Richard I

Richard I

How successful a King of England was Richard I
Did England remain stable under Richard I
1. Richard levied huge sums of money; rather than tax them (this would have been unpopular after the 1188 Saladin Tithe, which brought in £60,000) Richard focused on selling offices and land to rich men e.g. John Marshall bought the Sheriffdom of Yorkshire
  1. Could mean government roles were not being undertaken by the best qualified
  2. R sold jobs to those who would have traditionally got them anyway, and doesn't necessarily mean that the quality of those holding important positions declined. The fact that only 7 of Henrys Sheriffs remained in office suggest Richard was concerned with removing corrupt officials in order that royal justice could function more effectively
    1. Appleby argues this selling of offices and parts of the royal demesne undid Henrys work
    2. Bishop of Winchester paid £3000 for 2 manors in Hampshire
    3. Spent all the money not boosting English economy e.g. £5000 went on English ships
  3. Selling offices was commonplace occurrence in Medieval Europe
2. Exploited vacant bishoprics e.g. Ely
3. Gerald of Wales described King as being 'like a robber, always on the prowl'
4. Removed and fined corrupt officials e.g. Robert of Marmion of Worcester who was fined £1000
5. Many historians criticised the sale of Scottish independence through the Quit Claim of Canterbury for only £6000
  1. Richards diplomacy meant the Scots didn't join in John's rebellion
  2. Undoes Treaty of Falaise 1174 which had been integral to Henry's peacemaking
6. In 1190 Exchequer audited over £30,000, twice as much as 1188 - Holt argues Richard effectively bankrupted the country
  1. the Amounts levied indicate a stable and efficient government
  2. Richard exploited sensitive sources of revenue. In 1198 many widows of tenants in chief were made to offer money to stay single or marry whom they wished
  3. His financial extortion damaged treasury of the Crown and individual pockets of the barons. In addition his erratic auctioning of England's land created a conflicting state whereby more people earned more wealth. However this austerity was not so. Money came from Jewish money lending communities. In hurry to raise money for crusading, Richard sold his own creating an inescapable situation. Jews wanted their money back but the barons were unable to oblige - bankruptcy, anti-Semitism, angevin resentment. This was Johns inheritance
7. Despite huge spending on the Crusade + then the payment of 100,000 marks ransom to the Holy Roman Emperor, England remains predominantly loyal. No widespread opposition from baronage as John did
  1. Richard was able to continue levying money for financing continental campaigns against Phillip II e.g. spent £12,000 on Chateau Gaillard and only £7000 on English castles. Supposedly Hubert Walter sent Richard a million marks; also introduced new land tax (the carcurage) and effectively exploited feudal dues - shows England to be firmly in the grip of Richards stable government, The fact that John could campaign in France immediately after Ascension suggests country was not bankrupt
    1. Had Richard spent more money evenly then it would have been easier to control John?
8. The effort to raise money for ransom e.g. via tax on moveable property, actually helped to strengthen administration (Clanchy supports this argument)
9. John would face problems financially as Richard alienated large parts of Royal Demesne (about £2000) for short financial gain - short term financial gain but a long term lack of profit/revenue. General lack of royal power
  1. Yet problems didn't surface until after Richard's death so cannot be used as criticism of stability before 1199
  2. The extraction of such a short amount of money in such short time generated resentment and pushed people to breaking point
    1. Not only did the barons have to fund the expeditions but also had to give a certain number of knights to the crusading party. This meant the barons themselves were less protected at home and their areas of land were not as well kept due to a loss of man power
10. Richard continued absence from England arguably caused England to suffer politically and administratively e.g. William Longchamp
  1. Longchamps look to sideline Durham so after couple of months becomes sole justiciar. Overstepped the mark antagonising the Bishop of Durham and Prince John - John's rebellious actions in 1193 were potentially very dangerous for England given he did have some baronial support.
    1. Dealt with Longchamp - sent Walter of Coutances home from Sicily in 1191 with orders to replace him if necessary. Was justiciar 91-93
  2. Eleanor was an effective regent (90-94). Eleanor and Coutances worked well to raise ransom and quash John's rebellion
    1. Richard set up an effective team of administrative team, mixing old and new. Installed William de Mandeville (Earl of Essex) and Hugh de Puiset (Bishop of Durham) as co-justiciars but death of Earl of Essex left Bishop of Durham as sole justiciar (Sep 1189)
11. Richard had given John extensive English lands and marriage to a wealthy heiress, Issabelle of Gloucester - arguably Richards mistake
  1. Arguably to leave an Angevin Prince with no lands could just have easily provoked rebellion and taking on a crusade could have left the 'empire' without an adult heir
12. 1190-4 = period of instability in England not caused by Crusade, but by his capture and imprisonment on way home
Richards reign was a political and economic disaster
Left for 3rd Crusade Dec 89
1191 - Richard Marries Berengaria (May). Treaty of Messina - as part of the marriage arrangement between his sister Joanne and Tancred of Sicily makes Arthur his heir.
1. Arguably the rebellion of John in 1191-4 is a direct consequence
1192 - Richard sets sail for England (Oct). R captured by Leopald, Duke of Austria (Dec). Then in custody of Emperor Henry VI - gives John consequence to fully break out. John pays homage to Phillip for all the continental lands. John falsely proclaims Richard dead and demands recognition as the King of England
