Richard the Lionheart

Who he was

Richard I, son of Henry II and Eleanor of Aquitaine, became king of England in 1189 but spent only months of his reign there. He led the Third Crusade, took Acre and beat Saladin at Arsuf, but could not take Jerusalem and made a truce in 1192.

Captured on his way home, he was held by the Holy Roman Emperor until a huge ransom was paid. He died in 1199 of a crossbow wound at the siege of Châlus in France.

Sources: John Gillingham, Richard I (1999) · Encyclopaedia Britannica, “Richard I”