Unkei, son of the great Nara sculptor Kokei and a leader among the Japanese sculptors commissioned to restore the Todaiji, the great Buddhist temple in Nara, works on this project from 1199.

The Nara school’s new style blends the naturalistic vigor derived from Nara-period antecedents with a humanistic realism, as exemplified in Unkei’s “Nio,” one of the enormous wooden guardian figures posted at the Great South Gate of the Todaiji.

The principality of Galich (Polish, Halicz), located north of the Carpathian Mountains and extending from the area around Kraków in Poland as far east as Ternopol in Ukraine, is united with …

…Volhynia in 1199, forming what is to become one of the more powerful of the independent Russian principalities.

Leo of Armenia had joined the crusaders at Cyprus and Acre.

Desirous of a royal crown, he has continued to approach both Pope and Emperor, and on January 6, 1999, with papal approval, Archbishop Konrad I von Wittelsbach of Mainz bestows royal insignia in the Church of Holy Wisdom at Tarsus.

Nominally an Imperial vassal, he soon abandons any acknowledgment of fealty.

At the same time, the Armenian Church officially accepts a union with Rome, which, however, will never be popular with the lower clergy and general populace.

Jewish leaders in Ctesiphon, after trying in vain to convince a local mosque adjacent to the synagogue to lower the volume of its call for prayers, succeed in getting the government of Baghdad to back their demands.

This results in an anti-Jewish riot in which many Jewish stores are destroyed and eventually, under pressure, the Caliph agrees to turn the local synagogue into a mosque.

Much of northern India is conquered during the twelfth century by Muslim invaders, whose proscription of the making of images and sculpture—the dominant Indian art form—causes architecture to become the most important form of artistic expression.

Largely based on Persian and Turkish prototypes, the first of the great edifices devoted to Islam is the impressive Quwwat ul-Islam, or Might of Islam mosque, erected in on the site of a Hindu temple in Delhi.

The papacy levies a church tax in 1199 on all clerical incomes—later to become a precedent for systematic papal income taxes—and commissions Fulk of Neuilly, a popular orator, to preach the new crusade, for which there is at first scant enthusiasm.

The Fatal Wounding of Richard I at Châlus-Chabrol (March 25, 1199)

In March 1199, Richard I of England was in the Limousin, engaged in suppressing a revolt led by Viscount Aimar V of Limoges. Despite it being Lent, Richard devastated Aimar’s lands with fire and sword, as recorded by Ralph of Coggeshall (Chronicon Anglicanum, p. 94). His campaign led him to besiege the small, lightly defended castle of Châlus-Chabrol, where he suffered the wound that would ultimately claim his life.

The Siege of Châlus-Chabrol and the Crossbowman's Shot

• Some chroniclers claim that Richard attacked Châlus-Chabrol because a local peasant had uncovered a treasure hoard of Roman gold, which Richard demanded as feudal overlord.
• On the evening of March 25, 1199, Richard was walking around the castle perimeter, unarmored, personally inspecting the work of his sappers.
• Although crossbow bolts were being fired sporadically from the castle walls, they were largely ignored.
• Richard was particularly amused by one defender, a man who was using a frying pan as a shield while shooting his crossbow at the besiegers.
• As Richard applauded the man’s defiance, another crossbowman struck him in the left shoulder, near the neck.
• Retreating to his tent, Richard attempted to pull the bolt out himself but failed.
• A surgeon later removed it carelessly, mangling the King’s arm in the process.
• The wound quickly became infected and gangrenous.

The Capture and Pardon of the Crossbowman

• Knowing he was dying, Richard ordered the crossbowman to be brought before him.
• The shooter’s identity is uncertain, with chroniclers referring to him as Pierre (or Peter) Basile, John Sabroz, Dudo, or Bertrand de Gurdon (from Gourdon).
• Some accounts claim the shooter was a boy, who declared that Richard had killed his father and two brothers, and that he had shot the King in an act of vengeance.
• Expecting execution, the young man was shocked when Richard pardoned him, reportedly saying:

  "Live on, and by my bounty behold the light of day."

• Richard ordered the boy to be released and given one hundred shillings.

Richard’s Final Acts and Succession

• As death approached, Richard settled his affairs:
  • He bequeathed all his territories to his brother John.
  • His jewels were left to his nephew, Otto IV of Germany.
• Despite his act of mercy, after Richard’s death, Mercadier, his loyal captain, flouted the King’s order and had the crossbowman flayed alive and hanged.

Legacy of Richard’s Death

• Richard died on April 6, 1199, at the age of 41, at Châlus-Chabrol.
• His death caused a succession crisis, as John faced rival claims from Arthur of Brittany.
• The Capetians under Philip II took advantage of the turmoil, accelerating the collapse of Angevin control in France.
• Richard’s death at the hands of a lowly crossbowman was ironic, given his legendary military career and battlefield prowess.

The death of Richard the Lionheart marked the end of an era, ushering in a period of instability that would ultimately favor the Capetian monarchy over the Angevins.

The Death and Legacy of Richard I, the Lionheart (1199 CE)

Richard I, renowned for his military prowess and crusading exploits, met his end on April 6, 1199, at the siege of Châlus-Chabrol, dying in the arms of his mother, Eleanor of Aquitaine. Though celebrated for his chivalry and battlefield skill, his reign was characterized by neglect of his kingdom, as he spent all but six months of his ten-year reign outside England, campaigning or in captivity.

Richard’s Rule: Glory in War, Neglect in Governance

• A warrior first, a ruler second, Richard excelled only in fighting, leaving the governance of England and his empire to his ministers.
• His military reputation was legendary, yet he was also immature, petulant, and politically shortsighted, failing to consolidate Angevin power against Capetian expansion.
• His constant absence drained the royal treasury, forcing England to pay a crippling ransom for his release from captivity in 1194.

Richard’s Last Act of Chivalry and Its Brutal Aftermath

• Richard’s dying act of mercy, pardoning the crossbowman who shot him, was in vain.
• As soon as Richard died, Mercadier, his ruthless mercenary captain, had the crossbowman flayed alive and hanged, in a gruesome display of medieval brutality.

The Burial of Richard I

Richard’s body was divided among three locations, following the medieval tradition of burying rulers in multiple places of significance:

1. His heart was buried in Rouen, Normandy, the political center of the Angevin lands in France.
2. His entrails were interred at Châlus-Chabrol, where he died.
3. The rest of his body was laid to rest at the feet of his father, Henry II, in Fontevraud Abbey, Anjou, alongside his mother, Eleanor of Aquitaine.

Scientific Analysis of Richard’s Heart (2012)

• In 2012, scientists examined the preserved remains of Richard’s heart, revealing it had been embalmed with various substances, including frankincense.
• Frankincense was highly symbolic, as it was associated with both the birth and embalming of Christ, suggesting Richard wanted to be perceived as a holy warrior, akin to a martyr of the Crusades.

Richard I’s Legacy

• Glorified as a crusader king, Richard became a legendary figure in medieval romance and later folklore.
• His warfare-focused reign failed to preserve Angevin dominance in France, allowing Philip II of France to gain ground after his death.
• His shortsighted policies and excessive military spending left his brother and successor, John, a weakened realm, accelerating the collapse of Angevin power on the continent.

Though he embodied the ideals of medieval chivalry, Richard I’s reign left England heavily taxed and politically vulnerable, making him a hero in legend but a failure as a ruler.