Richard Lionheart

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Richard the Lionheart was an English king who didn’t speak English.

Richard I was born in Oxford, the third son of King Henry II and Eleanor of Aquitaine. He spent his childhood in England but lived most of his adult life in France. He spoke French, but it’s not known for certain that he spoke English. He became king of England because both his elder brothers preceded his father. But he was also the Duke of several French and other European territories. Richard I was a pious man and a soldier. So, when the Muslim sultan Saladin captured Jerusalem in 1187, he joined the Third Crusade to win back the Holy City. It was 1191 before the king arrived in the Holy Land, and although he was victorious at Acre and Arsuf, he failed to take back Jerusalem. After trying for a year, he reached a truce with Saladin and headed home, an  interesting  Richard the Lionheart fact. It is believed Lionheart and Saladin had a interesting history. It was noted the famous Sultan Saladin gave his best medics to aid Lionheart when he was very ill to assist in a speedy recovery. It was also noted that many gifts were exchanged between the two leaders.

He never had any children.

The king was killed by a young boy.

In March 1199, Richard I was attacking the castle of Châlus, allegedly because a peasant had found a hoard of Roman gold, and the Vicomte of Limoges refused to hand it over. He was struck by a crossbow, and even though the bolt arrow was removed, the wound turned gangrenous. The king died from his injury on April 6, 1199. But before dying, he ordered the shooter to be brought before him, only to discover it was a young boy. Instead of ordering the boy’s execution, he gave him 100 shillings and forgave him, an interesting fact about Richard I.