King Richard and the Third Crusade
Late in the second half of the
twelfth century, Richard the Lionheart
ruled as king of England. Many kings might be happy to sit on
their
thrones and rule their kingdoms from that place of power, but King
Richard was not made to sit idly by on any seat, be it a throne or
not. Richard, who had been commanding his own army since he was
sixteen years old, was known around the world as a noble warrior and
strong military leader. Yes, King Richard was a man of action,
and he
viewed his Kingdom as merely a way to finance his armies and the many
battles they were a part of.
In June of 1191, the Third Crusade had been in full swing for four years. This Kings' Crusade was an effort to take control of the Holy Land from Saladin, the Sultan of Egypt. King Richard and his European neighbor, King Philip II of France, were two of the most important leaders associated with this Crusade. The first step to securing the Holy Land, and most specifically, Jerusalem, was to gain control of the city of Acre. Situated in northern Israel, Acre was the perfect gateway for the Europeans in their goal of reconquering the Holy Land.
Richard was not in for an easy time when he arrived at Acre. He and his armies set up camps around the city, and Richard immediately began work on constructing siege weapons to help take the city. But after only being there for ten days, Richard became very ill. He was treated with various medicines by a doctor who traveled with the army, but full recovery was a long time coming. Richard was not the type of man to let a fever slow him down, so he persisted with his job as King and commander of the army. Another problem Richard had was with King Philip of France. Technically, the two men were allies, but Richard didn't particularly care for or trust the French king. One night, Richard was resting to try and help his fever when news came that Philip had commanded that an assault should be made on Acre the following day. Richard was not pleased with this decision, as he thought their armies should coordinate together for a better planned assault. Because he was ill, Richard decided he would stay in bed and just email Philip to let the man know what he thought of his plans.
To: Philip@frenchking.com
From: Richard@lionheart.com
Subject: Are you stupid?
Philip- what are you thinking, calling for an assault on Acre tomorrow? You didn't consult me at all over this, and there are no strategic plans for how to take control of the city in the best way! Why are you doing this?
To: Richard@lionheart.com
From: Philip@frenchking.com
Subject: Don't call me stupid
Richard, I know you think you're just the best little warrior to grace the Earth, but you've just got to get over that. I know what I'm doing, and it is time the people of Acre realize just who they are messing with.
To: Philip@frenchking.com
From: Richard@lionheart.com
Subject: If you wouldn't act stupid, I wouldn't have to call you stupid
Ah, I see! You say that "it is time the people of Acre realize just who they are messing with." So someone insulted you and now your pride is injured, is that it? What did the Turks do to insult you so much that it's causing you to make a horrible decision?
To: Richard@lionheart.com
From: Philip@frenchking.com
Subject: assault on Acre
Richard, you do realize that your subject lines are practically longer than your messages themselves? Stop being so ridiculous and immature. However, you might be right about the Turks doing something to me. I spent a lot of time and money building two devices that would help us all in our siege of Acre, but before they were completed, the Turks destroyed them! They set them on fire when several of my men and I were working nearby, and we barely escaped with our lives! They have underestimated who they provoked- perhaps the idiots thought I wouldn't be bold enough to approach the city without them, but I don't need fancy machines to bring me victory!
To: Philip@frenchking.com
From: Richard@lionheart.com
Subject: whatever you say...
Okay, Philip, if you really think this is the best thing to do. . . . Don't misunderstand me though- I do not support what you are doing. In fact, I think you will come out of this regretting your decision to assault the city tomorrow, and it's likely your army will boast significantly fewer numbers. I think you are too hungry for glory and the monetary gains you will make by taking the city. It would be much better if we could all make a unified effort to bring the city down, but I think your mind is made up to go at this with your French army alone. So, you know, good luck and everything, but don't come crying to me when you fail.
It turns out that King Richard was right. King Philip's attempt to take the city of Acre on his own failed miserably. In fact, the French were defeated so thoroughly that Philip and his army practically ran back to France without pausing for rest once! Richard, being quite the brilliant military strategist, drew up just the right plans for how his army could overtake the soldiers protecting Acre. And even though King Richard was still suffering from the illness he had come down with weeks earlier, he still boldly led his army to the gates of the city, brandishing his crossbow and bringing down his enemy like the famed warrior he was touted to be. Thirty-four days after arriving at Acre with his armies, King Richard had full control of the city.
