Richard I

by John Gillingham, Frank Barlow

Book 15 in the English Monarchs series.

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John Gillingham challenges the familiar portrayal of Richard I as an absentee king who neglected England for crusading adventure. He reconstructs Richard’s upbringing in Aquitaine, rebellion against Henry II and mastery of aristocratic warfare, showing that his priorities were those of a ruler of the wider Angevin world.

The biography follows the Third Crusade, captivity and ransom, diplomacy with allies and enemies, and the campaigns that preserved his continental lands. Gillingham argues that Richard’s military reputation rested on genuine strategic ability and that his government of England remained effective, even when the king himself was abroad.