Historical Romance during the time of Richard the Lionheart

Richard the Lionheart. There he is, outside the Houses of Parliament, his sword raised ready to do battle.

He gained the nickname of The Lionheart during his lifetime and for good reason. He loved doing battle, going to war with someone. The great tragedy of his life was that he did not die in battle. He died of gangrene, caused by an arrow someone fired from the castle walls, which penetrated his chain mail and lodged in his shoulder. With no antiseptic or antibiotics, the wound turned to gangrene and killed him.

With him when he died was his illegitimate and only son, Philip of Cognac. It is believed that Richard's dying wish was that the archer who had killed him should be set free and even given 100 shillings. However, Philip had other ideas and ordered that the man be flayed alive.

It is still not clear whether it was really Philip who went against his father's orders or whether it was Richard's sister, Joan. I think it unlikely to have been Joan, as she was badly burnt from a fire set by her husband's enemies and was on her way to a nearby convent, where she died in childbirth.

Richard's other, lesser known nickname, was Richard Yea and Nay. Apparently he was terse, rarely saying anything except yes or no. I have met people like that; you try to start a conversation with a question and all you get is a yes or no, nothing more.

Richard has been portrayed as homosexual, especially in the film, The Lion in Winter. The only evidence of this is that he shared a bed with Philip of France, but that is really no evidence.

Even up until the 1970s people of the same gender innocently shared a bed. I recall myself sharing a bed with a female cousin, my then fiance sharing a bed with that cousin's fiance. It was standard practice and nothing sexual about it.

Philip was Richard's best friend and the brother of his betrothed, Princess Alys. He didn't marry Alys, because Richard's father, Henry II, had already made her his mistress. But he did have to buy himself out of the betrothal, paying Philip a vast amount of money, and he went on to Marry Princess Berengaria of Navarre.

The fact that Richard had an illegitimate son, when he was about fifteen years old, seems to belie the idea that he was gay. 

We did have a few homosexual Kings, but none of them had children out of wedlock. The evidence for these Kings' orientation is strong. King Edward II took his favourite, Piers Gaveston, on his honeymoon with him and his taste for young men deprived him of his throne.

He was killed by having a hot poker inserted into his anus, probably so that no sign of murder was evident. But it is also symbolic.

Another homosexual King was James I, who, although the father of several legitimate children, also liked to surround himself with young men. The same applies to William II, also known as William Rufus because of his red hair. He never married and was fond of his own sex.

Richard chose Berengaria himself to be his bride and although there was a political reason, him needing Navarre on his side and it being close to his territories, they also seemed fond of each other.

It is doubtful, though not certain, that Queen Berengaria of England ever actually set foot in England. The couple married in Cyprus then went to the Holy Land so that he could add his armies to the crusade. He made himself unpopular by tearing down other nations' flags and putting his own up in their place.

He was kidnapped on his way home to England, by Leopold V, Duke of Austria, and held for ransom. Meanwhile Berengaria had gone to Rome to visit the Pope.

Richard passed his time in prison by writing songs, an art at which he was very accomplished.

Hearing of her husband's abduction and imprisonment, Berengaria worked like any common woman to raise enough funds to have him released, while his mother, Eleanor of Aquitaine, was doing the same in England.

He did manage to get back to England, although she stayed in France. They reunited for a short time, but then he was killed before she could have her rightful coronation in England.

A very pious woman, Berengaria sold her property to buy masses for Richard's soul and she worked tirelessly to raise money for charities in her home in Le Mans, where she also founded L'Épau Abbey, which is where she is buried.

In his Will, Richard left her several properties in England, but she was denied her inheritance by Richard's brother and successor, King John. It wasn't until after John's death and the ascension to the throne of his son, Henry III, that Berengaria got the properties and money that were hers.

She died shortly afterwards, so did not enjoy it for very long.

John should not have been Richard's successor at all. His rightful heir was the son of his brother, Geoffrey of Brittany, Prince Arthur, but he was only a child, perhaps about twelve years old. He strangely vanished and it is believed John ordered him to be castrated, so that he could not produce sons of his own. The result was that he bled to death and John grabbed the crown. This is not substantiated fact, but an assumption by most historians.

Another heir to the English throne cursed with the name of Arthur.

Richard, although revered for his military genius, was one of our worst Kings. He spent only six months in England, out of a ten year reign, and that only to raise money for his crusade, and is known to have declared that he would sell London if he could find a buyer.

His only interest in England was that, of all his properties and titles, it was the only one that came with the title of King.

I have some historical romances set during the time of Richard the Lionheart and the Crusades.