Richard's battle for Acre was a success, but in the end, he abandoned the battle for the Holy Land. Richard decided that he would not be able to keep total control after Jerusalem was captured, though, of course, he didn't question his ability to capture Jerusalem in the first place! The best decision for King Richard and his armies was to move on to to some other land and some other battle they could take part in. After all, if Richard wasn't happy to just sit in England, he wouldn't have been happy to just sit in Jerusalem either. He needed to be where the action was, so that is what he went after.
Author's Note: Because King Richard was most certainly a real person, and he actually did fight in the Third Crusade, this has been the hardest story for me to write so far. The story I used as a source was really long and had so much more than just the battle for Acre in it, so it was really hard for me to decide which part of Richard's time fighting in the Third Crusade (also known as the Kings' Crusade) to include in my story. I decided to just focus on the battle of Acre rather than just skimming over Richard's entire Crusade experience. The source I used does say that Richard didn't really care for the French King Philip. I read online that Richard had been betrothed to Philip's half-sister, Alys, but instead married another woman named Berengaria of Navarre. Perhaps this is why Richard and Philip had issues with each other. However, it is just not true that Philip's attempt failed so badly that he and his army ran straight back to France! I completely made that up to exaggerate the discord between the two men. Apparently, Philip's singular attempt did fail, but he was still around when Acre really was taken, so at the very least, he did not run away after he failed to do what Richard could. Richard really was, and still is, known as an icon in England. He is more known by the name "Lionheart" than as Richard I. I hope this story did some kind of justice to the famous figure that could be seriously ill and still be a hero on the battlefield at the same time!
Sources:
Mabie, H.W.. Heroes Every Child Should Know. New York: Doubleday, 1908. Weblink: Baldwin Project- Richard the Lion-Hearted.
"Richard I of England." Wikipedia. 2 April 2009. Weblink: Wikpedia- Richard.
"Third Crusade." Wikipedia. 2 April 2009. Weblink: Wikipedia- Crusade.
Image Information:
"Richard I the Lionheart, King of England." Merry-Joseph Blondel, 1841. Weblink: Wikipedia- Richard.
"The Siege of Acre." circa 1840. Weblink: Wikipedia- Siege of Acre.
"King Philip." Weblink: Wikipedia- Philip.
In June of 1191, the Third Crusade had been in full swing for four years. This Kings' Crusade was an effort to take control of the Holy Land from Saladin, the Sultan of Egypt. King Richard and his European neighbor, King Philip II of France, were two of the most important leaders associated with this Crusade. The first step to securing the Holy Land, and most specifically, Jerusalem, was to gain control of the city of Acre. Situated in northern Israel, Acre was the perfect gateway for the Europeans in their goal of reconquering the Holy Land.
Richard was not in for an easy time when he arrived at Acre. He and his armies set up camps around the city, and Richard immediately began work on constructing siege weapons to help take the city. But after only being there for ten days, Richard became very ill. He was treated with various medicines by a doctor who traveled with the army, but full recovery was a long time coming. Richard was not the type of man to let a fever slow him down, so he persisted with his job as King and commander of the army. Another problem Richard had was with King Philip of France. Technically, the two men were allies, but Richard didn't particularly care for or trust the French king. One night, Richard was resting to try and help his fever when news came that Philip had commanded that an assault should be made on Acre the following day. Richard was not pleased with this decision, as he thought their armies should coordinate together for a better planned assault. Because he was ill, Richard decided he would stay in bed and just email Philip to let the man know what he thought of his plans.
To: Philip@frenchking.com
From: Richard@lionheart.com
Subject: Are you stupid?
Philip- what are you thinking, calling for an assault on Acre tomorrow? You didn't consult me at all over this, and there are no strategic plans for how to take control of the city in the best way! Why are you doing this?
To: Richard@lionheart.com
From: Philip@frenchking.com
Subject: Don't call me stupid
Richard, I know you think you're just the best little warrior to grace the Earth, but you've just got to get over that. I know what I'm doing, and it is time the people of Acre realize just who they are messing with.
