Richard the Lionheart's encounters with lions

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Statue of Richard the Lionheart

The question of whether or not Richard the Lionheart ever came into contact with his namesake animal, the lion, has intrigued modern historians.[1] Known for his largely popular and successful rule over England from 1189 to 1199, as well as his substantial contributions to Christian efforts to reclaim Jerusalem during the Third Crusade, it is assumed that Richard earned his epithet for many reasons including, wrestling with a lion in prison after getting captured by Leopold V of Austria, and his brave and fierce leadership during the third crusade.[2][3] However, no direct confirmation exists that the king laid eyes on the animal itself.

Life of Richard the Lionheart[]

Main article: Richard I of England
See also: Third Crusade

Early life and childhood[]

Richard I was born 8 September 1157 in Oxford, England, to King Henry II of England, and his wife, Eleanor of Aquitaine.[3] Raised primarily in England, he spoke his mother's native French as well as Limousin, a dialect of Occitan, and it is not known to what degree he spoke English.[4][5] Richard was not the initial heir apparent to Henry II, a title which fell to his older brother, who would be known as Henry the Young King. Through his mother, however, Richard was the heir to the territory of Aquitaine, which he would acquire in 1171.[3][6][7][8][9]

Early political career and revolt against Henry II[]

Main article: Revolt of 1173–74
King Henry II

Even at an early age Richard proved that he was a sound political and military force, strategically betrothing Alys, Countess of the Vexin, the fourth daughter of Louis VII.[3] He also became known for his military acumen after Henry II enacted his plan to divide the kingdom between his sons until his death, upon which Henry the Young King would assume the throne. The Young King, wishing to reign alone and sovereign immediately, rebelled against his father, and was joined by his brothers Richard and Geoffrey, who met their brother in France under the protection of Louis VII.[3] Some speculate that this rebellion was instigated by Richard's mother, Eleanor of Aquitaine.[3][10][11]

The three brothers swore that they would not conclude any type of peace without the consent of the French King and barons, underscoring the intensity and unforgiving nature of the war.[12] By July 1173 the rebels were besieging Aumale, Neuf-Marché, and Verneuil, and Hugh de Kevelioc had captured Dol in Brittany, significant gains for the rebel brothers.[3] Richard himself was tasked with eliminating his father's supporters from Aquitaine, the possession of which he was now fighting his father for, since his mother had been captured by Richard's father and his allies.[3][12] He suffered a minor defeat at La Rochelle, and withdrew to Saintes to plan his next moves.[3]

While this was happening, Henry II raised a mercenary army of over 20,000 men, with which he began a counterattack on the rebels' newly acquired territory.[3] After finding success retaking both Dol and Brittany, he extended peace offers to his sons, but they unanimously rejected them on the advice of Louis.[3] Subsequently, Henry II attacked Richard at Saintes, and decimated his troops, reclaiming the entirety of the area. Richard escaped with relatively few soldiers, and remained camped in the Château de Taillebourg until the end of the war.[3] After briefly returning to England to quell another revolt, led by Henry the Young King and the Earl of Leicester, Henry II returned to France and defeated Louis VII and the Young King in battle, whereupon he secured the surrender of the majority of the rebels in the Treaty of Montlouis.[3][12]

Despite the surrender, the treaty signed between the French and English kings specifically excluded Richard, who was then left at the mercy of his father.[3][12] On September 23, 1174, he returned to England and begged his father for mercy, which was granted, albeit on harsher terms than offered before Henry II's initial invasion of Normandy.[3][12] Richard regained control of Aquitaine to a certain degree, but his mother Eleanor remained Henry's captive until his death.[3]

Origins of the name[]

