Richard I

by John Gillingham

Book Overview

Neither a feckless knight-errant nor a king who neglected his kingdom, Richard I was in reality a masterful and businesslike ruler. In this wholly rewritten version of a classic account of the reign... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0300079125
• ISBN13: 9780300079128
• Release Date: December 1999
• Publisher: Yale University Press
• Length: 380 Pages
• Weight: 1.98 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.5" x 6.4" x 9.5"

Customer Reviews

"From the Devil he came..."

This book exemplifies what biographies should be. John Gillingham is to Richard Lionheart what John Calvin was to Christianity. Gillingham has combined profound scholarship with a very readable style. The book is only one of four books Prof. Gillingham has written on Richard I of England & he is without a doubt the world's authority on this subject. Prof Ralph Turner would be the authority on Richard's administration and reign. The book is in essence a chronological narrative which treats Richard as a twelfth century prince and king. Gillingham refutes many of the myths surrounding Richard including the following three: The claim that Richard was a homosexual. Gillingham meticulously disproves this allegation in terms of twelfth century political-culture and the misinterpretation by some modern historians of twelfth century Biblical analogies of Richard's life. The homosexual claim is based upon three instances in Richard's life: 1. That Richard and King Philip II shared a bed in 1187. This was a common gesture at the time to publicly signify a political allegiance; in this case against Richard's father King Henry II. It in no way implied or was inferred as a sexual encounter. 2. In 1198 Richard and Baldwin IX count of Flanders arrived at a conference hand-in-hand for the same reason, this time against King Philip II if France. Again twelfth century princes would have interpreted this correctly as a political allegiance not a sexual relationship. 3. Richard was apparently accused in 1195 by a monk of having the sin of Sodom. In the twelfth century this was taken to mean that if Richard did not redeem himself he would, like the town of Sodom, face the severe justice and wrath of God. That is, the reference to Sodom has less to do with the offence and more to do with the punishment. In the twentieth century historians incorrectly concluded that the monk was referring to the act of sodomy. In fact this tells us more about ourselves that about Richard. Our society's wider interest in sex and its poor understanding of the Old Testament and biblical allegories. In fact Richard fathered at least one illegitimate son - Philip of Cognac. He also was accused by the count of Angouleme and Viscount of Limoges in 1182 of raping the daughters and wives of their vassals. This is disgraceful but hardly supports a charge of homosexuality. Finally, when on his death bed Richard supposedly, in defiance of his doctor's orders, had young maidens brought to him. The claim that Richard was a negligent King who was not interested in administration. The assertion by some early twentieth century historians that Richard was a negligent king who cared nothing for England or administration is exposed as false. Prudence & foresight characterised Richard's placement of sheriffs and clerics not carelessness & recklessness, & Richard's handling of these officials shows that he understood & appreciated their significance, demonstrating that he was a mona

The Best Bio of Richard

I was sceptical getting started on this biography. Certainly, the early parts were fact-laden, slightly uninteresting and slow going. I am very glad I did not give up. This is one of the few strictly historical books that restores one's faith in objective research and non-agenda, non-ego driven truth finding. One might wish for a bit more of a picture of Richard's persona, but from the remove of nearly a millenium, this would be fudging anyway. The facts that there are are clearly and neatly laid out regarding all of Richard's attributes, and some of the modern fadist mythologies (so many of which have their underpinnings in a given academic's desire or need for attention) are dealt with fairly and thoroughly. Example: Richard was not a homosexual, as "The Lion in Winter" would have a viewer believe. The evidence against it is clear and plenary. It isn't that one doesn't wish him to be, it's just that this notion has its roots in a modern attempt to overlay ancient male and political bonding customs with a template of modern behaviours and modern conclusions which would stem from modern interpretations of those behaviors. All in all, Richard emerges from the historical record as a great warrior King, who was grossly treated following his exertions during the Crusades, and was forced to try to reclaim the lands that Phillip of France stole while Richard was away. He was therefore forced to stay away from Britain, because the Angevin and Acquitainian and Norman parts of his empire were on the continent. He did not stay away from Britain by choice or by neglect (another myth debunked), but because he was forced to by the duties of his Kingship. Also, Britain WAS part of continental Europe as well in those days. (Or vice versa, if you happen to be English.)