To: Philip@frenchking.com
From: Richard@lionheart.com
Subject: If you wouldn't act stupid, I wouldn't have to call you stupid
Ah, I see! You say that "it is time the people of Acre realize just who they are messing with." So someone insulted you and now your pride is injured, is that it? What did the Turks do to insult you so much that it's causing you to make a horrible decision?
To: Richard@lionheart.com
From: Philip@frenchking.com
Subject: assault on Acre
Richard, you do realize that your subject lines are practically longer than your messages themselves? Stop being so ridiculous and immature. However, you might be right about the Turks doing something to me. I spent a lot of time and money building two devices that would help us all in our siege of Acre, but before they were completed, the Turks destroyed them! They set them on fire when several of my men and I were working nearby, and we barely escaped with our lives! They have underestimated who they provoked- perhaps the idiots thought I wouldn't be bold enough to approach the city without them, but I don't need fancy machines to bring me victory!
To: Philip@frenchking.com
From: Richard@lionheart.com
Subject: whatever you say...
Okay, Philip, if you really think this is the best thing to do. . . . Don't misunderstand me though- I do not support what you are doing. In fact, I think you will come out of this regretting your decision to assault the city tomorrow, and it's likely your army will boast significantly fewer numbers. I think you are too hungry for glory and the monetary gains you will make by taking the city. It would be much better if we could all make a unified effort to bring the city down, but I think your mind is made up to go at this with your French army alone. So, you know, good luck and everything, but don't come crying to me when you fail.
It turns out that King Richard was right. King Philip's attempt to take the city of Acre on his own failed miserably. In fact, the French were defeated so thoroughly that Philip and his army practically ran back to France without pausing for rest once! Richard, being quite the brilliant military strategist, drew up just the right plans for how his army could overtake the soldiers protecting Acre. And even though King Richard was still suffering from the illness he had come down with weeks earlier, he still boldly led his army to the gates of the city, brandishing his crossbow and bringing down his enemy like the famed warrior he was touted to be. Thirty-four days after arriving at Acre with his armies, King Richard had full control of the city.
Richard's battle for Acre was a success, but in the end, he abandoned the battle for the Holy Land. Richard decided that he would not be able to keep total control after Jerusalem was captured, though, of course, he didn't question his ability to capture Jerusalem in the first place! The best decision for King Richard and his armies was to move on to to some other land and some other battle they could take part in. After all, if Richard wasn't happy to just sit in England, he wouldn't have been happy to just sit in Jerusalem either. He needed to be where the action was, so that is what he went after.
Author's Note: Because King Richard was most certainly a real person, and he actually did fight in the Third Crusade, this has been the hardest story for me to write so far. The story I used as a source was really long and had so much more than just the battle for Acre in it, so it was really hard for me to decide which part of Richard's time fighting in the Third Crusade (also known as the Kings' Crusade) to include in my story. I decided to just focus on the battle of Acre rather than just skimming over Richard's entire Crusade experience. The source I used does say that Richard didn't really care for the French King Philip. I read online that Richard had been betrothed to Philip's half-sister, Alys, but instead married another woman named Berengaria of Navarre. Perhaps this is why Richard and Philip had issues with each other. However, it is just not true that Philip's attempt failed so badly that he and his army ran straight back to France! I completely made that up to exaggerate the discord between the two men. Apparently, Philip's singular attempt did fail, but he was still around when Acre really was taken, so at the very least, he did not run away after he failed to do what Richard could. Richard really was, and still is, known as an icon in England. He is more known by the name "Lionheart" than as Richard I. I hope this story did some kind of justice to the famous figure that could be seriously ill and still be a hero on the battlefield at the same time!
Sources:
Mabie, H.W.. Heroes Every Child Should Know. New York: Doubleday, 1908. Weblink: Baldwin Project- Richard the Lion-Hearted.
"Richard I of England." Wikipedia. 2 April 2009. Weblink: Wikpedia- Richard.
"Third Crusade." Wikipedia. 2 April 2009. Weblink: Wikipedia- Crusade.
Image Information:
"Richard I the Lionheart, King of England." Merry-Joseph Blondel, 1841. Weblink: Wikipedia- Richard.
"The Siege of Acre." circa 1840. Weblink: Wikipedia- Siege of Acre.
"King Philip." Weblink: Wikipedia- Philip.
Coverpage....Introduction....Arthur....Siegfried....Richard....William