1190-1200 Crusade and Richard I Captured

In 1190 at the Siege of Acre Routrou Chateaudun IV Count Perche [aged 55] and Raoul Coucy [aged 55] were killed.

William Ferrers 3rd Earl of Derby [aged 54] was killed. His son William [aged 22] succeeded 4th Earl Derby. Agnes Gernon Countess Derby by marriage Countess Derby.

In 1191 Waleran V de Beaumont Count of Meulan died at the Siege of Acre.

On 15th October 1191 Raoul I Count of Clermont-en-Beauvaisis [aged 51] was killed during the Siege of Acre.

On 4th October 1190 King Richard "Lionheart" I of England [aged 33] attacked and captured Messina, Sicily [Map].

Gesta Regis Henrici by Benedict of Peterborough. And so it happened that on the third day of October [1190] a discord arose between the army of the king of England and the citizens of Messina; and the anger on both sides grew to such an extent that the citizens shut the gates of the city, and armed themselves upon the walls; some took position in the strongest houses of the city, others in the fortifications above the gates. When the army of the king saw and heard this, they came with great force to the gates of the city. The king, however, riding on a very swift horse, galloped through the army, striking with a staff all of his men whom he could reach, wishing to restrain them from the assault, but he could not. At length he returned to his lodging; and when he had armed himself he went out again to extinguish the malice if he could. Afterwards he entered a small boat and went to the palace of King Tancred to speak with the king of France and to consult him concerning what had happened.

Unde contigit quod tertia die Octobris discordia emersit inter exercitum regis Angliæ et cives Messanæ; et in tantum excrevit ex utraque parte indignatio, quod cives clauserunt portas civitatis, et armati ascenderunt muros; et alii domos civitatis fortissimas, alii munitiones supra portas intraverunt. Cumque exercitus regis hæc audisset et vidisset, venerunt cum impetu magno ad portas civitatis. Rex vero in equo velocissimo cursitabat per exercitum, baculo verberans quoscunque ex suis attingebat; volens illos ab insultu cohibere, sed nequivit. Tandem rediit ad hospitium suum; et cum se armasset iterum exivit ad extinguendam malitiam si posset. Postea intravit cymbam unam, et ivit ad palatium regis Tancredi ad loquendum cum rege Franciæ, et consulere eum super iis quæ contigerant.

On 1st May 1191 King Richard "Lionheart" I of England [aged 33] arrived in Limassol [Map] where he met with Guy I King Jerusalem [aged 41].

Before 12th May 1191 Berengaria of Navarre Queen Consort England [aged 26] and Eleanor of Aquitaine Queen Consort Franks and England [aged 69] met King Richard's sister Joan Plantagenet Queen Consort Sicily [aged 25] at Messina, Sicily [Map] from where they travelled to Limassol [Map].

On 12th May 1191 King Richard "Lionheart" I of England [aged 33] and Berengaria of Navarre Queen Consort England [aged 26] were married at Chapel of St George at Limassol Castle [Map]. She was crowned Queen Consort England the same day by the Hélie de Malemort, archbishop of Bordeaux, Jean aka John Fitz Luke, bishop of Évreux and Bernard II de Lacarre, Bishop of Bayonne. She the daughter of Sancho "Wise" King Navarre [aged 59] and Sancha Ivrea. He the son of King Henry "Curtmantle" II of England and Eleanor of Aquitaine Queen Consort Franks and England [aged 69]. They were half fourth cousins.

Richard's mother and sister Eleanor of Aquitaine Queen Consort Franks and England and Joan Plantagenet Queen Consort Sicily [aged 25] were present.

Chronicum Anglicanum by Ralph Coggeshall. King Philip, in the springtime, entered the Mediterranean Sea with his men, as has already been said, and landed at Acre. King Richard, following close after with his whole company, by God's judgment was driven upon the island of Cyprus. There, when he had decided to pause for a little while for the refreshment of himself and his men, and for the gathering of fresh provisions after the weariness of the sea, the lord of that island, who usurped for himself the name of emperor, forbade him to enter his borders, threatening war if he approached. He even forbade that anyone should sell food to the king's army or set out goods for sale. King Richard, not bearing with an even spirit this hostility and detestable inhumanity, vigorously attacked the said island with armed force, and within a short time brought it under his power. The emperor himself, who had given hostages for peace but then broke the treaty, Richard captured as he fled from city to city, and consigned him to prison. When he had thus obtained lordship over the whole island and the emperor's treasure, and had also received his daughter and other nobles as hostages, there in Cyprus he espoused his queen¹, namely the daughter of the king of Navarre, whom Queen Eleanor had brought to her son while he was staying in Sicily.

Rex Philippus in vernali tempore mare Mediterraneum cum suis, ut jam dictum est, ingressus, apud Ptolomaidam applicuit; quem rex Ricardus cum universo comitatu suo illico subsequens, Dei judicio in Cyprum insulam appulsus est, ubi cum aliquantulum temporis ob sui suorumque recreationem, ac recentium victualium aggregationem, post tædiosam maris vexationem pausare decrevisset, dominus illius insulæ, qui sibi nomen imperatoris usurpabat, prohibuit ne fines suos ingredi præsumeret, bellum applicantibus intentans. Interdixit etiam ne quis suorum exercitui regis victualia venderet, aut res venales exponeret. Cujus animositatem ac detestandam inhumanitatem rex Ricardus non æquo animo ferens, prædictam insulam armata manu viriliter aggressus est, eamque suæ ditioni infra breve tempus subegit; ipsumque imperatorem, (qui obsides pacis tradiderat, sed fœdus pacis initum ruperat,) de civitate in civitatem fugientem comprehendit, comprehensumque custodia carcerali mancipavit. Cumque dominium totius insulæ ac thesauros imperatoris obtinuisset, necnon et filiam ejus, nobiliores quoque loco obsidum recepisset, desponsavit ibidem reginam suam, filiam videlicet regis de Novaria, quam regina Alienor adduxerat ad filium suum in Sicilia commorantem.

Note 1. Berengaria of Navarre [aged 26] and King Richard were married on 12th May 1191 in the Chapel of St. George at Limassol on Cyprus. The marriage was attended by King Richard's mother, Eleanor of Aquitaine, and his sister Joan of England, the former Queen of Sicily. She was crowned on the same day. She is not believed to have ever travelled to England; the only English Queen not to have done so.

Chronicle of Richard of Devizes. [12th May 1191] And because Lent had now passed, and the lawful time for contracting marriage had arrived, he had Berengaria [aged 26], daughter of the king of the Navarrese, whom his mother had brought to him during Lent, betrothed to himself on the island.

