On his father, Richard the Lionheart came from the infamous Plantagenet dynasty. It is to them, in the opinion of medieval chroniclers, that the prophecy of Merlin is dedicated "and the brother will betray his brother, and the son will betray his father."
From the devil they come and to the devil they will come
Richard's father, Henry II, could not serve as a good example for his son. From childhood, the boy listened to his mother's complaints about his father's constant betrayal. In addition, by order of Henry, one of the most respected and authoritative people in England, Archbishop Thomas Beckett, was killed without any significant reason. This was a blow to the princes, who were attached to the priest - he was the teacher of the older boys.
Richard's older brother, Henry, nicknamed "The Young King", also distinguished himself at one time. He arranged a conspiracy against his father, lured his younger brothers over to his side, but as soon as the case smelled fried, he rushed to repent before his father.
With relatives from the mother's side, the beautiful Eleanor of Aquitaine, things happened even more serious. Richard loved to retell the legend of his grandmother, who did not want to partake of the sacrament after Mass. When the family suspected something was wrong, they tried to force her, but the woman turned into a bird of prey and flew out the window.
Sissy
Henry II had four sons. The eldest, Heinrich Young, was considered the most talented in the family. Jeffrey is reputedly cheated by nature - just the classic middle son. The youngest, John, enjoyed his father's special affection. Well, Richard has always been mommy's favorite.
When Henry was tired of sharing power with his willful and stubborn wife, he sent her away from the court to her native Aquitaine. She took Richard with her there.
Eleanor was one of the most influential ladies of her time; it was to her and her entourage that courtly culture owes its appearance. Eleanor herself was distinguished by a frivolous disposition, there were numerous rumors about her love affairs, poets dedicated their poems to her. Yes, and there was more than one marriage in her biography - she became the wife of Henry II after a divorce from her first husband - King Louis VII of France.
Mother and son were inseparable. Even on the crusade, Richard did not go without his mother. A separate ship was equipped for Eleanor and her ladies of the court. Otherwise, how is there a son without supervision in the Holy Land.
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Alchemist and Troubadour
Upbringing at the most courteous court in Europe left its mark on Richard. He grew up on the legends of King Arthur, the Holy Grail and the Knights of the Round Table. It is not surprising that he was attracted by feats, and not a calm and prosperous reign in his homeland.
Since childhood, Richard was good not only at exercise, but also at school. It is said, among other things, that he was fed with the same milk as Alexander Nekham, the famous English philosopher and theologian. Alexander's mother was Richard's nurse. “She fed him with her right breast, and Alexandra with her left breast,” the chronicler specifies, glad that this explains the mental faculties of Plantagenet. It is not surprising that several alchemical treatises are credited with the pen of Richard. Alchemy was generally considered a royal science, because kings are closely associated with everyday magic - they are credited with both healing by the laying on of hands and the transformation of simple metals into gold. Skeptics argue that Richard spent too much time in the Crusades, where there was no time for treatises.
Nevertheless, he had enough time for poetry, although he was not very successful in them. But he had an innate sense of rhythm, which he sometimes found in a somewhat unexpected way. For example, the chronicle reports that if suddenly the monks in the church sang not the way he wanted, he climbed the choir and began to lead the choir himself.
Yes and no
Richard and his brothers loved, following the example of their mother, to surround themselves with minstrels, poets and other artists. The young Henry's faithful companion was the troubadour and nobleman Bertrand de Born. Only he sang not the beauty of his lady, but the charms of war - Bertrand could not imagine life without battles and battles.
He despised Richard and gave the young man a mocking nickname "Yes-and-no", hinting that he often changes his decisions, despite the fact that he himself was clearly not the ideal of loyalty. Before Henry the Young, he served at the Saxon court, with Henry and Richard's sister, Matilda. But from there the troubadour was expelled in disgrace, as he tried to hit on his mistress.
Having moved to England, he decides that the young princes are too peaceful. If this continues, no war is foreseen. And then he begins to set them up against each other, as well as against his father, sends his jugglers with daring songs. Calls the elder prince "Henry without land", hinting that he will be bypassed in the succession.
After the death of Henry the Young, he burst into several "laments" - verses in which he praised the valor and dignity of the deceased prince. And then, without hesitation, he switched to Richard's side.
Was there a boy
It was customary in royal families to marry early. These marriages were, of course, political. A successful union could significantly expand the territory of the state.
It is not surprising that Henry II selected wives for princes quite early and very carefully. So Henry the Young was married at the age of seven with a three-year-old bride.
But Richard was not lucky in family life.
His first bride was the French princess Adelaide. From a certain age she was brought up at the English court, where Richard found an unexpected competitor. The girl was seduced by his own father Heinrich, after which Richard refused to marry her.
As a result, Berengaria of Navarre became the prince's wife. This time his mother found a bride for him. But the marriage was childless, and worse, there were rumors that Richard was not doing his marital duty at all.
Chroniclers write that Richard was extremely close to the King of France Philip Augustus during his stay in Paris. "They dined at the same table and ate from the same dish, and at night their beds did not share them." Francis Mondimore quotes these words in his book Homosexuality. Natural history”, not doubting that they are talking about love.
Once, Richard himself, before setting off on a crusade, where the path was barred with sins, publicly confessed to the sin of Sodom. In fairness, it should be noted that Richard was more bisexual, but not with his wife. From an extramarital affair he has a son, Philip.
A voice from prison
Raised on the exploits of King Arthur, Richard has to face real wars and opponents during the crusade. Moreover, fellow Christians sometimes behaved worse than the Saracens.
During the crusade, Richard contracted, presumably malaria. And who sent him healers, fresh fruit and ice to save himself from the heat? His opponent is Saladin.
When Richard returned to his homeland, he was captured. And by no means the Saracens, but the Emperor of the Holy Roman Empire, who asked for a huge ransom for Richard. There is a widespread legend that one of Richard's vassals, the troubadour Blondel, learned about the place where his sovereign languishes in an unusual way. He was walking through the city and humming a song composed by Richard himself, when suddenly he heard a voice from the prison tower, which echoed him. This was the prisoner king.
She got Richard out of the dungeon, of course, Mom. She began a fundraising campaign in England, at the same time trying to rein in her younger son, who, on the sly, decided to get rid of Richard and take the throne.
Richard and Robin
Of course, the heroic and paradoxical personality of Richard remained in the people's memory. He became the hero of many medieval legends and literary works, and the English kings successfully used his image for propaganda.
So in the novel of the times of the Hundred Years War, it is told how, in a crusade, the British, led by Richard the Lionheart, frustrated all the insidious plans of the French of Philip Augustus. There is also a funny explanation of the king's nickname: the enemies threw Richard to be devoured by the lion, but the king thrust his hand into the beast's mouth and tore his heart out of his chest.
Also quite early there is a legend retold by Walter Scott: Richard returns unrecognized from the Crusade and takes part in a tournament. He defeats all opponents until he loses his helmet. Loyal associates finally recognize him, and together they oppose the treacherous Prince John, nicknamed "Landless."
And finally, Richard is a key character in the Robin Hood legends. In these stories, Robin's associates are people who do not want to serve the usurper king John. They are waiting for Richard to fight by his side. There is a historical background to these stories: Sherwood Forest was the ancestral possession of Richard the Lionheart, he once freed him from the ban on logging and hunting. Therefore, in these parts, Richard was revered as a magnanimous and generous ruler. So the paths of the legend sometimes intersect with the paths of history.