Richard The Lionheart

The amazing life of Richard I, King of England, known to history as 'Richard the Lionheart', after his reputation for bravery exhibited fighting the 'Saracens' whilst crusading in the Holy Land.

"Richard I (8 September 1157? 6 April 1199) was King of England from 6 July 1189 until his death. He also ruled as Duke of Normandy (as Richard IV), Duke of Aquitaine, Duke of Gascony, Lord of Cyprus, Count of Anjou, Count of Maine, Count of Nantes, and Overlord of Brittany at various times during the same period. He was known as Richard Cœur de Lion, or Richard the Lionheart, even before his accession, because of his reputation as a great military leader and warrior. The Saracens called him Melek-Ric or Malek al-Inkitar? King of England."--Wikipedia.

Acclaimed author James Reston, Jr.'s Warriors of God is the rich and engaging account of the Third Crusade (1187-1192), a conflict that would shape world history for centuries and which can still be felt in the Middle East and throughout the world today. James Reston, Jr. offers a gripping narrative of the epic battle that left Jerusalem in Muslim hands until the twentieth century, bringing an objective perspective to the gallantry, greed, and religious fervor that fueled the bloody clash between Christians and Muslims. As he recounts this rousing story, Reston brings to life the two legendary figures who led their armies against each other. He offers compelling portraits of Saladin, the wise and highly cultured leader who created a united empire, and Richard the Lionheart, the romantic personification of chivalry who emerges here in his full complexity and contradictions. From its riveting scenes of blood-soaked battles to its pageant of fascinating, larger-than-life characters, Warriors of God is essential history, history that helps us understand today's world.

Examines both Richard's role as prince and king in history, and also analyses the different and sometimes controversial elements which, for the chroniclers of his day, helped to make Richard a true model of chivalry

The greatest general of medieval times King Richard I's personal bravery on the battlefield won him the name 'Lionheart' but as David Miller reveals, his battles and campaigns demonstrate a brilliant grasp of strategy and tactics. The 'Lionheart' was no mere medieval 'head banger' but a thoughtful military leader, the only Crusader commander who managed to get an army to Palestine without going bankrupt in the process.

The diary of the second king of the Plantagenet dynasty who lived in England only six months during his ten year reign.

After Saladin’s capture of Jerusalem in 1187, King Richard of England and King Philip of France lead a crusade in 1191 to drive the Muslims out of the Holy Land. Only partially successful because the kings quarreled, this crusade recaptured some coastal cities, but left Jerusalem in Muslim hands. Richard agreed to a truce with Saladin and returned home, only to be captured and imprisoned by the Duke of Austria. Though many crusades followed this one, none was successful.

Anyone who has seen The Lion in Winter will remember the vicious, compelling world of the Plantagenets and readers of the romance of Robin Hood will be familiar with the typecasting of Good King Richard, defending Christendom in the Holy Land, and Bad King John who usurps the kingdom in his absence. But do these popular stereotypes correspond with reality? In this sweeping narrative, celebrated historian Frank McLynn turns the tables on modern revisionist historians and shows these larger-than-life characters as they really were - crusading, fighting vicious wars in France, negotiating with the papacy, engaging in ruthless dynastic intrigue, often against each other: in Richard's case, even holding the kingdom together when fighting in the Holy Land; and in John's, losing Normandy, catastrophically agonising the barons over Magna Carta and losing the Crown Jewels in the Wash.