DO YOU KNOW WHY RICHARD I, ONE OF THE MOST CELEBRATED KING IN THE ENGLISH HISTORY WAS REFERRED TO AS THE LION THAT THE ANT SLAY?

Richard I (8 September 1157- 6 April 1189) was king of England from 6 July 1189 until his death. He also ruled as Duke of Normandy (as Richard IV), Duke of Aquitaine, Duke of Gascony, Lord of Cyprus, Count of Poitiers, Count of Anjou, Count of Maine, Count of Nantes, and Overload of Brittany at various times during the same period. He was the third of five sons of king Henry II of England and Eleanor of Aquitaine. He was known as Richard Coeur de Lion or Richard the Lion heart because of his reputation as a great military leader and warrior. He was also known in Occitan as Oc e No(Yes and No), because of his reputation for terseness. By the age of 16, Richard had taken command of his own army, putting down rebellion in Poitou, against his father. Richard was a central Christian Commander during the third Crusade, leading the campaign after the departure of Philip II of France and scoring considerable victories against his Muslim counterpart, Saladin although he did not retake Jerusalem form Saladin. Richard spoke both French and Occitan, he was born in England, where he spent his childhood, becoming king, however, he lived for most of his adult life in Duchy of Aquitaine in the Southwest of France. Following his accession he spent very little time, perhaps as little as six months, in England; most of his life as king was spent in Crusade, in captivity, or in actively defending his land in France. Rather than regarding his Kingdom as a responsibility requiring his presence as ruler, he has been seen as preferring to use it merely as a source of revenue to support his armies. Nevertheless, he was seen as a pious hero by his subjects. He remained one of the few kings of England remembered by his epithet, rather than regal number, and is an enduring iconic figure both in England and in France.
From an early age he showed significant political and military ability, becoming noted for his chivalry and courage as he fought the rebellious nobles of his own territory. His elder brother, Henry the Young king was crowned king of England during his father’s life time. Marriage alliance were common among medieval royalty; they led to political alliance and peace treaties and allowed families to stake claims of succession on each other’s lands. In March 1159 it was arranged that Richard would marry one of the daughters of Romon Berenguer IV of Count of Barcelona; however, these arrangement failed, and the marriage never took place. Henry the Young king was married to Marguerite, daughter of Louis VII of France, on November 1660. Early in the 1660s there has been suggestions that Richard should marry Alys, Countess of the Vexin (Alice), fourth daughter of Louis VII because of the rivalry between the king of England and France, Louise obstructed the marriage. A peace treaty was secured in January 1169 and Richard’s betrothal to Alys was confirmed. Henry, the Young king later revolted against his father, he wanted to control some territories while his father was still alive. He however sought the help of Louis VII when he abandoned his father and headed for a  French court. Richard I was officially invested as Duke of Normandy on July 1189 and the crowned king in Westminster Abbey on 3 September 1189. It was recorded that Richard fought and won several wars in defense of England. In the early evening of 25 March 1199, Richard was walking around the castle perimeter without his Chainmail, investigating the process of Sappers on the castle’s wall. Missiles were occasionally shot on the castle’s walls, but these were given little attention. One defender in particular amused the king greatly – a man standing on the wall, crossbow in one hand, the other clutching a frying pan he had been using all day as a shield to beat off missiles. He deliberately aimed it at the king, which the king applauded; however, another crossbowman then struck the king in the left shoulder near the neck. He tried to pull it out in the privacy of his tent but failed; a surgeon, called “butcher” by Howden, removed it “carelessly managing” the king’s arm in the process. The wound swiftly became gangrenous. Richard asked to have the crossbowman brought before him; called Peter Basil John, the man (from the town of Gourd Ron) by a chronicler turned out, but not all to be a boy. The man replied that Richard had killed his father and his two brothers and that he had killed Richard in revenge. He expected to be killed, but as a final act of mercy, Richard forgave him, saying ” live on, and by my bounty behold the light of day”, before he ordered the fellow to be freed and sent away with 100 shillings. Richard then set his affairs in order, bequeathing all his territory to his brother John and his jewels to his nephew Otta. Richard died on April 6, 1199 in the arms of his mother; it was later said that “As the day was closing, he ended his earthly day, “Because of the nature of Richard’s death, he was later referred to as “the Lion (that) by Ant was slain”. There was a chronicler, who said ” A man by name, Mercadier, a mercenary captain hanged the crossbowman alive as soon as Richard died.
Those are tombs containing the heart of king Richard at Rouen and at Fontevraud Abbey.