Et quia jam transierat Quadragesima, et legitimum contrahendi tempus advenerat, Berengariam filiam regis Navarorum, quam ad se in Quadragesima mater adduxerat, sibi despondi fecit in insula.

Chronicle of Roger de Hoveden. In the month of May, on the fourth day before the Ides of that month [12th May 1191], on a Sunday, the feast of the holy martyrs Nereus, Achilleus, and Pancras, Berengaria [aged 26], daughter of the king of Navarre, was betrothed to Richard, king of England, in the island of Cyprus at Limassol, Nicholas Benedict, the king's chaplain, performing the office of that sacrament. And on the same day the king had her crowned and consecrated queen of England by John, bishop of Évreux, assisted in that office by the archbishops of Apamea and Auch, and the bishop of Bayonne.

Mense vero Maii, IV idus ejusdem mensis, die Dominica, Richard festo Sanctorum Nerei et Achillei atque Pancratii martyrum; Berengera, filia regis Navarræ, desponsata est Eicardo regi Angliæ in insula de Cipre apud Limeszun, Nicholao Benedict, regis capellano officium sacramenti illius perficiente: et eodem die fecit illam rex coronari et consecrari in reginam Angliæ, a Johanne Ebroicense episcopo, administrantibus illi in officio illo archiepiscopis de Appamia et de Auxia, et episcopo de Baonia.

Note 1.

Gesta Regis Henrici by Benedict of Peterborough. In the month of May, on the fourth day before the Ides of that month [12th May 1191], on a Sunday, the feast of Saints Nereus, Achilleus, and Pancras, Richard, king of England, took in marriage Berengaria [aged 26], daughter of the king of Navarre, with his chaplain Nicholas performing the office of this sacrament. And on the same day he had her crowned queen of England in the town of Limassol, by John, bishop of Évreux, in the presence of the archbishops of Apamea and Auch, and the bishop of Bayonne, with many others.

Mense autem Maii, quarto idus ejusdem mensis, Dominica die, festo sanctorum Nerei, Achillei atque Pancratii, Ricardus rex Angliæ desponsavit sibi Bereneram filiam regis Navaræ, Nicholao capellano suo officium sacramenti hujus perficiente. Et eodem die fecit illam coronari in reginam Angliæ in villa de Limeszun a Johanne Ebroicensi episcopo, coram archiepiscopis de Appamia et de Auxia, et coram episcopo de Baonia et aliis multis.

Itinerary of King Richard I. On the morrow, viz. on the Sunday [12th May 1191], which was the festival of St. Pancras, the marriage of King Richard and Berengaria [aged 26], the daughter of the king of Navarre, was solemnized at Limozin: she was a damsel of the greatest prudence and most accomplished manners, and there she was crowned queen. There were present at the ceremony the archbishop, and the bishop of Evreux, and the bishop of Baneria,¹ and many other chiefs and nobles. The king was glorious on this happy occasion, and cheerful to all, and shewed himself very jocose and affable.

Note 1. 'Banera'. Hoveden has 'Baonia' i.e. Bayonne.

On 8th June 1191 King Richard "Lionheart" I of England [aged 33] landed at Acre [Map].

Chronicum Anglicanum by Ralph Coggeshall. [8th June 1191] When therefore King Richard heard that the army of the Lord at Acre was suffering from a great famine, so that a bushel of grain was being sold for sixty marks, he hastened to relieve so great a calamity, gathering from every side a supply of provisions out of the island of Cyprus which he had subdued. And so, with ships laden with a great abundance of food, he himself, with all his equipment and his army, made for Acre.

Audiens igitur rex Ricardus exercitum Domini apud Ptolomaidam maxima famis inedia laborare, ita ut sexa rius frumenti sexaginta marcis venundaretur, ex Cypro insula quam subegerat victualium copiam undique aggregans, tantæ calamitati succurrere festinavit. Onustis itaque alimentorum copia navibus, ipse cum universo apparatu et exercitu suo Ptolomaidam tendit.

Chronicum Anglicanum by Ralph Coggeshall. In this same year [1192] the bones of the most famous Arthur, once king of Britain, were found at Glastonbury, enclosed in a very ancient coffin, near which stood two old stone monuments, upon which certain letters had been carved, but they could not be read on account of great barbarism and defacement. They were discovered on this occasion: for while the ground was being dug there to bury a certain monk, who in his lifetime had with great desire chosen this place of burial, they came upon a certain coffin, upon which a leaden cross had been placed, on which was engraved thus: 'Here lies the renowned King Arthur, buried in the Isle of Avalon.' But that place, once surrounded by marshes, was called the Isle of Avalon, that is, the Isle of Apples¹.

Hoc autem anno inventa sunt apud Glastingeberiam ossa famosissimi Arturi, quondam regis Britanniæ, in quodam vetustissimo sarcophago recondita, circa quod duæ antiquæ pyramides stabant erectæ, in quibus litteræ quædam exaratæ erant, sed ob nimiam barbariem et deformationem legi non poterant. Inventa sunt autem hac occasione. Dum enim ibidem terram effoderent ut quemdam monachum sepelirent, qui hunc locum sepulturæ vehementi desiderio in vita sua præoptaverat, reperiunt quoddam sarcophagum, cui crux plumbea superposita fuerat, in qua ita exaratum erat, "Hic jacet inclitus rex Arturius, in insula Avallonis sepultus." Locus autem ille olim paludibus inclusus, insula Avallonis, (id est, insula Pomorum) vocitatus est.

Note 1. Gerald of Wales, Instructions for a Ruler': "The body of this man, about whom tales had fabricated that he was almost a phantom in the end, and as if carried off to distant places by spirits, not subject to death, was, in our own days, discovered at Glastonbury, between two stone monuments once erected in the holy cemetery, buried deep in the earth in a hollowed oak, and marked with wondrous signs and, as it were, miraculous indications. And it was translated with honour into the church and committed to a marble tomb fittingly. Moreover, there was a leaden cross beneath the stone laid underneath (not above, as is the custom in our days, but rather fixed on the lower part), which we ourselves also saw, for we handled it, which contained this inscription, cut into the letters, not raised and standing out, but rather turned inward toward the stone: 'Here lies buried the famous King Arthur, with Guinevere his second wife, in the Isle of Avalon.'"

Instruction for a Ruler Book 1. [1192] The body of this man, about whom tales had fabricated that he was almost a phantom in the end, and as if carried off to distant places by spirits, not subject to death, was, in our own days, discovered at Glastonbury, between two stone monuments once erected in the holy cemetery, buried deep in the earth in a hollowed oak, and marked with wondrous signs and, as it were, miraculous indications. And it was translated with honour into the church and committed to a marble tomb fittingly. Moreover, there was a leaden cross beneath the stone laid underneath (not above, as is the custom in our days, but rather fixed on the lower part), which we ourselves also saw, for we handled it, which contained this inscription, cut into the letters, not raised and standing out, but rather turned inward toward the stone: 'Here lies buried the famous King Arthur, with Guinevere his second wife, in the Isle of Avalon.'

