Was Richard I a good King? L.O: Describe what makes a good king Write an assessment of Richard I for a ‘Horrible Histories’ book

A failure at the Third Crusade Good King Bad King Brave Warrior A failure at the Third Crusade

Richard I – Fact file Born: 1157 Birthplace: Oxford Crowned: 1189 Died: 1199 Location of death: Chalus, France Cause of death: War Remains: Buried, Fontevraud Abbey, Fontevraud, France Nickname: The Lionheart

What was the Third Crusade? In the twelth to sixth century, the Muslims began to fight the Frankish invasions. By the 1180’s /570’s under the leadership of Saladin they won back Jerusalem and most of the Holy Land. In response the Christians launched the Third Crusades. This became a struggle between two great leaders: Saladin and Richard I of England.

Who was Richard I? Richard I was one of the great knights of the Middle Ages. He was strong, courageous, physically suited for warfare. Richard rode well, fought well and showed himself to be a good field commander. He was tall and handsome. His contempories could not fault him and called him ‘the Lionheart’.

Richard I earned the title ‘Coeur-de-Lion’ or 'Lion Heart' as he was a brave soldier, a great crusader, and won many battles against Saladin, the leader of the ‘Saracens’ who were occupying Jerusalem at that time. It appears that he hadn’t much interest in being king …in his ten years as monarch he only spent a few months in England, and it is doubtful that he could actually speak the English language. He once remarked that he would have sold the whole country if he could have found a buyer. Fortunately he couldn’t find anyone with the necessary funds!

Richard: "He was tall in stature, of shapely build, with hair between red and yellow. His limbs were straight and flexible; his arms somewhat long; he had long legs." This was written at the time of the Third Crusade "A very powerful man, of great courage and spirit. He fought great battles and showed a burning passion for war. The king was indeed a man of wisdom, experience, courage and energy.......excitable, brave and clever." This was written by Baha', a Muslim writer, during the Third Crusade What evidence is there to suggest that Richard I was a brave man?

Do you think Saladin was a good or bad person? Once in battle against Saladin’s armies Richard’s horse fell from under him. Saladin saw this and sent a servant out with two new horses and a message ‘ a gift from one king to another’ "Richard (the Lionheart) fell ill with a fever and appealed to Saladin to send him pears and peaches. Saladin sent him fruit and snow from the mountains to cool his blood" The was written by Bailey and Wise in 1969 There are two reasons. First, Saladin was a strict Muslim. One of the main beliefs of Islam  is that Muslims should help those in need. Secondly, Saladin could send his men into Richard's camp with the supplies and spy on what he had in terms of soldiers, equipment etc.

Richard organised a truce with Saladin – pilgrims from the west would once again be allowed to visit Jerusalem. Neither Richard or Saladin really liked the truce but both realised that they were unlikely to be able to totally defeat the other side. Although Richard’s main aim was to capture Jerusalem may cause him to be seen as a failure, but the fact that he helped bring peace means that he is also seen as a hero! www.youtube.com/watch?v=tj2kC13sgrw

Source Suggests Purpose Written by: Source B: The Muslim writer Baha wrote about Richard I while the Third Crusade was going on:    "A very powerful man, of great courage and spirit. He fought great battles and showed a burning passion for war. The king was indeed a man of wisdom, experience, courage and energy.......excitable, brave and clever."   Source C: This was written in 1965 by L Du Garde Peach "Richard was not a good king. He cared only for his soldiers. But he was brave, and loved a brave man."   Source D: Taken from Historic UK website ‘It appears that he hadn’t much interest in being king …in his ten years as monarch he only spent a few months in England, and it is doubtful that he could actually speak the English language. He once remarked that he would have sold the whole country if he could have found a buyer. Fortunately he couldn’t find anyone with the necessary funds!’  

In pairs, your task is to produce a page for a ‘Horrible Histories’ book on Medieval Kings: A basic factfile What kind of King was Richard I Was Richard I a brave Warrior? Was the Third Crusade a failure? Think about the style of Horrible Histories books

Saladin (1138-1193), a Kurdish ruler of Egypt and Syria, is known in the West for his opposition to the forces of the Third Crusade and for his capture of Jerusalem.