The end of the rebellion seems to be when the sobriquet "Lionheart" came about, as in 1187 Gerald of Wales referred to him as hic leo noster (this our lion) in his account of Richard's fierce punitive mission against his own allies from the revolt, which he did at the behest of his father.[3] It appears that this campaign, in which Richard distinguished himself as soldier and commander, earned his comparison to a lion, while the "-heart" may not have been added until 1191, during the Third Crusade.[3][13] It appears this title was given after a particularly fierce castle siege, where he courageously led soldiers crushing the battlements.[3] There are no accounts of Richard travelling beyond England and France prior to this point in his life, and he had yet to embark on his journey to the Middle East, therefore implying that he had not seen a lion at all—and surely not a wild lion—when he earned his title. Richard is also credited with having originated the English crest of a lion statant.[14] The first documented royal coat of arms appear on the Great Seal of Richard I, where he is depicted on horseback with a shield containing one lion on the visible half. Because several of his immediate kin used lion coats, it has been speculated that his father Henry II may likewise have borne a single-lion coat of arms, perhaps with the same colors as later used by the family, a gold lion on red.[15]

Lions in British heraldry[]

Main article: Lion (heraldry)
See also: English heraldry

The lion has become a major motif for Britain because of its early uses by King Henry I of England and popularization by Richard the Lionheart in the third crusade.[16][17] The influence of the Lion being used as a symbol or motif can be traced as far back as the Neolithic period.

First uses of the Lion in British heraldry[]

Possible arms of Henry II

King Henry I of England was the first king of England known to use a heraldic design: a signet ring with a lion engraved on it. The design would be altered in later generations to form the Royal Arms of England.[18] Henry was said to have given a badge decorated with a lion to his son-in-law Geoffrey Plantagenet, Count of Anjou. Heraldry is thought to have becoming popular among the knights on the first and second crusades, along with the idea of chivalry.[19][16] One example of this is the seal of John Mundegumri (1175), which bears a single fleur-de-lys.[20] Prior to the 16th century, there was no regulation on the use of arms in England.[21]

Religious influence on British Heraldry[]

Seated woman of Çatalhöyük flanked by two lionesses

Prehistoric religions of the Middle East, North India and the Mediterranean, associated lions to a neolithic goddess referred to as Potnia Theron, translated to the 'Mistress of Animals.'[22] In this role, lions became associated with polarities such as the seasons, the zodiacal belt, and with the power of the elite. Importantly, this motif is more common in later Near Eastern and Mesopotamian art with a male figure, called the Master of Animals. Leading to the lion being culturally pictured as a master of the animal kingdom.[23][24] With the incursions of the Indo-European speakers, this association changed. While initially through myths of confrontation between the goddess lions and the hero or demigod. Eventually, it became a direct association between the lion and the male deity, this led to an association with status and the divine authority of kingship. Lion imagery became associated with the Zoroastrian and Mithraic religions, as well as Judaeo, Christian, and Islamic monotheism. Furthermore, it became central to Hindu and Buddhist beliefs, and in this way, spread eastward along the Silk Road, where Arabs traveled to India and China, Chinese to Central Asia, India, and Iran. Buddhism itself was carried along these roads from India through Central Asia to Tibet, China, and Japan. Islam was carried by Sufi teachers, and by armies, moving across the continent from Western Asia into Iran, Central Asia, and into China and India.[25] As the Silk Road further developed, the imagery of the lion westward with the Roman Empire reaching both China and Britain by the early 1st century. Lion imagery became incorporated into the defining cultural icons of both China and Britain, becoming steadily more populist and taking on culturally specific forms such as European heraldry and the Chinese lion dance.[26]

African Lion, male

Cultural significance of Lions in medieval Europe[]

See also: History of lions in Europe

The development of the modern heraldic language cannot be attributed to a single individual, time, or place. Although certain designs that are now considered heraldic were evidently in use during the eleventh century, most accounts and depictions of shields up to the beginning of the twelfth century contain little or no evidence of their heraldic character. For example, the Bayeux Tapestry, illustrating the Norman invasion of England in 1066, and probably commissioned about 1077, when the cathedral of Bayeux was rebuilt, this was undertaken by Odo, Bishop of Bayeux, and half-brother of William I, whose conquest of England is commemorated by the tapestry. depicts a number of shields of various shapes and designs, many of which are plain, while others are decorated with dragons, crosses, or other typically heraldic figures. Yet no individual is depicted twice bearing the same arms, nor are any of the descendants of the various persons depicted known to have borne devices resembling those in the tapestry.[27][28]

The animals of the "barbarian" (Eurasian) predecessors of heraldic designs are likely to have been used as clan symbols.[29] Adopted in Germanic tradition around the fifth century,[30] they were re-interpreted in a Christian context in the western kingdoms of Gaul and Italy in the 6th and seventh centuries.

