10/04/2026
6 April 1199 - King Richard I died (b. 1157)
In March 1199, Richard was in the Limousin suppressing a revolt by Viscount Aimar V of Limoges. In the early evening of 25 March 1199, Richard was walking around the castle perimeter without his chainmail, investigating the progress of sappers on the castle walls. One defender in particular amused the king greatly, a man standing on the walls, crossbow in one hand, the other clutching a frying pan he had been using all day as a shield to beat off missiles. He deliberately aimed at the king, which the king applauded; however, another crossbowman then struck the king in the left shoulder near the neck.
He tried to pull this out in the privacy of his tent but failed; a surgeon, removed it, "carelessly mangling" the King's arm in the process. The wound swiftly became gangrenous.
Accordingly, Richard asked to have the crossbowman brought before him, the man turned out (according to some sources, but not all) to be a boy. The boy claimed that Richard had killed his father & two brothers, & that he had aimed at Richard in revenge.
The boy expected to be executed; Richard, as a last act of mercy, forgave him, saying, "Live on, & by my bounty behold the light of day," before ordering that the boy be freed & sent away with 100 shillings. Richard then set his affairs in order, bequeathing all his territory to his brother John & his jewels to his nephew Otto.
Richard died on 6 April 1199 in the arms of his mother (Eleanor of Aquitaine); it was later said that "As the day was closing, he ended his earthly day." Because of the nature of Richard's death, he was later referred to as "the Lion (that) by the Ant was slain".
Richard's heart was buried at Rouen in Normandy, his entrails in Châlus (where he died), & the rest of his body at the feet of his father at Fontevraud Abbey in Anjou.
Richard produced no legitimate heirs by his wife Berengaria of Navarre & acknowledged only one illegitimate son, Philip of Cognac. As a result, he was succeeded by his brother John as King of England.
đź‘‘ Richard I, known as Richard the Lionheart or Richard CĹ“ur de Lion because of his reputation as a great military leader & warrior, was King of England from 1189 until his death in 1199. He also ruled as Duke of Normandy, Aquitaine, & Gascony; Lord of Cyprus; Count of Poitiers, Anjou, Maine, & Nantes; & was overlord of Brittany at various times during the same period.
He was the third of five sons of Henry II of England & Eleanor of Aquitaine & was therefore not expected to become king, but his two elder brothers* predeceased their father.
By the age of 16, Richard had taken command of his own army, putting down rebellions in Poitou against his father. Richard was an important Christian commander during the Third Crusade, leading the campaign after the departure of Philip II of France. Despite achieving several victories against his Muslim counterpart, Saladin, he was ultimately forced to end his campaign without retaking Jerusalem.
Richard probably spoke both French & Occitan, & based on the testimony of Roger of Howden, most likely understood Middle English. He was born in England, where he spent his childhood; before becoming duke of Aquitaine, however, he lived most of his adult life in the Duchy of Aquitaine, in the southwest of France.
Following his accession to the crown of England, he spent very little time, perhaps as little as six months, in England. Most of his reign was spent on Crusade, in captivity, or actively defending the French portions of the Angevin Empire. Richard was regarded as a model king & a paragon of chivalry & viewed as a pious & chivalrous hero by his subjects. Richard I is an enduring iconic figure both in England & in France.
• William, Count of Poitiers (17 August 1153 – 1156) & Henry the Young King (28 February 1155 – 11 June 1183).
_____