Hujus auteni corpus, quod quasi phantasticum in fine, et tanquam per spiritus ad longinqua translatum, neque morti obnoxium fabulæ confinxerant, his nostris diebus apud Glastoniam inter lapideas pyramidcs duas, in cœmitcrio sacro quondam crcctas, profundius in terra quercu concava reconditum, et signatum miris indiciis et quasi miraculosis, est inventum, et in ecclesiam cum honore translatum marmoreoque decenter tumulo commendatum. Unde et crux plumbea lapide supposito, non superius ut [nostris] solet diebus, [sed] inferiori potius ex parte infixa, quam nos quoque vidimus, namque tractavimus litteras has insculptas et non eminentes et exstantes, sed magis interius ad lapidem versas, continebat: "Hic jacet sepultus inclitus rex Arthurus cum Wenneuereia vxore sua secunda in insula Auallonia."

In June 1192 King Richard "Lionheart" I of England [aged 34] and the crusader army advanced on Jerusalem [Map] coming within sight of it before factionalism caused the army to retreat.

Chronicum Anglicanum by Ralph Coggeshall. [8th August 1192] While the king was resting with his weary army at Acre for scarcely three days, and was considering his speedy return, behold, sorrowful messengers arrived, sent from Jaffa to the king, announcing that Saladin with his whole army had besieged Jaffa; and that the city would very quickly be captured, and all the knights and servants whom he had stationed there for its defence would be slaughtered, unless by swift relief he should bring aid to the besieged. On hearing this, the entire army of the Christians groaned deeply and was very greatly terrified. But King Richard [aged 34], greatly dismayed in spirit by such news, tried, both by himself and through others, to recall the Duke of Burgundy, who was offended, to peace and concord, and earnestly begged him to bring some help to so great a calamity. But the duke, disdaining to listen to their pleas, and unwilling to be troubled by their importunate request, set out by night with his men on the road toward Tyre. When he arrived there, immediately, by divine judgment, he was struck terribly, and with his mind deranged, ended his life by a miserable death. Meanwhile, the king at once, and a certain part of his army, boarded prowed ships, and committed their sails to the winds. But the ships, driven back in the opposite direction by the force of the winds and the violence of the waves, were for a long time carried toward Cyprus. Seeing this, those who had remained on land were struck with excessive grief and fear, and secretly suspected that the king was retreating homeward. But the king, with those who were with him, violently rowing against the fury of the winds, plowed the sea obliquely, and on the third day, as the dawn was already glowing, landed at the port of Joppa with only three ships.

Rege autem apud Ptolomaida cum fesso exercitu vix per triduum quiescente, atque de celeri ejus reditu providente, adsunt flebiles nuncii a Jope usque ad regem directi, nunciantes Saláádinum cum universo exercitu Jopen obsedisse; civitatemque celeriter fore capiendam, omnesque milites et servos, quos ob custodiam ibi collocaverat, trucidandos, nisi celeri subventione obsessis præsidium ferat. Quo audito, omnis Christianorum exercitus graviter ingemuit, valdeque perterritus est. Rex vero Ricardus, de tali rumore valde animo consternatus, ducem Burgundiæ offensum, tum per se, tum per alios, ad pacem et concordiam revocare studuit, atque obnixius rogavit ut tantæ calamitati aliquod subsidium ferat; quorum preces dux audire dedignans, eorumque importuna postulatione inquietari nolens, nocte iter cum suis versus Tyrum arripuit. Quo dum perveniret, confestim divino judicio terribiliter percussus, menteque alienatus, vitam miserabili morte terminavit. Rex autem illico et quædam pars exercitus sui rostratas naves conscendunt, ac vela ventis committunt. Sed naves, vi ventorum ac sævitia fluctuum in contrarium retortæ, versus Cyprum diutius impelluntur; quod videntes qui in terra remanserant, nimio dolore ac timore perculsi, regem latenter repatriare suspicantur. Rex vero et qui cum eo erant, contra rabiem ventorum violento remigio æquora ex obliquo sulcantes, cum tribus tantum navibus tertia die, rutilante jam aurora, in portu Jopensi applicuerunt.

On 9th October 1192 King Richard "Lionheart" I of England [aged 35] left the Holy Land for England. Bad weather forced him to land at Corfu [Map]. Richard sailed from Corfu but his ship was wrecked at Aquileia [Map] from where he travelled overland.

Around 25th December 1192 King Richard "Lionheart" I of England [aged 35] was captured near Vienna [Map] by Leopold V Duke of Austria [aged 35] who blamed Richard for the death of his cousin Conrad of Montferrat. Further, Richard had offended Leopold by casting down his standard from the walls of Acre. Leopold imprisoned Richard at Dürnstein Castle [Map]. Leopold was excommunicated by Pope Celestine III for having imprisoned a crusader. He, Richard, had travelled from Aquileia [Map] which suggests he was taking an easterly route around the Alps rather than travelling westerly through Lombardy, or across the Alps, both of which would have been shorter.

On 28th March 1193 King Richard "Lionheart" I of England [aged 35] was handed over to Henry Hohenstaufen VI Holy Roman Emperor [aged 27] who imprisoned him in Trifels Castle [Map].

Chronicum Anglicanum by Ralph Coggeshall. On the capture of King Richard in Austria.

De captione regis Ricardi apud Austriam.

In December 1193 Eleanor of Aquitaine Queen Consort Franks and England [aged 71] left Orford [Map] with her son Richard's [aged 36] ranson of 100,000 marks in silver and 200 hostages. She was accompanied by Archbishop Walter de Coutances and Bishop William Longchamp. Hubert Walter Bishop of Salisbury [aged 33] was Regent of England in her absence.

