Richard the Lionheart’s Fatal Mistake
By Abigail Taverne
Richard the Lionheart, crusader, English king, charismatic leader, brilliant tactician, made one fatal mistake during his lifetime: he spurned his closest friend and ally, King Philip II of France. Richard was close to Philip from a youthful age. They had grown up together, and Richard had been engaged to Philip’s sister, Alice, for quite some time. Some even believe that Richard had a homosexual relationship with Philip (though this is hotly debated), in order to make a powerful political statement.’ Richard held several strategically located lands in France, specifically the duchy of Aquitaine, which lies far southwest of Paris, near the Pyrenees Mountains and the…show more content… He even went so far as to say that Alice had been the mistress of his father, King Henry II of England, and had borne him an illegitimate son. This was a low and humiliating blow that Philip took hard, and it was a fatal mistake on Richard’s part.’ Furious and insulted though Philip was, he had neither the monetary funds nor the manpower to retaliate, so he swallowed his pride and accepted the 10,000 mark reimbursement which Richard…show more content… Richard had gotten blown off course during a storm, and Philip got to the Holy Land months before Richard. As soon as he landed he proceeded to lay siege to the city of Acre. By the time Richard arrived in Israel, the hard work of besieging the city had been mostly accomplished, and he merely stormed the city with his overwhelming numbers and swamped the enemy forces in less than a day. Richard quickly claimed all the credit for himself, and Philip stalked off in a huff. That last action of Richard was the straw that broke the camel’s back. Philip renounced Richard as a friend, and began besieging his territory in France before Richard left the Holy Land. When Richard did leave, he, knowing the danger he would be in if he traveled through France on his way back to England, took a long trip around the east side of France. He was captured in Austria, and the threat of being turned over to his one-time friend was more than enough to make him agree to pay ransom money. When he finally was freed, he hurried back home and began to muster troops for an all-out fight with Philip.’ Richard died fighting Philip in Normandy. Throughout Richard’s life, and especially in his later years, we can see the mistakes he made in spurning and disdaining Philip, and the evil end that erupted from that once so strong friendship. If Richard had kept his engagement to Alice, returned the dowry lands
