71 King Richard The Lionheart Facts You Should Know

There have been about 61 monarchs in the country of England throughout a span of 1200 years!

King Henry II was the monarch of England from 1133 until his death. He also made his name as the first king of the House of Plantagenet.

King Henry died in 1189, and his son took over as King of England. He was a great king who made legal reforms, and maintained authority over his subjects.

Henry, the Young King, was the oldest surviving son of Henry II. He was the Duke and Count of Anjou. England went through various wins and losses by participating in or leading battles, crusades, and wars.

If you like reading about how our past has made an impact on our lives today, be sure to check out more articles like these: facts about William Blake and facts about Queen Elizabeth II here at Kidadl.

Fun Facts About King Richard The Lionheart

The young king is also known as 'Richard The Lionheart'. He can be characterized as a very chivalrous king during his reign. Hence, Richard can be called a good king. His good deeds included his great military reputation.

Richard had led a rebellion against his father, known as Henry II. When he was 16, Richard formed his own army in Poitou to lead them against his father.

In the end, he asked his father for forgiveness, and Richard's father did forgive him for it. Richard had one ambition in life, and that was to lead a crusade. In the battle of Arsuf, his Christian forces and Richard won the battle.

However, the son of Henry II lost his third crusade against Muslims who would not let go of their holy land. It is surprising that he was engaged when he was just nine years old!

When he returned to England after his imprisonment, he was crowned for the second time. However, he left soon after. The young king was fatally wounded while taking over the castle in Limoges. Pierre Basile killed the English king. And Richard died at the age of 41.

King Richard The Lionheart Timeline

Henry II and Eleanor of Aquitaine had their first son, Henry, in 1155. Their second son, William, did not survive and died in the year 1156. The couple also had a daughter, Matilda, who was Richard's sister. Eventually, they had a third son, Richard I.

Richard, I was born on September 8, 1157, in Oxford, England. In the coming years, Richard's brother Geoffrey was born to his parents on September 23, 1158.

The early life of the king of England is not extensively known. But it is said that Richard was tutored at home.

He was also taught the use of weapons, horse-riding, and military tactics. This education was given to him around the year 1162. On October 13, 1162, his parents gave birth to his sister in Normandy at Domfront Castle.

In a few years, Richard's mother took him to visit Normandy. Soon, his sister Joan was born in May 1165, and his brother John was born in October 1966, to the King and Queen.

In 1969, Richard was betrothed to Alys, who was the daughter of Louis VII, King of France. His brother became the Youth King in 1170, and soon after, in 1171, Richard and his mom went to Aquitaine and left England.

In 1173, Richard became good at military tactics and joined his brother to fight against their father for more freedom. In 1173, he was formally given the titles of Count of Poitou and Duke of Aquitaine. In November of 1987, Richard allied with France to become more powerful.

And then, in 1189, he was planning on taking the English throne. On July 20, 1189, Richard became the Duke of Normandy. Hence, he is considered an important figure in history.

Facts About King Richard The Lionheart's Achievements

In history, the middle ages in England are considered to be between the period of the fifth century and the beginning of the early modern period, which started around 1485.

Richard has made multiple achievements throughout his lifetime. During the third crusade, Richard was the leader of the campaign.

After France's King Philip II departed, England became the leader. He had already won a significant victory over his opposing Muslim Saladin counterparts on their holy land during this crusade. Thus, instead of being defeated, King Richard defeated Saladin.

In the end, he sealed a peace treaty with them and stopped the campaign without taking Jerusalem back. There are also several battle victories in his name, which were some good things that Richard did.

Facts About King Richard The Lionheart's Crusades

The symbol of the lion had become popular in Britain as it was used by various monarchies. It became popular under England's King Henry I and then later during the crusade. The symbol of the lion can be traced as far back as the Neolithic period.

The cross was taken by the son of King Henry II as Count of Poitou in an official ceremony in the kingdom. This was done by Philip II and his father in 1188 at Gisors, after Saladin took Jerusalem.

Philip agreed to go on a third crusade with him when Richard became king since they were scared for their territories. To show himself as worthy, Richard had sworn that he would renounce his wicked behavior.

And to do this, he started to build a new crusade army. It is said that to raise money for the crusade, Richard said that he would have sold London for money if he could find a buyer.

But in the end, Richard's death was caused by a fatal wound caused during a battle. In Richard's absence since his death, Richard's brother John became the king.

Here at Kidadl, we have carefully created lots of interesting family-friendly facts for everyone to enjoy! If you liked our suggestions for 71 King Richard the Lionheart facts you should know, then why not take a look at facts about King Nebuchadnezzar or William Lyon Mackenzie King facts!