Richard the Lionhearted, Research Paper Example

Richard the Lionhearted was also known as King Richard I of England, who lived between September 1157 and April 1199 (Gillingham 1989). He is well known for contributing to the spread of Christianity across Europe due to his support of the Crusades. While some of these acts he committed were evil in nature, he succeeded in spreading the faith. It is therefore arguable that some good came out of these otherwise heinous crimes, as Richard I was able to introduce knowledge of the one true God and Jesus Christ to the many cultures that had not yet felt the influence of the faith.

When Richard I officially became the Duke of Normandy in 1189, he began he reign by preventing all Jewish leaders from participating in his government. He then followed up this act with the persecution and murder of individuals who chose to not follow Christ as their messiah (Graetz et al. 1902). He also forcibly baptized many of these individuals as well. The Archbishop of Canterbury did not necessarily agree with the kings actions, but there was little that could be done to prevent these atrocities. Despite this, the rule of Richard I is one of the first great examples of a sovereign king becoming directly involved in the religious lives of his people. For Richard I, this involved ensuring that all people living within his kingdom followed the same religious practices as he. From this point forward, the kings of England were generally seen as responsible for leading the religious lives of the people that they rule, which included dictating the faith that they would follow.

In January 1188, after Jerusalem had fallen to Saladin, Richard I and his father, Phillip II, decided to go on the Third Crusade in order to maintain and reclaim territories. After spending two years raising funds for his travels, Richard I embarked on the crusade beginning with Sicily. Although the original intention was to spread the influence of England, the travels devolved into a war that concluded with English occupation of this territory. After conquering several territories along the way, Richard I finally reached the holy land in June 1191. Here, he received support from Guy of Lusignan, which helped him capture Acre. A series of events ensued that led to the sickness of Richard I and his father, which caused them to temporarily retreat from the battlefield following this success.

When Richard I returned to battle with Saladin and his army, he eventually reached a truce with the leader after tireless fighting. If Richard I were to remove English fortifications, Saladin would allow Christian individuals to access the city of Jerusalem for purposes of trade and pilgrimage for three years. This was a significant event in history because Richard I allowed Christian individuals to access the holy land for the first time since Saladin’s rule. Although he had committed a lot of evil acts in attempting to purge England of non-believers, he was able to compensate for this somewhat by allowing Christians to practice their faith and travel to the holy city.

In the years following the crusades, Richard I committed many more acts that were not approved by the Church in an attempt to spread Christianity. Although these were not approved and not ethical, this did help spread the faith to a variety of new cultures. An example of this was the seizure of Normandy. This resulted in the slaughter of many individuals who opposed him. Despite this, the territory became is and the horrors that he committed continued for some time. This conflict is the one that ultimately contributed to his death in 1199.

After Richard I’s death, the perception that the masses have had of him had changed significantly. On one hand, he appeared to have been fanatical with his devotion to religion, which caused him to partake in many evil acts that he had thought were good and for the best of his people. On the other hand, he spread the influence of both England and the Church, and gained access to Jerusalem for the first time in many years. Richard I’s influence died with him for the most part, as he had no male heirs to the throne. However, many future kings of England that respected his military prowess followed in his suit. While Richard the Lionhearted was not supported by the Church in a vast majority of his efforts, his legacy does still live on today. He exemplifies an evil that we should not reach, despite the importance of spreading the faith. Richard I’s experiences demonstrate that it is God’s love we should be spreading, and not simply belief in Him. There are many individuals that call themselves good Christian’s, but to do so, it is important for them to carry out the faith in practice. It is preferable to focus on the parts of the bible that discuss inclusion for all and loving one’s neighbor, as it is clear that Richard I ignored these principles at times. In conclusion, it is difficult to determine whether Richard I did more good than evil or vice versa. However, we can conclude that he completed these actions with good intentions, even though these intentions weren’t necessarily recognized as good by others.

Bibliography

Gillingham, John (1989), Richard the Lionheart, Butler and Tanner Ltd.

Graetz, H. Bella Löwy; Bloch, Philipp (1902), History of the Jews, Jewish Publication Society of America.