Chronicum Anglicanum by Ralph Coggeshall. The king, having remained scarcely one day at Westminster, set out to pray at [Bury St] Saint Edmund's; from there he went on to Nottingham¹, intending to besiege and take those who had conspired against him and had bound themselves to Count John. Robert of Brittany was captured by the king; he ordered that he should perish of hunger in prison. For already the king had taken all the other castles in England belonging to the aforesaid count, this one alone still manfully holding out and defending itself. But when the king besieged the castle and once assaulted it, the besieged, realizing more clearly the unexpected arrival of the king, surrendered the castle to the lord king, placing themselves and their followers in the will and mercy of the king. Some of them he shut up in prison, others he ransomed at a worthy price, eagerly desiring the money of each one in such a necessity. Nor is this a wonder; for he who had already spent his own treasures in many places, partly in his long pilgrimage, partly for his ransom, so that they were wholly exhausted, was compelled to seek the money of others more greedily. For two chief causes urgently pressed him: namely, that he might redeem the hostages given for him to the emperor, and that he might at once hire a great army against the king of France, who was devastating his land everywhere with fire and pillage. Wherefore, if in such a case he sought money from his subjects more eagerly than befitted royal majesty, it was rather to be forgiven, and piously to be pitied in a king afflicted with such great straits, than in any way to be imputed to the necessity of his royalty.

Rege vero vix per unum diem apud Westmonasterium commorante, apud Sanctum Eadmundum oraturus progreditur; inde Notingheam tendit, obsessurus et expugnaturus eos qui contra eum conspiraverant et comiti Johanni se obligaverant. Robertus Brito a rege captus; jussit ut fame in carcere interiret. citus enim Angliæ omnia alia castella præfati comitis jam ceperat, isto solo se adhuc viriliter tuente et defendente; sed rege prædictum castellum obsidente et semel assiliente, ut certius cognoverunt obsessi inopinatum regis adventum, castellum domino regi tradiderunt, seipsos cum suis in voluntate et miseratione regis ponentes. Quorum quosdam in carcere retrusit, quosdam digno pretio redemit, pecuniam singulorum in tali necessitate avide sitiens. Nec mirum; qui enim thesauros proprios multis in locis jam expenderat, eosque partim in diutina peregrinatione, partim pro sua redemptione omnino evacuaverat, necesse erat ut aliorum pecunias avidius exquireret. Duæ siquidem præcipuæ causæ eum vehementer urgebant; ut scilicet obsides pro se datos erga imperatorem redimeret, et ut exercitum copiosum contra regem Galliæ, qui terram suam incendiis atque rapinis undique devastabat, confestim conduceret. Quapropter, si avidius quam regiam majestatem decuit, pecuniam a subditis in tali casu exquirebat, ignoscendum potius erat et tantis angustiis afflicti regis pie compatiendum, quam aliquid regiæ necessitati derogandum.

Note 1. The Chronincle of Roger of Hoveden provides the date: "However, those who were inside Nottingham Castle did not send any of their men to meet the king. Because of this, the king, enraged, arrived at Nottingham on the Feast of the Annunciation [25th March 1194], which fell on a Friday, with such a great multitude of men, accompanied by the sound of trumpets and horns, that those inside the castle, upon hearing and seeing this, were astonished, thrown into confusion, and deeply shaken. Fear seized them, yet they still could not believe that the king himself had come; they hoped that the entire spectacle had been staged by the leaders of the army merely to deceive them. The king, meanwhile, took up lodging near the castle, so close that the archers inside shot arrows at his men right at his feet. Enraged, the king armed himself and his army to assault the castle, and a fierce battle broke out between his forces and the castle's defenders. Many on both sides were wounded or killed. During the fight, the king himself shot an arrow and killed a knight. At last, the king gained the upper hand, driving the defenders back inside the castle. He then seized some of the fortifications they had built in front of the gates and burned down the outer doors."

Note 1. The Chronincle of Roger of Hoveden provides the date: "However, those who were inside Nottingham Castle did not send any of their men to meet the king. Because of this, the king, enraged, arrived at Nottingham on the Feast of the Annunciation [25th March 1194], which fell on a Friday, with such a great multitude of men, accompanied by the sound of trumpets and horns, that those inside the castle, upon hearing and seeing this, were astonished, thrown into confusion, and deeply shaken. Fear seized them, yet they still could not believe that the king himself had come; they hoped that the entire spectacle had been staged by the leaders of the army merely to deceive them. The king, meanwhile, took up lodging near the castle, so close that the archers inside shot arrows at his men right at his feet. Enraged, the king armed himself and his army to assault the castle, and a fierce battle broke out between his forces and the castle's defenders. Many on both sides were wounded or killed. During the fight, the king himself shot an arrow and killed a knight. At last, the king gained the upper hand, driving the defenders back inside the castle. He then seized some of the fortifications they had built in front of the gates and burned down the outer doors."

Note 2. "gazigan" i.e. "light mail armour". Light medieval armour consisting of mail between layers of fabric or leather that originated in the middle-east.

Note 3. "le premier baile" i.e. "outer castle". "The first bailey". A castle, one or more outer baileys, and an inner bailey in which was, typically the keep, or donjon i.e. great tower.

Note 4. "barbakane" i.e. "fore-gate", "barbican". A structure built outside of a gate to provide added defence.

Chronicle of Roger de Hoveden. 26th March 1194. On the twenty-sixth day of March, the King of England ordered his siege engines to be constructed, intending not to launch further attacks on the castle until his war machines were ready. However, he had gallows erected near the castle and hanged some of Count John's soldiers who had been captured outside the castle.

Vicesima sexta die mensis Martii rex Angliæ fecit perarias suas fieri, habens in proposito quod amplius insultum non faceret in castellum, donec machinæ suæ bellicæ pararentur; sed furcas levari fecit prope castellum, in quibus suspendit quosdam servientes comitis Johannis extra castellum captos.

Chronicle of Roger de Hoveden. 27th March 1194. On the twenty-seventh day of March, Hugh [aged 69], Bishop of Durham, along with those who had been with him in the siege of Tickhill Castle, came to the king at Nottingham, bringing with them the prisoners who had been captured in Tickhill Castle. The king went out to meet them, and when the Bishop of Durham saw the king, he dismounted, and the king likewise dismounted to greet him. They then embraced and kissed each other as a sign of respect. Afterward, they mounted their horses again and proceeded together to the siege at Nottingham.

Vicesima septima die mensis Martii Hugo Dunelmensis episcopus, et illi qui cum eo erant in obsidione castelli de Tikehil, venerunt ad regem apud Notingham, adducentes secum captivos qui capti fuerant in castello de Tikehil; et rex processit obviam illis. Et viso rege, episcopus Dunelmensis descendit, et rex similiter obviam ei, et osculatus est eum. Deinde ascendentes equos suos venerunt ad obsidionem.

Chronicle of Roger de Hoveden. [27th March 1194] On the same day, while the king was seated at his meal, Ralph Murdac and William de Wendeval, the constables of Nottingham Castle, sent two of their companions to see the king. After seeing him, they returned to the castle and reported to those who had sent them all that they had heard and seen about the king and his condition. When William de Wendeval and Roger de Montbegun heard this, along with twelve others, they left the castle and placed themselves at the king's mercy, never returning to the castle again.

