William the Conqueror

Richard the First - FULL Audio Book - by Jacob Abbott

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• published: 27 Feb 2013
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Richard the First - FULL Audio Book - by Jacob Abbott SUBSCRIBE to https://www.youtube.com/subscription_center?add_user=GreenAudioBooks - Richard I (8 September 1157 -- 6 April 1199) was King of England from 6 July 1189 until his death. He also ruled as Duke of Normandy (as Richard IV), Duke of Aquitaine, Duke of Gascony, Lord of Cyprus, Count of Anjou, Count of Maine, Count of Nantes, and Overlord of Brittany at various times during the same period. He was known as Richard Cœur de Lion, or Richard the Lionheart, even before his accession, because of his reputation as a great military leader and warrior.[1] The Saracens called him Melek-Ric or Malek al-Inkitar -- King of England.[2] By the age of sixteen, Richard had taken command of his own army, putting down rebellions in Poitou against his father, King Henry II.[1] Richard was a central Christian commander during the Third Crusade, leading the campaign after the departure of Philip II of France and scoring considerable victories against his Muslim counterpart, Saladin, although he did not reconquer Jerusalem.[3] Speaking langue d'oïl and langue d'oc[4] and spending very little time in England (he lived in his Duchy of Aquitaine in the southwest of France, preferring to use his kingdom as a source of revenue to support his armies)[5] he was seen as a pious hero by his subjects.[6] He remains one of the few Kings of England remembered by his epithet, rather than regnal number, and is an enduring iconic figure in England and France - Richard was born on 8 September 1157,[8] probably at Beaumont Palace,[9] in Oxford, England. He was a younger brother of Count William IX of Poitiers; Henry the Young King; and Duchess Matilda of Saxony.[10] As the third legitimate son of King Henry II of England, he was not expected to ascend the throne.[11] He was also an elder brother of Duke Geoffrey II of Brittany; Queen Eleanor of Castile; Queen Joan of Sicily; and Count John of Mortain, who succeeded him as king. Richard was the younger maternal half-brother of Countess Marie of Champagne and Countess Alix of Blois.[10] Henry II and Eleanor of Aquitaine's oldest son, William, died in 1156, before Richard's birth.[10] Richard is often depicted as having been the favourite son of his mother Eleanor of Aquitaine.[12] His father, Henry, was Norman-Angevin and great-grandson of William the Conqueror. Contemporary historian Ralph of Diceto traced his family's lineage through Matilda of Scotland to the Anglo-Saxon kings of England and Alfred the Great, and from there linked them to Noah and Woden. According to Angevin legend, there was even infernal blood in the family - While his father visited his lands from Scotland to France, Richard probably spent his childhood in England. His first recorded visit to the continent was in May 1165, when his mother took him to Normandy.[13] He was wet-nursed by a woman called Hodierna, and when he became king he gave her a generous pension.[14] Little is known about Richard's education.[15] Although born in Oxford and raised in England up to his eighth year, it is not known to what extent he used or understood English; he was an educated man who composed poetry and wrote in Limousin (lenga d'òc) and also in French.[16] Though a number of authors have asserted that Richard did not know the English language, this is an argument made from a lack of evidence. No contemporary source states that Richard knew no English. Indeed contemporary English prejudice against foreigners was used in a calculated way by his brother John to help destroy the authority of Richard's chancellor, William Longchamp, who was a Norman. One of the specific charges laid against Longchamp, by John's supporter Hugh, Bishop of Coventry, was that he could not speak English. This indicates that by the late 12th century a knowledge of English was expected of those in positions of authority in England.[17][18] He was said to be very attractive; his hair was between red and blond, and he was light-eyed with a pale complexion. He was apparently of above average height: according to Clifford Brewer he was 6 feet 5 inches (1.96 m)[19] As with his supposed lack of English, the question of his stature is one made from a lack of evidence as his remains have been lost since at least the French Revolution, and his exact height is unknown. John, his brother (by the same father and mother), was known to be only 5 feet 5 inches (1.65 m) and it would be unusual for there to be such a difference between siblings in height. - If you enjoyed listening to "Richard the First - FULL Audio Book - by Jacob Abbott" please rate, comment and subscribe to GreenAudioBooks. We really appreciate it :) Thanks for viewing Richard the First - FULL Audio Book - by Jacob Abbott We hope you enjoyed Richard the First - FULL Audio Book - by Jacob Abbott Audio is courtesy of Librivox. For more Librivox audio book recordings please refer to http://librivox.org