During the eleventh century, crosses appearing on seals of Spanish princes and were used for authentication privileges until King Alfonso VII started using a lion (1126), alluding to the name of his main realm lion (Spanish: león), an example of canting arms.[31]

A lion passant purpure, device of Alfonso IX (Tumbo A).

The lion as a heraldic charge is present from the very earliest development of heraldry in the 12th century. One of the earliest known examples of armory as it subsequently came to be practiced decorates the tomb of Geoffrey Plantagenet, Count of Anjou, who died in 1151.[32] An enamel, probably commissioned by Geoffrey's widow between 1155 and 1160, depicts him carrying a blue shield with golden lions rampant and wearing a blue helmet adorned with another lion. A chronicle dated to about 1175 states that Geoffrey was given a badge of a gold lion when he was knighted by his father-in-law, Henry I, in 1128.[33][34]

In England[]

Before Richard I[]

The first account of lions being held in captivity in England predates Richard I by a half-century. His great-grandfather, William the Conqueror, established a royal menagerie at his estate manor in Woodstock, where he kept a wide variety of exotic animals, although no sources give specific species.[35] His son and successor as ruler of England, Henry I, is recorded as having expanded the menagerie to include lions, among other animals, around the turn of the 12th century.[35] However, neither these lions, nor any of the other animals, are attested past the reign of Henry I, so it is possible that the menagerie was closed and its animals either dead or escaped during the onset of Angevin rule. It seems unlikely that any animals would have survived from Henry I's time to that of Richard I, and without the population being replenished, it seems the local population in England would have died out prior to Richard's birth in 1157.[original research?]

After Richard I[]

Adding some credence to the idea that the menagerie of William the Conqueror and Henry I was not maintained, Richard's successor as king, John, established the Tower Menagerie in 1199, immediately subsequent to his coronation following the death of Richard.[36][3] Since the menagerie was founded, rather than being expanded upon, by John, it can be assumed that the menagerie dating back to William I and Henry I was no longer extant.[original research?]

In France[]

Lyon[]

Blason Ville fr Lyon.svg

The arms of Lyon date back to the Middle Ages, when they were called the Counts of Lyon. The Counts of Lyon added a rampant argent lion on a red field, with a tongue to their coat of arms. The coat of arms of that French city has evolved over time, but the lion has remained since the founding of the Count of Lyons.

In the Holy Roman Empire[]

Holy Roman Emperor Frederick II had three permanent menageries in Italy, at Melfi in Basilicata, at Lucera in Apulia and at Palermo in Sicily.[37] The collections of animals grew quickly, and although he was known for his avian interests and authoritative books on ornithology, he also had elephants, a white bear, a giraffe, a leopard, hyenas, cheetahs, camels, monkeys and lions.[38]

In Spain[]

Kingdom of León[]

Alfonso VII's use of the lion as a heraldic emblem for León predates the earliest surviving Royal Arms of England, a single lion visible on a half-shield depicted on the First Great Seal (1189) of Richard I,[39] as well as the three pale blue lions passant of Denmark (ca. 1194),[40] the heraldry of the Holy Roman Empire (ca. 1200)[41] and the French fleurs-de-lis coat (1211)[42] although the fleur-de-lis was present on royal robes and ornaments since at least 1179.[43]

Leonese shields with the lion
(Tumbo A manuscript)
Ferdinand II[44]
Alfonso IX[44]

That Alfonso VII took the lion on his banners and arms was due to the dominance of León in the kingdom. When other parts of the Chronica refer to the raising the royal standards in the taken enemy fortress, it is referring to some flags which depicted the lion. It is disputed whether this animal represented to the monarch or kingdom, in the first case the strength of the sovereign but it seems a clearer identification between the words "Legio" and "leo" that would imply the adoption of the feline as image of the city and the kingdom. In favour of the second hypothesis is the fact that in the author of the Chronica made a rhyme with the words "legionis" and "leonis".