Eodem die cum rex sedisset ad prandium suum, Radulfus Murdac et Willelmus de Vendeval, constabularii castelli de Nothingham, miserunt duos ex sociis suis ad videndum regem. Quo viso regressi sunt in castellum, nunciantes eis qui miserant eos, ea quae audierant et viderant, de rege et statu ejus. Qua cum Willelmus de Vendeval et Rogerus de Muntbegun audissent, cum aliis duodecim exierunt a castello, et posuerunt se in misericordia regis, et amplius non redierunt in castellum.

Chronicle of Roger de Hoveden. 28th March 1194. On the twenty-eighth day of March, through the mediation of the Archbishop of Canterbury, Ralph Murdac, Philip of Worcester, Ralph of Worcester, his brother, and all those who were in the castle surrendered the castle to the king and placed themselves at the king's mercy concerning their lives, limbs, and earthly honor.

Vicesima octava die Martii, mediante Cantuariensi archiepiscopo, Radulfus Murdac, et Philippus de Wirecestre et Radulfus de Wirecestre, fratres ejus, et universi qui in castello erant, tradiderunt regi castellum, et posuerunt se in misericordia regis de vita et membris et terreno honore.

Chronicum Anglicanum by Ralph Coggeshall. Accordingly, after all his adversaries in England had been subdued in a short time, King Richard, on the octave of Easter¹, was crowned at Winchester by the counsel of his nobles, though somewhat unwillingly, the Mass being celebrated by Hubert Walter, archbishop of Canterbury, who the previous year, returning from Jerusalem, had been consecrated archbishop. Immediately after this, the king crossed over into Normandy.

Subactis igitur in Anglia omnibus in brevi adversariis, rex Ricardus in octavis Paschae apud Winto niam consilio procerum suorum, licet aliquantulum renitens, coronatus est, archiepiscopo Cantuariensi Huberto Waltero missam celebrante, qui anno præterito a Hierosolyma regrediens in archiepiscopum est consecratus. Statim post hæc, rex in Normanniam transfretavit.

Note 1. Roger of Hoveden: "On the seventeenth day of April, a Sunday within the Octave of Easter, a great assembly gathered in the Church of St. Swithun. Present were: Hubert, Archbishop of Canterbury, John, Archbishop of Dublin, Hugh, Bishop of Durham, Hugh of Lincoln, Richard of London, Gilbert of Rochester, William of Ely, Seffrid of Chichester, Henry of Exeter, William of Hereford, the Bishop of Worcester, the Bishop of St. David's, and the Bishop of Bangor, together with many abbots, clergy, and laypeople. Richard, King of England, clothed in royal garments and wearing a golden crown on his head, came forth from his chamber already crowned. He held in his right hand the royal sceptre, topped with the sign of the cross, and in his left hand a golden rod, topped with the figure of a dove. On his right walked William, Bishop of Ely, his chancellor, and on his left, Richard, Bishop of London. Preceding them in ordered procession were the archbishops, bishops, abbots, monks, and clerics. Following the king were earls, barons, knights, and a great multitude of common people."

Chronicum Anglicanum by Ralph Coggeshall. About this time the Count of Flanders besieged that noble castle of Saint-Omer. The besieged, however, sent word to King Philip to bring relief to the siege within a certain named period; but when he did not come to their aid, they surrendered the castle to the count. At that same time, the king of England entered the land of the king of France near Dangu, and took the castle of Courcelles with its tower, and drove the king of France himself, who was coming from Mantes with his army to give aid, into flight as far as the gates of Gisors, where his army was for the most part routed, and many nobles were taken prisoner¹. How and in what manner, and at what time of the year this happened, the letters which King Richard sent to his chancellor, E., bishop of Ely, then in England, declare more plainly. The tenor of which is as follows:

Circa hoc tempus, comes Flandrensis illud præclarum castrum de Sancto Omero obsedit. Obsessi vero regi Philippo mandant ut obsidioni succurrat infra terminum quemdam nominatum; quo non opem ferente, reddiderunt castrum comiti. Quo in tempore, rex Anglorum intravit terram regis Franciæ apud Dangu, et cepit castrum de Curcellis, cum turri, ipsumque regem Galliæ, qui veniebat de Mantua cum exercitu suo in auxilium, fugavit usque ad portas Gisortii, ubi ejus exercitus magna ex parte fusus est, et plures nobiles capti sunt. Quomodo autem et qualiter, et quo anni hujus tempore id factum fuerit, literæ quas rex Ricardus cancellario suo E. episcopo Elyensi, tunc in Anglia constituto, direxit, expressius indicant, quarum tenor hujuscemodi est:

Note 1. Ralph de Decito: "King Richard of England entered the land of the king of France with a great army on the fifth day before the Kalends of October, and captured the castle of Courcelles and of Burris, and a third castle, Siret-Fontaines. On the next day [27th September 1198], the king of France came from Mantes with four hundred knights, and with his sergeants and his commons, to relieve the castle of Courcelles, which he did not believe had been captured. Therefore, as soon as the king of England learned of his coming, he pursued him as he turned to flight, and pressed him so hard at the gate of Gisors that the bridge collapsed beneath him, and twenty of his knights were drowned. Meanwhile the king of England, with his own lance, struck down Matthew of Montmorency and Alain of Lusignan and Fulk of Gilerval, and held them captive. And up to a hundred knights were taken with them, and sergeants beyond number. Two hundred destriers were captured, of which one hundred and forty were covered in armour."

Images of Histories by Ralph Diceto. King Richard of England entered the land of the king of France with a great army on the fifth day before the Kalends of October, and captured the castle of Courcelles and of Burris, and a third castle, Siret-Fontaines. On the next day [27th September 1198], the king of France came from Mantes with four hundred knights, and with his sergeants and his commons, to relieve the castle of Courcelles, which he did not believe had been captured. Therefore, as soon as the king of England learned of his coming, he pursued him as he turned to flight, and pressed him so hard at the gate of Gisors that the bridge collapsed beneath him, and twenty of his knights were drowned. Meanwhile the king of England, with his own lance, struck down Matthew of Montmorency and Alain of Lusignan and Fulk of Gilerval, and held them captive. And up to a hundred knights were taken with them, and sergeants beyond number. Two hundred destriers were captured, of which one hundred and forty were covered in armour.

