37 Facts About Richard I of England

1. Richard I of England appears in three of Angus Donald's Outlaw Chronicles series of novels based on the legend of Robin Hood.

2. Richard I of England is one of the main characters in Scott's The Talisman, set during the Third Crusade.

3. Richard I of England was known as a valiant, competent military leader and individual fighter who was courageous and generous.

4. Richard I of England produced no legitimate heirs and acknowledged only one illegitimate son, Philip of Cognac.

5. Richard I of England tried to pull this out in the privacy of his tent but failed; a surgeon called a "butcher" by Howden, removed it, "carelessly mangling" the King's arm in the process.

6. Richard I of England organised an alliance against Philip, including Baldwin IX of Flanders, Renaud, Count of Boulogne, and his father-in-law King Sancho VI of Navarre, who raided Philip's lands from the south.

7. Richard I of England was no mere copyist of the models he had seen in the East, but introduced many original details of his own invention into the stronghold".

8. Richard I of England wrote the song, in French and Occitan versions, to express his feelings of abandonment by his people and his sister.

9. Richard I of England realised that his return could be postponed no longer since both Philip and John were taking advantage of his absence.

10. Richard I of England attempted to negotiate with Saladin, but this was unsuccessful.

11. Richard I of England feared his forces being bottled up in Acre as he believed his campaign could not advance with the prisoners in train.

12. Richard I of England had kept 2,700 Muslim prisoners as hostages against Saladin fulfilling all the terms of the surrender of the lands around Acre.

13. Richard I of England gave his support to his Poitevin vassal Guy of Lusignan, who had brought troops to help him in Cyprus.

14. Richard I of England took his new wife on crusade with him briefly, though they returned separately.

15. Richard I of England named Richard I of England de Camville and Robert of Thornham as governors.

16. Richard I of England ordered Isaac to release the prisoners and treasure.

17. Richard I of England was apparently outbid by a certain Reginald the Italian, but that bid was refused.

18. Richard I of England spent most of his father's treasury, raised taxes, and even agreed to free King William I of Scotland from his oath of subservience to Richard in exchange for 10,000 marks.

19. Richard I of England started to raise and equip a new crusader army.

20. Richard I of England had already taken the cross as Count of Poitou in 1187.

21. Richard I of England distributed a royal writ demanding that the Jews be left alone.

22. Richard I of England barred all Jews and women from the investiture, but some Jewish leaders arrived to present gifts for the new king.

23. Richard I of England felt that Aquitaine was his and that John was unfit to take over the land once belonging to his mother.

24. Richard I of England was discouraged from renouncing Alys because she was the sister of King Philip II of France, a close ally.

25. On this campaign, Richard I of England acquired the name "the Lion" or "the Lionheart" due to his noble, brave and fierce leadership.

26. Richard I of England took refuge in Chateau de Taillebourg for the rest of the war.

27. Richard I of England went to Poitou and raised the barons who were loyal to himself and his mother in rebellion against his father.

28. Richard I of England had long arms suited to wielding a sword.

29. Richard I of England was the younger maternal half-brother of Countess Marie of Champagne and Countess Alix of Blois.

30. Richard I of England was an elder brother of Duke Geoffrey II of Brittany; Queen Eleanor of Castile; Queen Joan of Sicily; and Count John of Mortain, who succeeded him as king.

31. Richard I of England remains one of the few kings of England remembered by his epithet, rather than regnal number, and is an enduring iconic figure both in England and in France.

32. Richard I of England was known in Occitan as Oc e No, because of his reputation for terseness.

33. Richard I of England was known as Richard Cœur de Lion or Richard the Lionheart because of his reputation as a great military leader and warrior.

34. Richard I of England put the result beyond doubt when reserve scrum-half Richard Wigglesworth released Cokanasiga who charged over before Hartley finished off a driving maul.

35. Richard I of England were finally ahead, but still looking vulnerable as Jamie Joseph's side put them back in their box.

36. Richard I of Englandremains one of the few kings of England remembered by his epithet, rather than regnal number, and is an enduring iconic figure both in England and in France.

37. Richard I of England was King of England from 1189 until his death.