Page 33 - All About History 55 - 2017 UK

Richard I: Rise of the Lion

difference from being the absentee father for the
sons who were now fighting against him.
Whether or not Henry II experienced any form
of parental epiphany, he eventually put down his
sons’ rebellion. But after being soundly beaten
and suitably cowed, Richard and his brothers
were still given land holdings and their revenues
by their father. These weren’t as generous as the
terms he had offered near the beginning of the
revolt and certainly not substantial enough for any
one brother to challenge his authority. Henry was
no fool — he saw the need to keep his rebellious
children content until he deemed them ready to
take on more responsibility.
For the sons, the rebellion was a lesson in
patience. They would receive their due inheritance
when the king deemed them ready and not a
moment sooner. To keep Richard and Geoffrey
occupied, they were sent off to stamp out the
“hotbed of lawlessness and civil discord” they had
helped ferment in their new duchies of Brittany
and Aquitaine. The irony of this was probably
not lost on Richard, but his suppression of the
Aquitaine rebels provided him with land, wealth
and an outlet for his more violent tendencies.
Having the full weight of Aquitaine’s military
forces behind him, Richard set about crushing the
remaining rebel strongholds one by one. He won
his first siege against the fortress of Castillon-sur-
Agen — garrisoned by 30 seasoned knights, it held
out for two months before Richard’s siege engines
could bring it down. It was in the crucible of these
suppressions that the young prince would forge his
military reputation and win his famous nickname,
Lionheart, for his bravery.

Richards battle cry was ‘Dieu et mon
droit’ or ‘God and my right’, referring
to the divine right of kings

Richard I ruled England from
1189 to 1199

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