Richard the Lionheart by Sharon Fabian

Name Date Richard the Lionheart By Sharon Fabian King Richard I of England is better known as Richard the Lionheart. The name Lionheart stands for bravery, loyalty, gallantry, and chivalry - all of those qualities most admired in men of the Middle Ages. Pictures of Richard show a tall, good-looking man with blue eyes and wavy reddish hair. He sports a short beard and a moustache. Seated on his white horse in his medieval battle attire, he is an imposing figure. Richard was an educated man, too. He received a fine education in his mother's homeland of Aquitaine (in today's France). There he learned to play music and write poetry, along with more practical skills. Richard became King of England in 1189 upon his father's death. At that time, Richard and his brother John had been plotting against their father and were taking control of the country already. Richard was already the Duke of Aquitaine, the Duke of Poitiers, the Duke of Normandy, and the Count of Anjou. England was just one more addition to his holdings. It did, however, bring with it a new title - King. King Richard I had only been in power for a year when he decided to set out on the Third Crusade. He found the money he needed for this quest through the Saladin Tithe, a heavy tax begun by his father, King Henry II, to fight the Muslim leader Saladin after Saladin's victory in the first Crusade. He set aside his gold crown and his scepter and dressed in his battle clothing. A fighter's tunic replaced the long kingly robes. He put on his helmet and took up his sword and his shield. Three gold lions on his shield told everyone who he was. On his way to the Holy Land, King Richard conquered Cyprus. He was not able to recapture the Holy Land but signed a treaty with Saladin that made it easier for pilgrims to travel there. Then, King Richard began the long journey home. Along the way, he was captured by King Leopold of Austria and thrown in prison. No one in England knew where his prison was located. According to legend, King Richard's minstrel, Blondel, set out to find him. He traveled all over Europe, stopping at every castle. At each castle, he would sing a song known only to himself and to his king. Finally, his loyalty and persistence paid off. He sang the first verse of his song and heard the voice of King Richard reply with the second verse. Richard was found, but he wasn't freed yet. His captors demanded a huge ransom of tons of silver. Back in England, his mother, Eleanor of Aquitaine, and the Archbishop of Canterbury came to the rescue. They raised the money and ransomed the king. King Richard was freed. Altogether, Richard I spent very little time in England while he was king. He was king for ten years, but the amount of time he spent in England could be counted in months. He seemed more interested in military campaigns to build up the rest of his empire than in taking care of England. He taxed the English people heavily to pay for adventures and usually left the running of his kingdom to others. He preferred to live in Aquitaine. So, why was Richard I called Richard the Lionheart? His style seemed to have caught the fancy of the storytellers of medieval legends. In both the story of Robin Hood and the story Ivanhoe, Richard I is portrayed as the good king, the handsome, brave, and gallant defender of his people. It is unclear how much the King Richard in those stories did or did not resemble the actual King Richard. After all, the time of the Middle Ages was long ago. One thing is for certain though - the Richard I in the stories was the very picture of someone who would be called Lionheart. Name Date Richard the Lionheart Questions 1. Richard the Lionheart was ______. A. a real king of England B. only a character in a legend C. only a character in a novel D. a real king of France 2. Richard the Lionheart was also known as ______. A. Richard II B. Saladin C. Richard I D. Henry II 3. Richard the Lionheart became king in the ______ century. A. thirteenth B. tenth C. eleventh D. twelfth 4. The Saladin Tithe was a ______. A. horse B. sword C. king D. tax 5. Besides England, Richard also ruled ______. A. Normandy B. Aquitaine C. Anjou D. all of the above 6. On the Third Crusade, Richard ______. A. never arrived in the Holy Land B. met all of his goals C. was somewhat successful D. had no success 7. After Richard the Lionheart was thrown in prison by King Leopold, ______ helped to get him out of prison. A. Blondel B. Richard's mother C. the Archbishop of Canterbury D. all of the above 8. The name Lionheart refers to King Richard's ______. A. bravery B. intelligence C. musical talent D. all of the above Name Date What do you think were the responsibilities of a king in the Middle Ages? Make a list of ten words that could be used to describe a medieval king like Richard the Lionheart. You can begin your list with brave and gallant. Then, write a short paragraph about someone today, using those ten words..

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