Richard I of England

King of England from 1189 to 1199 (1157–1199)

  • Fame74.3
  • Momentum28.5
  • Historical Figures rank#46
Source-basedBreakout
  • Fame74.3
  • Momentum28.5
  • Historical Figures rank#46
  • Wikipedia251.4K
Lived 1157–1199, aged 42United Kingdom
  • Wikipedia
    100 languages
    Cross-language footprint
  • Era
    1157–1199
    Aged 42
Summary
Updated 2026-08-25

A king who barely lived in his kingdom. Richard spent perhaps six months of his ten-year reign in England, treating it as a treasury for his wars abroad while crusading, sitting in captivity, and defending French territories — yet became the enduring symbol of English kingship for four centuries after his death.

Biography

About

Born 8 September 1157, the third of five sons to Henry II and Eleanor of Aquitaine, Richard wasn't expected to inherit the crown until his older brothers died before their father. By 16 he commanded his own army, crushing rebellions in Poitou. He became King of England in 1189 and almost immediately left for the Third Crusade, where he led Christian forces after Philip II of France withdrew and scored victories against Saladin — but never retook Jerusalem. He spent most of his adult life in Aquitaine, spoke French and Occitan, and after his accession devoted his reign to crusading, imprisonmen…

Voice

In their own words

Sourced, dated quotes from Richard I of England

Richard I of England
saidundated
We, however, place the love of God and His honour above our own and above the acquisition of many regions.
Richard on King Philip II of France's early departure from the Third Crusade; Quoted in Christopher Tyerman, God's War: A New History of
Richard I of England
saidundated
If it had not been for his malice, forcing me to return, I would have been able to recover the whole of Outremer.
Richard, on his betrayal by King Philip; quoted in John Gillingham, Richard I (1999), p. 319
Richard I of England
saidundated
Stick to your own grammar, my lord, for it is much better.
Richard on being corrected by the Bishop of Coventry; The Plantagenets - Harvey
Richard I of England
saidundated
One startling fact looms over Richard I’s career: though among the most renowned of all England’s monarchs, the Lionheart spent barely six months on English soil.
Chapter 2, The Absent King (p. 18)
Deep cuts

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By the numbers

Score breakdown

The six component signals behind the Fame score, and their ranks across the leaderboards.

Fame
Rising
74.3
Composite of search demand, mentions, audience & graph footprint.
Score components
Momentum28.5
Historical33.0
Now attention44.3
Source confidence60.0
Completeness70.0
Global rank
Country rank
Category rank
#46
Receipts

Sources

  • Wikidata
    wikidata · wikidata.org
    High confidence
  • Wikipedia
    wikipedia · en.wikipedia.org
    High confidence
  • Pantheon 2.0
    database · pantheon.world
    High confidence