Ricardus rex Anglorum intravit terram regis Francelles, Sept. corum cum exercitu magno vto kalendas Octobris, et cepit castellum de Curcelles et Burriz, et tertium castrum Sirefontanum. Die crastina rex Francorum venit de Mantua cum cccctis militibus, et servientibus et communis suis, ad succurrendum castro de Curand pursues celles, quod non putavit esse captum. Rex igitur Anglorum, ex quo eum venire cognovit, insecutus est eum in fugam conversum, et in tanta districtione posuit in portam Gisortii, quod pons fractus est sub illo, submersis de suis xxti militibus. Interim rex Angliæ propria lancea prostravit Mathæum de Monte Morenciun et Alanum de Rusci et Fulconem de Gilervalle, et captos detinuit. Et capti sunt cum eis usque ad centum milites, et servientes quorum non est numerus. Dextrarii capti sunt ducenti, quorum septies viginti cooperti fuerunt ferro.

On 26th March 1199 King Richard "Lionheart" I of England [aged 41] was besieging Châlus Chabrol Castle. During the course of the evening King Richard "Lionheart" I of England was shot by a crossbow. The wound quickly became gangrenous; Richard died in the arms of his mother Eleanor of Aquitaine Queen Consort Franks and England [aged 77] on 6th April 1199. His brother John [aged 32] succeeded I King of England.

There was a brother between Richard and John named Geoffrey Duke of Brittany who had a son Arthur [aged 11], who was around twelve, and a daughter Eleanor [aged 15], who was around fifteen, whose mother was Constance Penthièvre Duchess Brittany [aged 38].

King Philip II of France [aged 33] had planned for Eleanor to marry his son, probably to bring Brittany into the French Royal family, possibly to pursue a claim on England.

King Philip II of France supported Arthur's claim to the English throne. In the resulting war Arthur was captured, imprisoned and never seen again. Eleanor was captured, probably around the same time as Arthur, and imprisoned, more or less, for the remainder of her life, even after King John's death through the reign of King Henry III since she represented a threat to Henry's succession.

Chronicum Anglicanum by Ralph Coggeshall. Therefore, in the year of the Lord's Incarnation 1199, about the time of Lent, after a conference had been held between the two kings concerning the restoration of peace, at last a truce between them was agreed upon until a certain fixed term. Taking occasion from this, King Richard, having gained an opportunity, moved his private army during Lent against the viscount of Limoges, who, in the time of hostilities, had rebelled against the king his lord and made a pact of friendship with King Philip. Some, however, report that a certain treasure of inestimable price had been found in the land of the viscount, which the king commanded and ordered to be given to him; but when the viscount refused, it inflamed the king's anger against him all the more. And so, while he devastated the land of the viscount with fire and sword, for he knew not how to cease from arms even in that sacred season, at length he came to Châlus-Chabrol and besieged the tower, and fiercely assaulted it for three days, commanding his miners to undermine the tower and cause it to collapse once it had been undercut; which was afterward done. In that tower there were no men of knightly rank or defence, but only certain servants of the viscount, who vainly awaited help from their lord, not thinking that the king himself was present who besieged them, but supposing it to be one of the king's retainers. These the king himself, along with his crossbowmen, so assailed, while the others were undermining, that scarcely any dared appear upon the battlements of the tower or in any way attempt its defence. Yet from time to time they hurled down enormous stones from the highest battlements, which, rushing down with great force, terrified those standing around, but could by no means strike down the miners nor hinder their work, for they were protected on all sides by their customary devices. Now, when the third day was drawing to evening, on the eve of the Annunciation of Blessed Mary, the king, after dinner, unarmed save for an iron cap, confidently approached the tower with his men, and, as usual, assailed the besieged with missiles and arrows. Behold! A certain man-at-arms, who for almost the whole day before dinner had stood upon a certain battlement of the said tower, and had caught unharmed in a frying-pan all the iron missiles shot at him, and had carefully observed all the besiegers, suddenly appeared again; and bending his crossbow, he launched a bolt violently at the king, who was looking on and shouting at him, and struck the king upon his left shoulder near the neck bones¹. The bolt, entering with a slanting wound, slipped downward and lodged in his left side, because the king did not bend low enough beneath the square shield that was being carried before him. For this wound, when it was inflicted, the king, ever renowned for boldness, uttered no sighs of the heart, no cry of lamentation, showed no sadness in face or gesture at that moment, lest he make his men sorrowful or fearful, or give the enemy greater courage because of the wound inflicted. Afterwards, as though he had suffered no harm, and many being ignorant of what misfortune had happened, he entered his lodging nearby, and, drawing out the wooden shaft that was fixed with the iron into his body, he broke it off; but the iron, of a hand's breadth in length, remained in his body. When therefore the king lay down in his chamber, a certain surgeon, of that accursed household of the most impious Mercardier, cut into the royal body and sorely, indeed mortally, injured it. With lamps lit in the house, he could not easily find the iron buried deep in the overly fleshy body, nor, once found by cutting, could he draw it out without great violence.

Igitur anno ab Incarnatione Domini MCXCIX, circa tempus quadragesimale, habito inter utrumque regem colloquio de pacis reformatione, tandem treugæ inter eos usque ad quoddam tempus præfinitum captæ sunt. Ex hac autem occasione rex Ricardus nactus opportunitatem movit privatum exercitum suum in Quadragesima contra vicecomitem Lemovicensem, qui, tempore hostilitatis, contra regem dominum suum rebellaverat, et foedus amicitiae cum rege Philippo pepigerat. Nonnulli vero referunt quod quidam thesaurus inæstimabilis pretii in terra vicecomitis sit repertus, quem rex mandat et jubet sibi dari; quo a vicecomite negato, amplius regis animositatem erga eum exacuit. Cumque terram vicecomitis ferro et flammis devastaret, utpote ab armis infra illud sacrum tempus feriari nesciens, tandem devenit apud Chali Cheperol, turrimque obsedit et atrociter per tres dies expugnavit, præcipiens fossoriis suis ut turrim subfoderent atque subfossam subruerent; quod postmodum factum est. In turri vero prædicta non erant alicujus militiæ vel defensionis viri, nisi quidam ex famulis vicecomitis, qui frustra præstolabantur auxilium domini sui, non æstimantes regem fore præsentem qui eos obsederat, sed aliquem fore ex familia regis. Hos igitur rex ipse cum arcubalistis ita aggressus est, dum cæteri circumfoderent, ut vix aliquis auderet circa propugnacula turris apparere, aut eam quolibet modo defensare. Attamen aliquoties lapides prægrandes de summis propugnaculis præcipitabant, qui magno impetu deorsum ruentes, circumastantes terrificabant, sed fossorios minime poterant prosternere nec ab incoeptis impedire, quippe qui consuetis ingeniis suis undique erant protecti. Jamque die tertia advesperascente, in crastino videlicet Annunciationis Beatæ Mariæ, cum rex, post prandium, inermis, excepto capello ferreo, cum suis ad turrim confidenter accessisset atque obsessos telis et sagittis more solito impeteret, ecce quidam armatus, qui fere per totam diem illam ante prandium in quodam propugnaculo turris prædicta astiterat, atque omnia tela ferrea sartagine opposita illæsus exceperat, omnesque obsidentes diligenter exploraverat, iterum subito adveniens tetendit arcubalistam atque quoddam quarellum violenter direxit ad regem, ipso inspiciente et acclamante, percussitque regem super humerum sinistrum juxta colli spondilia, sicque arcuato vulnere telum dilapsum est deorsum ac lateri sinistro immersum, dum rex se non satis incurvaret sub quadrato scuto quod ante eum præferebatur. Pro quo vulnere inflicto rex, audacitate semper prædicabilis, nulla cordis suspiria, nullam plangentis vocem emittebat, nullam tristitiam in vultu aut in gestu tunc ad præsens præferebat, ne suos tristes aut timidos redderet, atque inimicis de illato vulnere majorem audaciam præberet. Postea vero, quasi nil mali perpessus fuisset, pluribusque ignorantibus quid infortunii accidisset, hospitium suum, quod e vicino erat, ingreditur, lignumque ferro infixum de corpore extrahens confregit, sed ferrum, unius palmi longitudinem habens, in corpore remansit. Rege itaque in conclavi procumbente, quidam chirurgicus, ex nefanda illa familia impiissimi Marchadei, corpus regium secando, graviter, immo lætaliter, sauciavit, lucernis in domo accensis, nec potuit ferrum in corpore nimis obeso immersum leviter reperire, aut secando repertum sine magna violentia extrahere.

