Richard I - Introduction by Helen Mirren

[Spoken: Helen Mirren]
Richard I, Duke of Normandy, Aquitaine, and Gascony; Lord of Cyprus; Count of Poitiers, Anjou, Maine, and Nantes was in reality only known under one title: Richard the Lionheart
The talismanic sovereign and his battle of wits with the greatest Muslim commander, Saladin, in the Third Crusade was the inspiration behind many myths, legends, and later, even films
A bellicose, mercurial leader, reputedly an impressive 6'5" tall, he towered over most others
With blond hair and a piеrcing gaze, he was a man to be rеckoned with.
Commanding his first army at the age of sixteen, he only reigned for ten years, but between 1189 and 1199, he was the talk of Europe
Brutal in conquest and fearless in retreat
Even when sickened by scurvy, he was seen on a stretcher firing a crossbow at the ramparts of the Acre Fort he was set to capture
His crusade ended unsuccessfully in sight of Jerusalem
But on his journey home, he was imprisoned in Austria
The ransom needed to release him nearly broke England
He died, fittingly for a warrior-king, at a siege, having been hit by an arrow
A lion of a man departed
Richard the Lionheart, the warrior