Page 35 - All About History 55 - 2017 UK

Richard I: Rise of the Lion

01
The
Angevin

Empire

Richard was to
inherit a vast
kingdom

01 Promised land
William the Lion, seeing an
opportunity to reclaim lands promised to
Scotland, invaded England in support of
Richard and Henry the Young King. After 06
failing to take Berwick, he was captured
by a large group of English knights. His
journey south was humiliating as he was Backing
tied to a horse — a very undignified way for 07down
a king to travel. The town of Châteauroux
was almost the site of a
02 Siege and desist titanic battle between
Henry II, Richard and Philip
The duchy of Aquitaine was
home to the fortress of Taillebourg, II. King Henry, although no
thought to be impregnable. Richard knew stranger to war, had never
fought a pitched battle in
that his siege engines would make little
impact on the vast fortification and so his life and backed down
at the last minute. As the
lured the garrison into sallying out of
the gates. Once outside, he rushed into nobility on both sides knew
each other personally, it
the castle and quickly overwhelmed
its defenders. This would solidify his is unknown if they would
have ever actually fought
reputation as a master of siegecraft.
one another.
03 Spread thin Trying
The revolt against Henry
II began in Brittany at the same time 03 05 08to lee
that Scottish forces crossed the border Eleanor of Aquitaine was
near Berwick. This attempt to split captured after fleeing
Henry II’s attention across his kingdom 07 from Henry II’s Brabançon
backfired when he dispatched groups mercenaries disguised in
of battle-hardened mercenaries to 04 male clothing. After she
deal with the uprisings. 08 was imprisoned in England,
Richard took control of the
rebellion in Poitou.
04 French support
Louis VII of France would
support Richard and Henry the 09 In return
Younger’s rebellion against their father, The county of
even going so far as to make a royal Toulouse had been a point
seal that the Young King used to buy of contention between
the loyalty of rebel nobles. His son, Henry II and Louis VII
Philip II, would continue to try and win ever since the former had
back French lands from the English. taken the land by force.
Louis looked to claim the
valuable province back
when he offered to support
05 A long way 02 Richard and Henry the
Young King’s rebellion
Famous for his ability to
travel great distances over his domain, against their father.
Henry II crossed almost the entire
length of his duchy of Normandy in
two days. In later life, his legs would
become bowed due to spending most
of his life in a saddle.

06 Sinking defeat 09
The English rebels, led
by the Earl of Leicester, let their
Flemish mercenaries ravage East
Anglia, prompting a flood of support
for Henry II. The rebel barons were
defeated and the raiders drowned in
the surrounding marshes.

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