Blog
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Richard the Lionheart and the Siege of Nottingham, 1194
25 March 1194The chronicler Roger de Hoveden tells us “that those who were in the [Nottingham] castle…were astonished, and were confounded and alarmed, and trembling came upon them; but still they could not believe that the king had come, and supposed that the whole of this was done by the chiefs of the army for the…
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#OTD 20 (or 21) December 1192 – Richard the Lionheart captured near Vienna
Pirates, shipwrecks, evil dukes, emperors, kings, and a dastardly brother… Truth. Not fiction. Check out my post on English Historical Fiction Authors about the Lionheart’s attempt to return home after his departure from the Holy Land in October 1192.
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Research snippets: “In the year of grace 1194, being the second year of the captivity of Richard, king of England…”
King Philip of France and John, brother of King Richard I (the Lionheart), colluded to keep Richard a prisoner of Henry VI, the Holy Roman Emperor. Sounds like fiction, doesn’t it? Something out of Hollywood? Hard to believe, but it’s true. Roger de Hoveden, a contemporary chronicler, wrote about the evil conspirators’ offer to the…
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Research snippets – Richard I demands his barons’ support in the war against France
In late 1197, King Richard I asked his chancellor to convene a council in Oxford. After his return in 1194 from Crusade and captivity by the Holy Roman Emperor, he had plunged his kingdom into war against Philip II of France. The French had taken advantage of Richard’s absence – despite a papal ban on…
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Research snippets: Arthur of Brittany attempts to capture his grandmother, Eleanor of Aquitaine
Arthur (b. 1187), Duke of Brittany, falls more under King Philip of France’s influence after the death of his mother Constance of Brittany in September 1201. Philip offers Arthur the hand of his infant daughter and bestows knighthood on Arthur. In July 1202, Philip sends 200 knights with Arthur to attack Poitou. Joined by an…
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Research snippets: Who should succeed Richard I?
King Richard I, the Lionheart, died on April 6, 1199. On his deathbed, he named William Marshal as custodian of the royal treasury until his successor was crowned. Marshal took the news of the king’s death to Archbishop of Canterbury Hubert Walter. The two men had long, faithful service to the king and had served…
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Research snippets – John, Count of Mortain: traitor turned loyal brother
John, Count of Mortain, the youngest of Henry II and Eleanor’s brood, conspired with King Philip of France to usurp his brother’s throne while Richard I, the Lionheart, was a captive of the Holy Roman Emperor Henry VI. Their scheming failed, and Richard looked past John’s traitorous activities. “He is my brother and should have…
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Research snippets – Arthur of Brittany
One major plot line in Swords of the King involves King Richard, the Lionheart’s nephew, Duke Arthur of Brittany. Swords ends in 1199 when the young duke is 13 years old, but Arthur’s story goes on a few more years. [King] John himself now attempted to deal with Arthur in another way. Being at Falaise…
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#OTD 6 April 1199 – Richard the Lionheart dies
Richard was crowned king in September 1189, succeeding his father Henry II. He ruled less than 10 years. Histories written in the 19th-20th centuries complain he spent only 6 months of his reign in England, but Richard was a man of his times and should be judged according to 12th century standards. See the full…