Agnes Strickland's Queens of England, Vol. 1. (of 3): Abridged and Fully IllustratedStrickland, Agnes
History
Agnes Strickland's Queens of England, Vol. 1. (of 3): Abridged and Fully Illustrated
Strickland, Agnes
Queens -- Great Britain -- Biography
King Richard distinguished himself by many brave deeds during his Syrian
campaign, and captured several important towns, but Jerusalem did not
fall into his hands. Once he was in sight of that coveted city, when the
Duke of Burgundy, who commanded the French forces, suddenly drew back
with his whole division when victory seemed certain, because he would
not have it said that the King of England had taken Jerusalem. This act,
which was prompted by envy, was a serious blow to Richard, who, throwing
down his weapon, said, with tears in his eyes and his hands raised to
heaven:--
"Ah! Lord God, I pray thee that I may never see thy holy city,
Jerusalem, since I have failed to deliver it from the hands of thine
enemies."
He returned to Acre in 1192, and, after spending a few days with his
wife and sister, saw them embark for home on the very day he himself set
out in the disguise of a Templar to return across Europe by a different
route.
His vessel was wrecked off the coast of Istria, and his ignorance of
geography led him to the neighborhood of Vienna, the capital of his
enemy, Leopold of Austria.
One day, after several narrow escapes, he sent a page to make some
purchases at a village near Vienna. The boy was recognized by an officer
who had been in the late crusade with Leopold's troops. He was seized,
and after suffering much cruelty, confessed where he had left his
{118}master. A party of soldiers set out for the inn designated, but
could not find King Richard. The landlord said, on being questioned:
"No, there is no stranger here, unless it be the Templar in the kitchen,
who is turning the fowls which are roasting for dinner."
The Austrian officer, accompanied by his soldiers, proceeded at once to
the kitchen, recognized the king, who sure enough was busily turning the
spit, and cried: "There he is. Seize him!"
Cour de Lion started up and fought desperately for liberty, but he was
only one man against a dozen, who captured him and carried him in chains
before Leopold.
He was forthwith locked up in a gloomy prison, where he remained for
many months, no one knowing whether he was alive or dead.
Meanwhile Berengaria and Joanna had landed at Naples and proceeded to
Rome, where they remained six months. While there, Berengaria saw a belt
of jewels offered for sale that she knew Richard had worn when he parted
from her. This convinced her that something dreadful had happened to
him, but she had no means of finding out the truth, and as soon as she
could get a safe escort she journeyed on until she arrived at Poitou.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
Reviews
Reviews
No reviews yet
Be the first to share your thoughts on this work.
Join the Discussion
Join the discussion
Sign in to leave a comment or review.
Sign InorCreate an account