Note 1. Roger Hoveden: "On the same day, as King Richard I and Mercadier (his captain of mercenaries) were riding around the castle, examining from where it would be best to attack, a certain crossbowman, named Bertran de Gourdon, shot an arrow from the castle. The bolt struck the king in the arm, inflicting a mortal wound. Though wounded, the king mounted his horse and rode back to his quarters. There, he ordered Mercadier and his entire army to continue the assault relentlessly until the castle was captured. And so it was done. Once the castle was captured, King Richard ordered that all its defenders be hanged, except for the man who had wounded him. For, as one might expect, had the king recovered, he would have sentenced him to the most disgraceful death. Then the king entrusted himself to a surgeon in Mercadier's service. When the man attempted to extract the arrowhead, he only removed the wooden shaft, leaving the iron tip embedded in the flesh. As the butcher of a surgeon carelessly cut around the king's arm, he finally managed to extract the arrowhead. Realizing he was beyond hope, King Richard bequeathed the Kingdom of England and all his other lands to his brother John. He ordered all those present to swear fealty to John and instructed that his castles be surrendered to him. He divided three-quarters of his treasure among John and Otto, his nephew and King of the Germans, and the remaining quarter was to be distributed to his knights and the poor. Then, he had Bertran de Gourdon, the crossbowman who had wounded him, brought before him and asked: 'What wrong have I done to you, that you have killed me?' To this, Bertran replied: 'You killed my father and my two brothers with your own hands, and you sought to kill me as well. Take whatever revenge you will; I will gladly suffer whatever tortures you devise, as long as you die for you have brought so much evil to the world.' Then the king ordered that he be set free and said: 'I grant you your life.' And thus, with his bonds loosened, he was allowed to depart, and the king ordered that he be given one hundred shillings of English money. However, Mercadier, without the king's knowledge, seized him and, after the king's death, had him flayed and hanged."

Ralph de Decito: "King Richard of the English, when he had reigned for nine years, six months, and nineteen days, in the duchy of Aquitaine, in the territory of Limoges, at the castle of Châlus, was struck on the seventh day before the Kalends of April [26th March 1199] by an arrow from Peter Basileus; and afterwards, on the eighth Ides of April [6th April 1199], on a Tuesday, this man destined for martial deeds closed his last day at the aforesaid castle. He was buried at Fontevraud, at the feet of his father, King Henry II."

Gesta Philippi Augusti by Rigord. In the year of the Lord’s Incarnation 1199¹, God visited the kingdom of the Franks. For King Richard was killed in the district of Limoges, where he was besieging a certain castle called Châlus, in the first week of the Passion, on account of a certain treasure said to have been found there. For a certain knight, shooting a crossbow bolt from a tower, wounded him in the shoulder, and thus he died within a few days.

Anno incarnationis Dorainicae MCXCIX, visitavit Deus regnum Francorum. Nam Richardus Rex occiditur in pago Lemovicensi, ubi obsèdent castrum quoddam nomine Calax, in Passione Domini septimanâ primâ, occasione cujusdara thesauri ibidem, ut dieebatur, inyenti. Quidam enim miles de turri emisso quadrello ipsum in scapula vulneravit, et ita infra paucos dies obiit.

Note 1. Ralph de Decito: "King Richard of the English, when he had reigned for nine years, six months, and nineteen days, in the duchy of Aquitaine, in the territory of Limoges, at the castle of Châlus, was struck on the seventh day before the Kalends of April [26th March 1199] by an arrow from Peter Basileus; and afterwards, on the eighth Ides of April [6th April 1199], on a Tuesday, this man destined for martial deeds closed his last day at the aforesaid castle. He was buried at Fontevraud, at the feet of his father, King Henry II."

Images of Histories by Ralph Diceto. King Richard of the English, when he had reigned for nine years, six months, and nineteen days, in the duchy of Aquitaine, in the territory of Limoges, at the castle of Châlus, was struck on the seventh day before the Kalends of April [26th March 1199] by an arrow from Peter Basileus; and afterwards, on the eighth Ides of April [6th April 1199], on a Tuesday, this man destined for martial deeds closed his last day at the aforesaid castle. He was buried at Fontevraud, at the feet of his father, King Henry II.

Ricardus rex Anglorum cum regnasset annis novem, mensibus sex, diebus decem et novem, in Aquitannico ducatu, Lemovico territorio, castello Chaluz, VII kalendas Aprilis a Petro Basilii sagitta percussus est; et postmodum VIII idus Aprilis, die Martis, vir operi Martio deputatus, diem clausit extremum apud prædictum castellum. Sepultus autem est apud Fontem Ebraldi secus pedes patris sui regis Henrici secundi.

