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King Richard the Lionhearted , the second Plantagenet king of England, was born September 8, 1157 and ascended the throne of England on July 6, 1189 and ruled until his death April 6, 1199. Known also as Richard I of England, he also ruled as Duke of Normandy, Duke of Aquitaine, Duke of Gascony, Lord of Ireland, Lord of Cyprus, Count of Anjou, Count of Maine, Count of Nantes and Overlord of Brittany at various times.
At age 16, Prince Richard was already commanding his own army, putting down rebellions in Poitou against his father, King Henry II. Richard became known as Coeur de Lion or, Richard the Lionheart, even before his accession, at the beginning of the Third Crusade when Philip of France was compared with a lamb and Richard with a lion. He convinced his officers in Winchester, around the "Round Table" of having belonged to king Arthur's legend and possessing the magic sword "Excalibur". King Richard the Lion Heart was a central Christian commander during the Third Crusade, effectively leading the campaign after the departure of Philip Augustus, and scoring considerable victories against his Muslim counterpart, Saladin.
While the "absent king" spent very little time in his Kingdom, preferring to use it as a source of revenue to support his armies, King Richard the Lion Hearted was a generous knight and a wise politician, but above all a great soldier. His own personal ability was a source of inspiration for his men in battle and he was a beloved hero of his subjects. King Richard the LionHearted remains one of the very few Kings of England remembered by his epithet, not number, and is an enduring, iconic figure in England.
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