First published 2018
Thomas Asbridge examines the paradoxes that define Richard I, one of medieval England's most celebrated yet absent rulers. The monarch spent merely six months on English territory during his decade-long reign, preferring to speak French and pursue crusading ambitions in distant lands. Asbridge investigates how contemporaries awarded Richard the title "Lionheart" for his battlefield courage and chivalric ideals, even as he ordered the execution of nearly 3,000 captives in a single brutal day. The author traces Richard's failed quest to reclaim Jerusalem from Islamic forces, analyzing why this Christian warrior devoted his reign to holy war rather than governing his kingdom. Asbridge unravels how Richard's reputation became entangled with legend and myth over centuries. The biography reveals a complex figure: a brilliant military strategist with refined cultural interests, yet haunted by his troubled family heritage and driven by an unrelenting hunger for honor and fame.
Genres: biography, historical-fiction, non-fiction, military-history
Vibes: emotional, thought-provoking
Tropes: complex-protagonist, legendary-figure
Setting: England, Jerusalem
Period: Medieval
ebook · Penguin
Content warnings: violence