Chronicum Anglicanum by Ralph Coggeshall. When diligent medicines and poultices had been applied, afterwards the inflicted wounds began to worsen and to blacken, and from day to day to swell all the more, and finally to threaten death, the king meanwhile being disobedient and disregarding the commands of the physicians. All his attendants were kept away from entering the chamber in which he lay, except for four of the more noble men, who were freely allowed to visit him, lest the report of his illness should more quickly be spread abroad. The king, being very uncertain about regaining health, summoned by letter his mother, who was dwelling at Fontevraud. He prepared for his end by receiving the life-giving sacrament of the Lord's Body, first making confession to one of his chaplains, although, out of reverence for so great a mystery, he is said to have refrained for nearly seven years from receiving that sacrament, because he bore mortal hatred in his heart against the king of France. He also freely forgave the man who had struck him with the fatal blow. And so, on the seventh of the Ides of April [6th April 1199] namely the eleventh day after the wound was inflicted on him, anointed with holy oil, when the day was drawing to a close, he closed his last day. His body, disembowelled, was carried to the nuns of Fontevraud, and on Palm Sunday was buried with royal honour beside his father by the bishop of Lincoln.

Appositis igitur diligenter medicaminibus et emplastris, postmodum coeperunt vulnera inflicta deteriorari et nigrescere, atque de die in diem amplius intumescere, tandemque mortem minari, rege incontinenter se habente et præcepta medicorum non curante. Arcebantur omnes sui ab introitu cubiculi in quo decumbebat, exceptis quatuor de nobilioribus, qui ad eum visitandum libere introibant, ne fama ægritudinis ejus citius per publicum divulgaretur. Rex autem de sospitate consequenda nimis incertus, matrem, quæ apud Fontem Ebraldi morabatur, literis accersivit; exitum suum vivifico sacramento Dominici corporis inunivit, confessione præmissa a quodam suo capellano, a cujus sacramenti perceptione, ob tanti mysterii reverentiam, fere per septennium, ut dicunt, abstinuerat, eo quod mortale odium erga regem Galliæ in corde gestaverat. Mortem etiam sibi illatam percussori suo libenter indulsit; sicque septimo idus Aprilis, scilicet undecimo die a vulnere sibi illato, oleo sacro inunctus, cum jam dies clauderetur, diem clausit extremum. Cujus corpus exenteratum, et apud sanctimoniales Fontis Ebraldi delatum, Dominica in Palmis, juxta patrem suum regio honore ab episcopo Lincolniensi humatum est.

Chronicle of Roger de Hoveden. 6th April 1199. He passed away on the eighth day before the Ides of April [6th April 1199], on a Tuesday, before Palm Sunday, on the eleventh day after he was wounded. His followers buried him in the designated places, as he had commanded. Concerning his death, someone remarked thus...

In his death, the ant slays the lion.

Alas! In such a great funeral, the world itself perishes!

Decessit autem viii^o idus Aprilis, feria tertia ante Dominicam in Ramis Palmarum, xi°. die postquam percussus fuerat; et sui sepelierunt eum in supradictis locis, sicut praeceperat. De morte autem illius quidam sic ait,

"In hujus morte perimit formica Leonem.

Proh dolor, in tanto funere mundus obit!"

On 27th May 1199 King John of England [aged 32] was crowned I King of England by Archbishop Hubert Walter [aged 39] at Westminster Abbey [Map]. Bishop Herbert Poore attended.

Images of Histories by Ralph Diceto. John, lord of Ireland, the (legitimate) heir of his brother King Richard of Normandy, received the power of the duchy of Normandy by sword and blade at Rouen, through the hand of Walter, archbishop of Rouen, on the seventh day before the Kalends of May [25th April 1199]. When he came to England, on the solemn feast of the Lord's Ascension he was solemnly anointed king at Westminster by the hand of Hubert, archbishop of Canterbury, on the fifth day before the Kalends of June [27th May 1199].

Johannes Hyberniæ dominus, fratris sui Ricardi regis Normandy, hæres [legittimus], de ducatu Normanniæ per ensem et gladium potestatem accepit apud Rothomagum per manum Walteri Rothomagensis archiepiscopi VII kalendas Maii. Qui cum venisset in Angliam, Ascensionis Dominicæ die sollempni sollempniter est unctus in regem apud Westmonasterium per manum Huberti Cantuariensis archiepiscopi vito kalendas Junii.

Chronicum Anglicanum by Ralph Coggeshall. While the armies overseas were thus clashing with one another, Duke John in the meantime secretly crossed into England with his private retinue, and being peacefully received by the nobles of all England, was immediately, on the day of the Lord's Ascension [27th May 1199], crowned¹ with the greatest pomp of the citizens at Westminster by Lord Hubert [aged 39], archbishop of Canterbury. Then King John returned to Normandy, bringing with him a great army from the English lands, which throughout that summer contended against the French host, and he experienced well enough the prowess of the enemy army.

Exercitibus autem transmarinis ita ad invicem congredientibus, dux Johannes interim cum privatis suis latenter in Angliam applicuit, atque a proceribus totius Angliæ pacifice susceptus, statim die Ascensionis Dominicæ a domno Huberto, Cantuariens archiepiscopo, apud Westmonasterium, cum maxima civium pompa coronatus est. Dein rex Johannes Normanniam regressus, maximum exercitum de Anglicanis partibus secum adduxit, qui per totam illam æstatem contra Gallicanum exercitum concertans, satis hostilis exercitus probitatem expertus est.

Note 1. Ralph de Decito: "John, lord of Ireland, the (legitimate) heir of his brother King Richard of Normandy, received the power of the duchy of Normandy by sword and blade at Rouen, through the hand of Walter, archbishop of Rouen, on the seventh day before the Kalends of May [25th April 1199]. When he came to England, on the solemn feast of the Lord's Ascension he was solemnly anointed king at Westminster by the hand of Hubert, archbishop of Canterbury, on the fifth day before the Kalends of June [27th May 1199]."

Chronica Majora by Matthew Paris. In the same year, King John came to England and was crowned at Canterbury by the hand of Hubert, Archbishop of Canterbury, on the 14th of April. Immediately thereafter, he crossed over to Normandy. When he arrived there, rumors of Arthur's death spread throughout the whole kingdom of France and all the lands overseas, so much so that King John became widely suspected, as if he himself had murdered Arthur with his own hands. As a result, many turned against the king, and from that time forward, they pursued him with relentless and bitter hatred, as far as they dared.

Eodem anno rex Johannes veniens in Angliam apud Cantuariam coronatus est per manum Huberti Cantuariensis archiepiscopi, decimo octavo kalendas Maii, et ilico in Normanniam transfretavit. Quo cum pervenisset, increbuit opinio per totum regnum Francorum de morte Arthuri et per omnes nationes transmarinas; adeo quidem quod rex Johannes suspectus habebatur ab omnibus, quasi illum manu propria peremisset. Unde multi animos avertentes a rege, semper deinceps, ut ausi sunt, nigerrimo ipsum odio infatigabiliter sunt persecuti.