1. Less baronial support, no Scottish support. Damaging on the continent but not much in England. Norman Barons took the opportunity during John's rebellion to pursue their own independence
  1. 1193 - Gisors castle in Normandy surrendered to Phillip of France enabling him to consolidate his hold over Normandy
2. Vincent argues the payment of the ransom destabilises the Anglo-Norman realm
  1. England had to pay Emperor Henry VI £60,000 ransom plus an additional £5000 a year and concede England as a fief.
    1. 25% tax on income and moveable property, years wool crop from the Cistercians, Gold and Silver plate take from the Churches and Earl/Barons encouraged to give what they could
1194 - Richard released from captivity (Feb). Lands in England (March). Leaves England (May).
Militarily
1. Acting as Henry's viceroy in Aquitaine from 1174 he supressed frequent local uprisings
2. Third Crusade 1190-93
  1. Richard of Devizes (a contemporary monk) writes how Richards leaving England for the crusade was perceived as a sign of his devotion to God which in fact endeared him to his people
  2. Strengthening Outemer ranked higher than simply recovering Jerusalem
  3. Richard showed broader strategic vision through the conquest of Cyprus which gave a source of supply and revenue off the Palestine coast and remained the last surviving territory of Outremer
  4. Prestwich argues Crusade served dynastic purpose of the House of Anjou by gaining favour with the Church
  5. Richard was criticised by his contemporaries for not taking Jerusalem. Itinerarium states RIchard's soldiers for his recklessness
    1. Richard was Reckless as to consequences e.g. Murder of Conrad, offending Leopald of Austria, Parading around in no armour, with King of France
      1. Marching around the castle with no armour. Didn't sort out succession. As a man of war he ought to have considered death. had responsibilities to uphold
    2. His decision to travel disguised as merchant rather than crusade
    3. Rees argues had Richard no died Normandy would not have been lost
  6. This lack of barons/Richard in England gave John the opportunity to rebel
3. War against Phillip II in Normandy and Berry 1194-9
  1. Lyon questions Richard's apparent victory over Phillip in 1199 given he never recovered the parts of Normandy lost in 1193. By 1199 Phillip had extended the war on several fronts, raising doubts about Richards ability to defend his vast empire. Additionally, the brutal and barbarous struggle undermined the loyalty of Normandy which bore the brunt of the war. Furthermore, there was no decisive victory just a series of truces.
  2. Contemporaries viewed the fall of Normandy in 1204 (under John) as the culmination of a long process resulting from Richard's neglect of his subjects
4. Crushing continued rebellion in Aquitaine
5. 'Richards reputation is based primarily on his perceived invincibility in warfare'
6. Gillingham argues that Richard should be judges as a warrior. Richard was an outstanding ruler who fulfilled his knightly responsibility as he defended not only his patrimony but Christ's also
7. Dan Snow argues Chateau Gaillard mortar didn't set properly
Roger of Howden portrayed Richard as a hero like those in chivalric romance, a perfect knight, a model knight.
1. Other chroniclers like Gerald of Wales and Peter of Blois, tolerated behaviour from Richard, yet criticised Henry II and John for the same actions
L. Du Garde Peach - 'Richard was not a good king. He cared only for his soldiers'
1. The Traditional Argument - Richard was a bad absentee king who neglected his subjects and made unnecessary financial exactions using England as his milch cow
  1. The Revisionist Argument - Richard was no different to Henry II or John. His reign saw crucial development of the English government
2. Painter - 'Richard was an attractive man and a thoroughly bad monarch'
3. Vincent - the fact that he had a brother even nastier and less successful than himself, however remains an extremely weak argument
Baldwin and Hollister define the period of 1189-99 as one of 'administrative kingship' - Richard's reign was an administrative and financial routine that could operate without constant royal supervision; yet Richard remained the decision maker
Hubert Walter
1. Chief Justiciar - 1193-8
2. Lord Chancellor - 1199-1205
3. Baron of the Exchequer - 1184-5
4. Archbishop of Canterbury - 1193-1205
5. McLynn - Argues England didn't function on cruise control. Despite all Hubert Walters brilliance, but it was the 'shrewd Lionheart who had talent-spotted and headhunted him for his dominant role'
Appleby argues that under Richard 'the barons of England developed a sense of collective responsibility'
1. England became accustomed to absentee Kings
Too lenient with brother John??
1. Pardoned him in 1194
2. Allows John to marry Isabelle of Gloucester + increases his money, castles and land but refuses him regency. Had Richard given him his due would he not have rebelled?
Massacre of the Jews
1. York 1190 - Crusading Fervour and financial resentment motivated mob (both made worse by Richard)
2. Temporary loss of control in North as Longchamp disputes with Bishop of Durham
3. After the violence at his coronation Richards royal writ was only loosely enforced
By not producing heirs/establishing clear succession paved the way for the dispute between John and Arthur - made the same mistake as Henry by not controlling family
Spent only 6 months in England of a 10 year reign - although much time was spent in France which was still a part of his empire and where the real threat existed)
1. Argument of prioritised vs favoritised - yet Henry managed to come to England more frequently
  1. England was never a priority
    1. 'Disproportionately attached to the South
      1. Encouraged Poitevens at court
      2. Choice of Bride
        Vincent dismisses the marriage to Berengaria a bringing an illusion of security in the southern border
        Alienated the French King further. It overthrew a 20 year old arrangement that he would marry Philips sister Alice

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	Created by Laura Clancy about 10 years ago