| Notes |
When Richard approached his father's corpse at Fontevrault Abbey, bloo
d is said to have flowed from the dead king's nose. Corpses were suppo
sed to bleed in front of their murderer. Richard's wars had driven hi
s father to his grave. Later, on September 3, 1189, a bat appeared a
t Richard's coronation. So, the reign of the most famous king of Robi
Hood legend began with bad omens. Writing in 1521, John Major, a Sc
ottish chronicler, said Robin Hood and Little John operated in 1193-4
, the time of Richard I. Many, many writers have followed Major, inclu
ding Anthony Munday, Sir Walter Scott and most Robin Hood novels and m
ovies today. Although Richard wasn't the king in the earliest Robin Ho
od ballads, he is the one most closely associated with Robin Hood. Wh
en Richard was crowned king in 1189, he sold every office and title h
e could. The king is reported to have said he'd have sold London itsel
f if he could find a buyer. Then, almost immediately, he left Englan
d to go on the Third Crusade. In 1191, King Richard ordered the execu
tion of 2,600 Muslim prisoners at Acre. While on the Third Crusade, K
ing Richard had deeply offended Duke Leopold of Austria. In December o
f 1192, he made his way home through the lands of the duke. King Richa
d was seized while in the disguise of a kitchen servant. He was hande
d over to the duke and then later to Henry VI, the Holy Roman Empero
and ruler of Germany. The emperor ransomed Richard for 150,000 marks
, money that had to be raised from the English people. Eventually, 100
,000 marks were paid and Richard was let go. He landed in Britain i
late March 1194. While he was gone, his brother Count (or Prince o
Earl, depending on the title you want to use) John conspired with th
e king of France. Count John was hoping to seize power for himself. Wh
en Richard returned, John fled England. Most of John's supporters quic
kly surrendered to Richard, except those in Nottinghamshire. Ranulf
, earl of Chester, and his brother-in-law, the Earl of Huntingdon (Dav
id in real history, Robin Hood in legend) led an attack on Nottingham
. King Richard joined them and seiged Nottingham Castle for two days
. On March 28, 1194, the castle garrison surrendered to the king. An
d the next day, Richard went hunting in Sherwood Forest. Afterwards, R
ichard called a great council in Nottingham. He told the lords that th
e positions they bought in 1189 were only on lease and their terms wer
e up. Richard raised a lot of money by re-selling these offices. Afte
wards, Richard went to reclaim the possessions lost to Philip of Fran
ce. He did not return to England, and had only spent a handful of mont
hs in the country during his reign. Richard was killed by an arrow a
t Chaluz in 1199. In legend anyway, Richard was considered a great kin
g. Historically, the judgment is mixed. He was a larger than life figu
e. He was a poet and musician. He was a fierce and brave fighter, som
etimes foolhardily charging into battle with little or no armour. He a
lso had a terrible temper. And it was his temper as much as his braver
y that earned him the nickname "the Lionheart". Also, there's a goo
d possibility that Richard might have been gay. This is still a matte
of historical debate. There are some reports that Richard did have a
illegitimate son named Philip of Cognac, but in real history, Phili
p did not become the king of England. Many Robin Hood books and movie
s have portrayed Richard as the Great Saxon Hope. In truth, Richard ha
ted England. He only visited the country twice as king and only a fe
w times before that. Apparently, Richard couldn't even speak a word o
f English. Source: Wright, Allen W., The Search For A Real Robin H
ood; http://www.boldoutlaw.com/realrob/, accessed 29 May 2009
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1157 - 1199 (41 years)