Good Reading

A great introduction to those curious about this legendary monarch. Gillingham pulls off a bit of a hat trick here. While he does have strong opinions of surrounding figures, particularly Philip and John, he lets the facts speak for themselves about Richard and does not argue one particular point of view. With one exception, his sexuality. This also one of the few times where I found the primary historians, both Arab and Norman, becoming "characters" and their presence is missed when they die or no longer are around the King. The very difficult task of giving all of the counts of Normandy, the Vexin, and the Aquitaine distinctiveness is handled incredibly well. In the hands of a less skilled author this would have been very dry reading and frustratingly convoluted. Also, bit of a heads up to the future reader: This is Gillingham's second book on Richard the Lionheart and he has written numerous articles and essays on the monarch. He has no problem using himself as a reference and he flat out lifts an entire chapter from his previous work and places it in this one. I found this shrewdly entertaining. It does benefit this volume and since the older version is no longer in print, no harm done. After reading this you come away better informed, entertained and with a desire to pick up another book on this era and this king. I can't think of much better praise than that. An essential work for a medieval library.

Greatest hero of his age or ungrateful son? You decide.

This is the most balanced royal biography I've read to date. Gillingham begins by tracing Richard's reputation through the ages, beginning at it's peak in the 12th and 13th centuries, when he was considered one of the great leaders of his time to it's nadir in the 1950's when academics began to consider him a "Bad son and a bad king..." who spent far more time on the continent than he ever did in England, leaving it in terrible financial straits when he went off to fight in the crusades, and began to conjecture about his sexual preference. Gillingham explores and discounts these and other myths about Richard and his reign simply by letting the historical record speak for itself and allowing the reader to draw their own conclusions, rather than stating his own opinions as facts and then selectively using the historical record to back them up. He also isn't afraid to admit that he can't be sure of something when the historical evidence is either too thin or simply obscured by the mists of time, which is refreshing. The author is among the first to rely heavily on contemporary Muslim sources in constructing his portrait of Richard, because he believes they are less biased in their evaluation of Richard's character than a European chronicler might be. These sources are, for the most part, complimentary, and add great perspective and depth to the reader's understanding of Richard as a warrior. Gillingham strikes the perfect balance between academic research and popular history, making the book very readable. Whether you're interested in Richard himself, or merely seeking an introduction into reading further about his fascinating family dynamics, or the crusades, this is the book to read!

Gillingham did much to revive the image of the Crusader King

Though somewhat dated John Gillingham's treatment of the famous or infamous (depending on your viewpoint) revived image of one of the most famous and sometimes obscure English Kings, Richard I (r. 1189-1199). Gillingham's book engages from the start as it attempts to reconstruct the circumstances around the famous Warrior-King's death. The author realized that the circumstances surrounding Richard's death were and are to a good degree an intricate part of his detractor's criticism of the Lionheart being negligent with concern to his kingdom. Gillingham convinces his readers that Richard was on important business, putting down revolts in his continental possessions. Gillingham made more use of diverse sources than any historian before him. The author pointed out with effect that Richard's obligations reached well beyond England and that by 12th century standards, Richard was an ideal king. However, Gillingham does strain to justify Richard's occasional acts of cruelty such as the massacre at Acre. One also wonders about the extensive energy used to dispell the myth of Richard's homosexuality. Gillingham does expose the lack of evidence concerning this apparently 20th century interpretation. However, what does Richard I's sexual preferences have to do with his abilities or failures? Still, Gillingham does give us a clear and believable portrait, albeit somewhat idealized.