KING REVIEW: RICHARD I

I have continued to study the history of English kings and queens in order to draw inspiration for characters in my fantasy book. Among these monarchs was Richard I or Richard the Lionheart. Richard was a very intriguing king for a number of reasons. He was the son of Henry II and older brother of John I. He and his brothers was raised by his mother through her idea of what chivalry was. As a result, Richard saw himself as a storybook hero and he expressed this through either tournaments or during his exploits during the Crusades. Still, his chivalrous behavior ultimately made him naive and reckless because since he saw himself as a storybook hero he thought he would always have a happy ending. After the Crusades, Richard attempted to turn the journey back to England into an adventure by traveling alone and in disguise. Eventually, he was found and arrested by the Duke of Austria and he was held for ransom for 100,000 pounds of silver, which was eight years worth of taxes and nearly bankrupted England. Then things went from bad to worse for the Lionheart. On the way to England, Richard participated in an irrelevant siege, where he was shot with a crossbow that left an infected wound. Chivalrous to the bitter end, Richard had the man who shot him brought to him then pardoned the man and gave him money before dying. However, the man was rearrested and flayed alive afterward. Due to his recklessness and idealistic mindset, I think Richard’s character would be a good model for the main character during their early conquests.