In Italy[]

Roman Empire[]

Ignatius of Antioch with the lions that killed him

During the Roman empire, the Colosseum in Rome was known for its extravagant events, including intense hunting and fighting scenes where animals including rhinoceros, hippopotamuses, elephants, giraffes, aurochs, wisents, Barbary lions, panthers, leopards, bears, Caspian tigers, crocodiles and ostriches. These animals were imported and usually killed, either by people or in fights with other animals.[45][46][47] Lions brought to Rome would have likely been from the Barbary Coast, or from farther south in Africa.

In Early Christianity[]

Early Christians faced significant persecution in the Roman Empire, and often suffered the death penalty via wild animals. Being chained and eaten be wild lions was a common occurrence under emperors such as Trajan and Hadrian.[45][46][47] One such prominent example of a Christian martyr is Ignatius of Antioch, who, according to Greek bishop Irenaeus was fed to lions in Rome in 107 AD.[45][46][47]

In the Book of Revelations, John references a lion that has come from the House of David, presumably referring to Jesus's second coming.[48] This was later adapted into the Lion of Judah, the symbol of the Israelite tribe of Judah.[49]

References[]

  1. ^ Ambrisco, Allan. "Cannibalism and cultural encounters in Richard Coeur de Lion". Pro Quest. Duke University Press Fall 1999. Retrieved 7 January 2021.
  2. ^ "Richard the Lionheart Biography". www.medieval-life-and-times.info. Retrieved 2021-01-07.
  3. ^ Jump up to: a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t Flori, Jean (1999). Richard Coeur de Lion : le roi-chevalier. Paris: Payot et Rivages. ISBN 2-228-89272-6. OCLC 300452562.
  4. ^ Gillingham 2002, p. 52.
  5. ^ Leese, Thelma Anna (1996). Blood royal : issue of the kings and queens of medieval England, 1066-1399 : the Normans and Plantagenets. Bowie, Md.: Heritage Books. ISBN 0-7884-0525-X. OCLC 35870708.
  6. ^ Giraldi Cambrensis topographia Hibernica, dist. III, cap. L; ed. James F. Dimock in: Rolles Series (RS), Band 21, 5, London 1867, S. 196.
  7. ^ Slatyer, Will (2012). Ebbs and Flows of Medieval Empires, Ad 900–1400: A Short History of Medieval Religion, War, Prosperity, and Debt. Partridge Publishing Singapore. ISBN 9781482894554.[page needed]
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  9. ^ Hilliam, David (2004). Eleanor of Aquitaine: The Richest Queen in Medieval Europe. The Rosen Publishing Group, Inc. p. 83. ISBN 9781404201620.
  10. ^ L'Estoire de la Guerre Sainte, v. 2310, ed. G. Paris in: Collection de documents inédits sur l'histoire de France, vol. 11, Paris 1897, col. 62.
  11. ^ Roger of Hoveden & Riley 1853, p. 64
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  13. ^ "Medieval Life and Times". medieval-life-and-times.info. Retrieved 2021-01-04.
  14. ^ Woodward & Burnett (1892), p. 37
  15. ^ Pastoureau (1997), p. 59
  16. ^ Jump up to: a b Boutell (1914), p. 9.
  17. ^ "English etymology of Heraldry". myEtymology. Jim Sinclair. Archived from the original on 2009-07-26. Retrieved 2021-01-07.
  18. ^ Vincent (2007b), p. 324.
  19. ^ (1983). "Chivalry", in The Dictionary of the Middle Ages, Volume III.
  20. ^ Illustrated in Boutell (1914), pp. 10–11.
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  22. ^ "Homer, Iliad, Book 21, line 468". Perseus Digital Library. Retrieved 2021-01-07. Tὸν δὲ κασιγνήτη μάλα νείκεσε πότνια θηρῶν Ἄρτεμις ἀγροτέρη, καὶ ὀνείδειον φάτο μῦθον...
  23. ^ Fischer-Hansen, Tobias; Birte Poulsen (2009). From Artemis to Diana: the goddess of man and beast. Museum Tusculanum Press. p. 23. ISBN 978-8763507882.
  24. ^ Chadwick, John (1976). The Mycenaean world. Cambridge University Press. p. 92. ISBN 978-0-521-29037-1.
