I certainly can’t pass up noting this important event that took place on December 20, 1192…
“Richard was captured by Babenberg Count Leopold V, an ally of King Henry, in a little tavern in what is today part of Vienna’s 3rd district, Erdberg (Erdbergstrasse 41/ Schwalbengasse 17)”
–from Vienna Unwrapped: Richard Lionheart, Tracing the King of Crusaders in Austria.”
Richard apparently didn’t know how to travel incognito through enemy territory. Reports from the time indicated he’d traded his knightly, royal clothing for that of a merchant, and that he wore a huge ruby, one that even a wealthy trader would be hard-pressed to own. Of course that reddish-gold hair and his height, estimated to be 6’4″ or 6’5″, made him stand out from the average Bavarian. Even without social media blasting his photo, his reputation and his looks were well known.
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Image credit: Vienna by www.all-free-photos.com, distributed under CC BY-NC-SA 2.5
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