1194 Richard I of England ransomed

[Valin]

Angus Donald

 

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The whole story of Richards return is not entirely clear; the facts are fragmentary, and sometimes seem contradictory, but most scholars agree that Richard decided to attempt a clandestine eastern land route homeward. After sending his wife Berengaria by fast ship to Rome where she would be protected by the Pope, he made a feint westward towards Sicily, then doubled back, entered the Adriatic and sailed north. It was the end of the shipping season, the weather was stormy, and after a couple of stops Richard ultimately landed on the northern Adriatic coast at Aquileia, near Trieste in north-eastern Italy although some scholars suggest that this landing wasnt planned and he was shipwrecked there after bad weather. Either way thats where the King found himself, on or about the 10th December 1192, ashore, with only a few companions, and hundreds of miles from friendly lands.

 

Disguised as a Templar knight, or possibly as a merchant, Richard headed north into the heart of Europe, making for safe territory controlled by his brother-in-law Henry the Lion, Duke of Saxony. However, after an icy, gruelling, dangerous journey on poor roads, the King was apprehended by Duke Leopold of Austrias men. It was only a few days before Christmas, the weather was awful and the King was apparently sheltering in a disreputable house or brothel in the outskirts of Vienna. Some stories suggest that it was his aristocratic habit of demanding roast chicken for dinner, rather than humbler fare, that led to his discovery; other tales say that it was his companions practice of calling him Sire that somehow gave away his royal identity.

 

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Negotiations for Richards release took the best part of a year, and after strenuous diplomatic efforts by Queen Eleanor of Aquitaine, the payment of 100,000 marks an enormous sum, perhaps twice the gross domestic product of the whole of England at the time and the handing over of hostages, the King was released in early February 1194.

 

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