  25. ^ Kurin, Richard. "THE SILK ROAD: CONNECTING PEOPLE AND CULTURES". Smithsonian Folklife Festival. Smithsonian. Retrieved 7 January 2021.
  26. ^ Feltham, Heleanor. "Here be lions: an investigation into the origin, distribution, meaning and transformation of lion imagery". Open Publications of UTS Scholars. Retrieved 7 January 2021.
  27. ^ John Woodward and George Burnett, A Treatise on Heraldry: British and Foreign, W. & A. K. Johnson, Edinburgh and London (1892), vol. 1, pp. 29–31.
  28. ^ Fox-Davies, A Complete Guide to Heraldry, pp. 14–16.
  29. ^ "They [animal style designs] have also been explained as totems venerated by the various clans of nomads as ancestors. Their transformation into clan symbols would have followed naturally and easily. The heraldic beasts of medieval chivalry, which include many deer and felines like those on the British royal coat of arms, may certainly be traces back to emblematic devices of later barbarian tribes from central Asia" Hugh Honour, John Fleming, A World History of Art (2005), p. 166.
  30. ^ Danuta Shanzer, Ralph W Mathisen (2013) Romans, Barbarians, and the Transformation of the Roman World: Cultural Interaction and the Creation of Identity in Late Antiquity, p. 322.
  31. ^ The actual etymology of León is Roman legion.
  32. ^ Fox-Davies, A Complete Guide to Heraldry, p. 62.
  33. ^ C. A. Stothard, Monumental Effigies of Great Britain (1817) pl. 2, illus. in Anthony Wagner, Richmond Herald, Heraldry in England, Penguin (1946), pl. I.
  34. ^ Michel Pastoureau, Heraldry: An Introduction to a Noble Tradition, Thames and Hudson Ltd. (1997), p. 18.
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  38. ^ New worlds, new animals : from menagerie to zoological park in the nineteenth century. Hoage, R. J., Deiss, William A., National Zoological Park (U.S.). Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University Press. 1996. ISBN 0-8018-5110-6. OCLC 32821216.CS1 maint: others (link)
  39. ^ Ailes, Adrian (1982). The Origins of The Royal Arms of England. Reading: Graduate Center for Medieval Studies, University of Reading. pp. 52–3, 64–74.
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  41. ^ Diem, P. "Die Entwicklung des österreichischen Doppeladlers" (in German). Fr.wikisource.org. Retrieved 19 May 2010.
  42. ^ Pastoureau, Michel (1997). Heraldry: An Introduction to a Noble Tradition. "Abrams Discoveries" series. New York: Harry N. Abrams, Inc. p. 100. ISBN 0-500-30074-7.
  43. ^ Fox-Davies, Arthur Charles: A Complete Guide to Heraldry, Nueva York, Elibron Classics, 2006. P. 274 ISBN 0-543-95814-0. Retrieved 19 May 2010.
  44. ^ Jump up to: a b Tumbo A Manuscript (Santiago de Compostela Cathedral)
  45. ^ Jump up to: a b c Flinn, Frank K. (2007). Encyclopedia of Catholicism. New York: Facts On File. ISBN 978-0-8160-7565-2. OCLC 191044725.
  46. ^ Jump up to: a b c Litfin, Bryan M., 1970- (2007). Getting to know the church fathers : an evangelical introduction. Grand Rapids, Mich.: Brazos Press. ISBN 978-1-4412-4740-7. OCLC 608524795.CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  47. ^ Jump up to: a b c Brockman, Norbert C., 1934-2013. (2011). Encyclopedia of sacred places (2nd ed.). Santa Barbara, Calif.: ABC-CLIO. ISBN 978-1-59884-655-3. OCLC 763159270.CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  48. ^ "Revelation 5:5 Then one of the elders said to me, "Do not weep! Behold, the Lion of the tribe of Judah, the Root of David, has triumphed to open the scroll and its seven seals."". biblehub.com. Retrieved 2021-01-07.
  49. ^ "Genesis 49:9 Judah is a young lion--my son, you return from the prey. Like a lion he crouches and lies down; like a lioness, who dares to rouse him?". biblehub.com. Retrieved 2021-01-07.
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