’s wall. This plan actually worked. And in July 1191 the city of Acre fell to the crusaders. Now Richard had to appoint a leader to the city. He could choose Guy, who had done little in the battle, or Monferat. Richard didn’t like Monferat for his attitude and his demeanor. But Richard couldn’t deny Monferat’s ability to rule. So in 1192 Richard grudgingly chose Conrad de Monferat to rule the city. But someone else (or Richard) didn’t want Monferat to rule. So within the same year a member of an Assassin gang assassinated Monferat. Many today still speculate whether Richard himself hired the Assassination. Either way Conrad de Monferat was dead and no one was in charge of Acre (176-183 Gillingham). Why Conrad was assassinated was important though. Conrad was assassinated by a group of assassins called the hashshashin. The hashshashin are a Muslim group of assassins who started their cult around this time. They are called hashshashin because at the time the people believed they would eat hashish. This caused much unrest in the crusader lines because if the hashshashin were after them, leaders like Richard could be the targets of the next hashshashin attack. The hashshashin also created the word assassin because their name sounds similar to assassin when pronounced (72 Crompton). During this time a large battle had taken place already: Arsuf. Arsuf was a major battle not just because of the losses but because this was the first time Richard and Saladin faced off against each other. These two generals were both the most powerful and greatest in the world. Richard knew of Saladin’s might but Saladin knew little of Richard, though after this battle that would no longer be the case. Richard knew that if he were to take Jerusalem he would also need to take the port city of Jaffa, so he started his march from Acre to Jaffa. During the march, Saladin’s camel archers constantly harassed Richard’s soldiers, raining arrows and then running away before the crusaders could respond. A Muslim chronicler describes the scene. "The Muslims were shooting arrows on their flanks, trying to incite them to break ranks, while they controlled themselves severely and covered the route in this way, traveling very steadily as their ships moved along at sea opposite them, until they completed each stage and camped (170 Hahal-idn)." Richard had ordered every crusader to maintain their ranks. Soon on September seventh they got word that the Muslims would launch a full on attack. Richard prepared the armies. First the Turks attacked with great force. Then came the javelins and archers. The attack was fierce and worst yet the crusaders weren’t allowed to break rank. Eventually one faction had enough. The knights Hospitaller were a military and a religious group that lived in the area. They were given orders to load crossbows while walking backwards. This was too much for the Hospitaller knights. They charged without warning, smashing the Muslim ranks. Because of the Hospitaller’s brash charge the Muslim archers had to aim their arrows and were becoming overwhelmed, but the Muslim armies were quicker than the crusaders (in part because they wore much lighter armor) and were adapting quickly as well. This would mean that the knights Hospitaller were not going to live much longer should the fight continue. So Richard was forced to back up the Hospitaller knights even though they could have compromised his whole plan to get to Jaffa. He told his own men to lead a first charge, then told the templar knights to do a second charge which they weren’t ready for, and finally he himself lead a third charge. The Muslims lead one final push, but it was to no avail. Richard had won the battle. The Muslims were rumored to have lost over 7000 men although they probably lost less, while Richard only lost about 700 men in comparison. Saladin became less likely to ever attack with this force again. This also increased Crusader morale. They had beaten a general who was claimed to be immortal. The Muslims, on the other hand, had seen that their leader was not the all-powerful person the thought he was before. Although it did have one adverse affect on the crusaders: Saladin would change his strategy. He now knew that Richard was a very capable general. So he would adapt to the crusader army. Richard then made his move to Jaffa (170-171). By the time Richard had entered Jaffa it had already been captured by the Franks (197 Gillingham). Still Richard was on the lookout for an attack. Soon Richard saw what he feared. Saladin’s brother Al-Adil Saif ed-Din or, as the Franks called him, Safadin was riding towards the city. But it wasn’t the city he was after, but peace. Saladin had decided the peace was the best plan of action in this war and Richard, seeing that his men would soon begin to lose their will to fight, complied. Safadin was well liked among the crusader ranks so Richard created a startlingly lenient peace treaty. He would have to give him Palestine, but would let both Al-Adil and his sister Joan get married, then he would also let the Muslims keep Jerusalem as long as Christians were allowed to enter and Joan was allowed to live there (196 Gillingham). As was expected Al-Adil was both surprised and willing to agree to such a deal. He then gave the idea to Saladin who immediately agreed. Privately, Saladin thought Richard was playing a practical joke on him and, sure enough, when they next met he had heard Joan had had a huge fit over the whole thing. Why' Because she was a good Christian, and even if it meant hundreds of lives would be saved, would never marry a Muslim or even a non-Christian. Richard may have had other goals though. After the Proposal, many in Saladin’s courts thought it likely that Al-Adil would betray them and marry Joan anyway as a separate ruler. If Richard’s plan was to create a rift in the court he succeeded, but Saladin might have been playing him too. He had made deals with Conrad de Monferrat (before his assassination) to give him Beirut and Sidon. Here’s the catch: the only way this could be accomplished is if the war were to stop. That would mean Conrad might have to fight Richard. Conrad wouldn’t go that far, but it caused some tension between the Frankish and English army men. Saladin never was going to make a deal with crusaders. What, he reasoned, was stopping them from launching a massive attack when he died' He realized that he could keep them guessing each other though, and that he did better than any one had ever done in the past. Richard would soon leave Jaffa and make his final push towards the Holy City of Jerusalem. This would be the deciding factor of the war. It wouldn’t matter if he had taken the entire world; if he hadn’t taken Jerusalem the crusade was failure. Soon he was in Beit Nuba, only 12 miles from the Holy City. Even though the movement was slow and storm after storm ravaged their camps, the soldiers were happy. They would write poems and songs