Richard I Trivia Quiz

Answer: the fourth child

Richard was the fourth child of Henry and Eleanor and the sixth child of Eleanor who had had two daughters by her first husband, Louis VII of France. His older siblings were William who died in infancy, Henry (the young king) who died at age 28 and Matilda who married Henry 'the Lion', Duke of Saxony.

Answer: Richard Yea and Nay

Richard got the nickname "Yea and Nay" due to the rapidity with which he made decisions - especially in preparation for the crusade. He also deserved the other names, although they were not applied. He was responsible for the ordering of the massacre of captured prisoners, died while attempting to lay claim to a disputed treasure trove and was born in Oxford.

Answer: the third

The crusades were first proposed by Pope Urban II at the Council of Clermont in 1095. The First Crusade took place in 1096-99. Originally the crusades were to free the Holy Land from the Muslims but as time wore on the objectives changed. The Eighth Crusade (1270) was the last major Christian attempt to free the Holy Land but it attacked the Arabs in Tunis.

Although there were other 'crusades' ie the Albigensian Crusade (1200s), the Crusades of the Teutonic Knights (1229-1525) and the crusades in Spain (711-1492), crusades as commonly understood ended in 1291 with the fall of Acre to the Muslims.

Answer: Arthur of Brittany

Arthur of Brittany, although a child, was the posthumous son of his next oldest brother, Geoffrey of Brittany and so was the natural successor. John, Count of Mortain was his youngest brother. Although he was the only surviving son of Eleanor and Henry II, according to the strict line of succession, the son of Geoffrey took precedence. Geoffrey of York was an illegitimate son of Henry II and had been created Archbishop of York.

Answer: All of these

During the money raising period, England was really just a major auction house with everything going to the highest bidder. Richard was quoted as saying that he would sell London itself if he could find a bidder. Upon his return from the crusades, he cancelled all the sales, saying that the buyers had, in effect, only been paying rent for the estates while he was away.

Answer: True

The sexual orientation of Richard has never been clearly established. While Philip and Richard were allied against Henry II, there are references to their relationship stating that, "every day they ate at the same table, shared the same dish and at night the bed did not separate them. Between the two of them there grew up so great an affection that King Henry was much alarmed..."

Answer: Alais (aka Alice and Alys)

Alais, according to gossip, while at the court of Henry II had become the mistress of Henry II and, according to some, had borne him children. Richard had no intention of marrying his father's leman. Philip reluctantly released Richard from his obligation while travelling to the Holy Land, thus allowing Richard to marry Berengaria.

When Philip left the Holy Land ahead of Richard, plots began to arise, one of which included the marriage of Alais to John. That plan also came to naught and the unfortunate Alais was then married to William of Ponthieu. Margaret was the wife of Richard's deceased elder brother Henry, and Matilda and Joan were Richard's sisters.

Answer: The crusaders undertook to travel by sea.

Unlike the first and second crusades that travelled basically overland, the third crusade relied upon sea transport to get them to the holy land. Although there were fewer women in the entourage, they were there. Berengaria, Richard's wife was in the entourage as was his sister Joan. The fourth crusade attacked Constantinople.

Answer: Duke Leopold of Austria

Duke Leopold of Austria had his banner placed alongside those of Richard and Philip after the battle at Acre. Some of Richard's troops, probably with the agreement of Richard, tore down the Austrian banner and cast it into a ditch thereby offending Leopold. Tancred was the host of Richard and Philip in Sicily on their way to the crusade.

Answer: Saladin

Saladin's capture of the Holy Land was the result of a unification of Muslim groups who had, heretofore, been divided against one another - a collection of minor tribes which were crippled by internal feuding. This consolidation began in 1127 and in 1174 control of these consolidated domains (which by that time included Egypt) fell to Saladin.

Answer: Eleanor of Aquitaine

Although Richard had declared that Arthur of Brittany would be his heir, Eleanor felt that the natural successor in the event that something happened to Richard during the crusade should be John, Richard's younger brother. (She did not like her daughter-in-law Constance.) For this reason, she wanted John in England, prepared to seize the throne in the event that Richard died childless.

Answer: William Longchamp, Bishop of Ely

William Longchamp was a headstrong individual. After Richard had departed for the crusades, he followed him to France and managed to have his authority increased at the expense of his colleague. He was forced to retreat to Normandy as a result of the antagonism he had created with the aristocracy.

Answer: Sancho VII

While engaged in assisting Richard to regain territories ceded to Philip II by his brother John during the crusades, Sancho, Richard's brother-in-law, learned of the death of his father, Sancho VI. Leaving his troops to continue assisting Richard, he had to return to Navarre to ascend to the throne there.

Answer: Constance

Constance of Brittany was married to Geoffrey and was the daughter of Conan IV. Geoffrey, son of Henry II and Eleanor of Aquitaine, was Duke of Brittanny due to the fact that he was married to the only child of Conan IV. When he was killed in a tournament, Constance became reigning duchess until she abdicated in favour of her son Arthur.

Answer: Durnstein Castle

Leopold imprisoned Richard at Durnstein, on the Danube west of Vienna. The Kaiserburg was the large imperial castle in Nuremberg, but was not one of Richard's prisons. When Richard was handed over to Henry VI, he was moved to the stronghold of Trifels where the imperial regalia was stored. Later, when Henry VI decided upon the ransom demand, he was moved to more comfortable quarters at Worms.

Answer: Winchester

Winchester was the ancient capital of England - and capital of the kingdom of Wessex. It was still the site of the treasury of England. Oxford was the birthplace of Richard. Woodstock was one of the favourite palaces of Henry II.

Answer: Hubert Walter

Hubert Walter was a capable and hard working civil servant. He served Richard for four years before being allowed to retire due to the strains of his office. Baldwin was Archbishop of Canterbury and led a contingent at Acre. Dismayed at the conduct of the troops, he died at Acre in 1190. Geoffrey was Archbishop of York and was Richard's half brother.

He served as chancellor under Henry II.

Answer: Chateau Gaillard

Richard was proud of his 'saucy castle' and Philip II resentful since he believed that its construction was in violation of a treaty between France and England. Philip boasted that he could take the castle 'though its walls were made of iron'. Richard retorted that he would hold it 'though its walls were made of butter'. Chateau Martel was where Henry (the young king) died. Gisors was the site of many of the meetings between Henry II and both Louis VII and Philip II. Chateau Chinon was the stronghold of the Loire and the place where Henry II died.

Answer: True

It is not surprising that during Richard's lifetime Berengaria never accompanied him to England, since he himself was only in the kingdom for six months (!) during his entire reign, and most of that was prior to the crusade. Berengaria did not accompany him when he returned from captivity.

After Richard's death she spent the balance of her life, some thirty years, in Le Mans. John treated her shabbily and she had to petition the pope on many occasions with respect to the provisions of Richard's will and her dower rights. Sophia Dorothea, the divorced wife of George I, also did not visit England since she was imprisoned for adultery in Celle. Since the divorce occurred prior to George's becoming king, she can hardly be considered a queen of England.

Answer: Fontevrault

Richard was buried beside his father, Henry II. Later, his mother, Eleanor, and his sister-in-law Isabella of Angouleme, John's widow, were also buried there. Berengaria was buried in Le Mans in an abbey she founded there.