and talk of what they would do in Jerusalem. One soldier wrote God may we now our voices raise; in thanks, in worship and in praise! Now we shall see thy holy tomb! No man felt any grief or gloom, or any distress, for all was Joy and Happiness (199 Gillingham). Not every one though was so naïve. The soldiers who knew the area also knew what would happen if a direct assault on Jerusalem was made. He would be caught in between two armies, the garrison and the relieving army. Even if he did take the city, the same thing that happened in the first Crusade would happen again. The Crusaders would run into the city killing everybody and enraging the Muslims preparing themselves for the many more years of fighting in Jerusalem. After that all the soldiers would leave, leaving nobody to defend Jerusalem and the city deserted. This obviously was not an ideal outcome of Richard’s life long dream. To him, if he took Jerusalem and it fell a year later he failed in the end any way. So in a meeting held in 1192 the crusaders decided to retreat from the area. Now Richard’s men were sour. The poor weather conditions were now intolerable, Richard was a coward, their dreams shattered. They also decided to go back and rebuild Escalon, a city Saladin had destroyed to keep Richard from capturing it (200 Gillingham). He soon turned Escalon into the most powerful fortress in all of Palestine. He himself paid for most of the construction. But Richard was in a stalemate; Saladin could not attack but Richard could not take Jerusalem. Eventually it was time to concede. The Christians would keep Jaffa to Tyre but Jerusalem was still in Islamic hands, Richard had failed. Unfortunately Richard was forced to hand over Escalon along with all of its upgrades. At this point the war was over. By March Saladin was dead and Richard captured by Germans. Neither King had won the war they had fought so hard for. Saladin proved himself to Europe. At the time many Europeans didn’t consider Muslims people. Saladin changed their minds. The realized that t his man was powerful and a force to be reckoned with. The people who he ruled loved him and his enemies feared him. His was known to be invincible and even though he lost in part to Richard he maintained his glory. He also proved to be quite the diplomat, ending a crusade through peace not through death. He was the greatest Arabic ruler for the next three hundred years until Mehmed II. If it weren’t for Saladin, the Muslims wouldn’t have the place in the world they have today. Saladin proved to Europe just how damaging a Muslim army could be. He is considered one of the greatest rulers of all time, one thing Richard can never claim. Richard would return to England after a prolonged stay in Germany against his will. Richard would do little in his short time there. Soon he learned of a treasure in a town called Challus. The garrison soon learned that they had no chance against the greatest warrior king of the age so they offered surrender, but Richard wanted blood. He said he would hang every person in the town. So he besieged the town and during the battle was hit by a single bolt from a crossbow. The man who had captured Acre, defeated a much larger Muslim force at Arsuf, turned a city of rubble into the most powerful fortress in all of Palestine, and who had led a Crusader army into the Middle East and conquered a massive amount of land, was to be killed by one bolt from a crossbow in a battle for some petty coin in a small no name town in Aquitaine (9 Gillinham). This was a pathetic death, not worthy of the Great Richard the Lionhearted. Richard would die in Aquitaine, where he was born. This part of his life is the most shrouded in mystery. Because of its dramatic ending it has been told over and over again and truth has been mixed with fiction. Everybody inside the castle walls were killed, but the crossbow man got special treatment. He was flayed alive and then killed. Richard died on April 7, 1199 (276). His brother John succeeded him. By the year 1204 he had lost the lands of Normandy and much more of France (276). Richard’s effect on the world is everlasting. He was the last of the successful crusader kings. He did fail at taking Jerusalem but he succeeded in so many other ways. First he took more lands in Palestine than were taken in the first crusade. He also the best military tactician a crusade had ever seen. He made England a powerful force marrying the rich and consolidating power through diplomacy and war. He put down rebellions and made England’s army the strongest in the world. John could never have lived up to his brother’s name. He was a terrible ruler but compared to his brother he was just atrocious. He also had a profound effect on the Middle East. At first glance he took land amd created an even more strained relationship between the Muslims and the Christians. He also set up the area for the next large war. But if you look deeper he did more than that. As much as the Europeans looked down upon the Muslims the Muslims looked down upon the Europeans. They saw their feudal system, their massive differences between the wealthy and the poor, and the way they treated their minorities and were appalled. At the time the Muslims were the more progressive, advanced and liberal of the two. Muslims allowed people to be accepted into their faith more often and created more advances in the medical, astronomical, and mathematical fields. In the crusade their cultures mixed. They had a taste of European culture and Ideals, as did the Europeans. Both cultures would learn something from this long and violent experience. Richard was born a king and died a king. The mindsets though were different: when he was young he was brash, aggressive, intelligent, curious, and impulsive. When he died he was angry, alone, petty, and unhappy. He thought himself a failure. He did fail in taking Jerusalem, but succeeded in so much more. There are many other kings who had a more profound affect then him. But no Crusader is as famous or as legendary as the king who battled Saladin. Richard the first of England or Richard the Lionhearted was the greatest crusader of all time. The Rare and Excellent History of Saladin, Bahā'al-dīn Ibn Shaddād, trans D.S. Richards, Ashgate, 2002, Hamilton, Alexander. Itinerarium. New York: Arno Press, 1971. Print. Gillingham, John . Richard The Lionheart. Toronto: Times Books, 1978. Print. Crompton, Samuel Willard. The Third Crusade: Richard the Lionhearted Vs. Saladin (Great Battles Through the Ages). Library Binding ed. United States of America: Chelsea House Publications, 2003. Print. Doherty, Craig A., and Katherine M. Doherty. King Richard the Lionhearted and the Crusades in World History (In World History). Berkeley Heights: Enslow Publishers, 2002. Print. Tyreman, Christopher . Gods War a New History of the crusades. Cambridge Massachusets: The Belknap press of Harvard University Press Cambridge Massachusetts, 2006. Print.