Showing posts with label Richard I. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Richard I. Show all posts

Ivanhoe & The Lionheart’s Ballad


I was pleased to recieve a comment recently by Laurence, regarding my article about the ‘medieval' chant used during one of the scenes of Walt Disney’s Story of Robin Hood and his Merrie Men (1952). 

You can view my post here:- The Chant of the Crusaders.


Prince John (Hubert Gregg) watches his brother King Richard leave for the Holy  Land

Laurence says:
“Interestingly, the same theme is used for background music to the prologue in ‘Ivanhoe’, scored, of course, by Miklos RózsaIt is reputed to be based on a tune written by Richard the Lionheart himself. Rózsa's sleeve notes for 'Ivanhoe' state, “ Under the opening narration I introduced a theme from a ballad actually written by Richard the Lionhearted”.
In my opinion, the 1950’s were a golden era for films such as theseIvanhoe is another of my favourite movies, released the same year as Walt Disney’s live action film The Story of Robin Hood.  Our regular contributor Neil Vessey, has a fantastic web site dedicated to Films of the Fifties. Take a look!

MGM’s Ivanhoe (1952) starred Robert Taylor as the Saxon knight, loyal to King Richard the Lionheart who has been captured and ransomed. Also appearing in this epic adventure are Elizabeth Taylor, Joan Fontaine and George Sanders. The film is based on the novel by Sir Walter Scott, first published in 1819.


Ivanhoe lobby card

Richard the Lionheart’s Ballad
As Laurence says, it was Miklos Rózsa (1907-1995) who scored the music for MGM's Ivanhoe and in 1953 he was nominated for both Academy and Golden Globe awards for his work. Rózsa is known for composing the music for nearly a hundred films. 

In 1987 Rózsa described to Bruce Duffie the medieval sources that inspired him to write the soundtrack for Ivanhoe:
“The various themes in Ivanhoe are partly based on authentic Twelfth Century music, or at least influenced by them. Under the opening narration I introduced a theme from a ballad actually written by Richard the Lionhearted. The principle Norman theme I developed from a Latin hymn by the troubadour Giraut de Bornelh. This appears the first time with the approaching Normans in Sherwood Forest. Later during the film, it undergoes various contrapuntal treatments. The love theme for Ivanhoe and Rowena is a free adaptation of an old popular song from the north of France. The manuscript of this I found in a collection of songs in the Royal Library of Brussels. It’s a lovely melody, breathing the innocently amorous atmosphere of the middle ages, and I gave it modal harmonizations. Rebecca needed a Jewish theme, reflecting not only the tragedy of this beautiful character but also the persecution of her race. Fragments of medieval Jewish motives suggested a melody to me. My most difficult job was the scoring of the extensive battle in the castle because the producers wanted music to accompany almost all of it. I devised a new theme for the Saxons, along with a motive for the battering ram sequence, thereby giving a rhythmic beat which contrapuntally and polytonally worked out with the previous thematic material, forming a tonal background to this exciting battle scene. Scoring battles in films is very difficult, and sadly one for which the composer seldom gets much credit. The visuals and the emotional excitement are so arresting that the viewer tends not to be aware that he or she is also being influenced by what is heard.”         (Movie Music UK) 

Ivanhoe sings King Richard's ballad outside the castle walls.


As my regular readers know, I have posted many times on various aspects on the life of Richard the Lionheart. He is a king who has always interested me. So I was keen to investigate this ballad that has been attributed to him and used in Ivanhoe

The Lionheart is Captured
On his way back from the third Crusade in 1192, King Richard I (1157-1199) was captured by Leopold V, Duke of Austria and sent to a strong castle built high on a mountain-slope over-looking the Danube: the castle of Durnstein. Legend states that Blondel, King Richard's faithful minstrel, travelled the length and breadth of Germany in search of his missing lord. He visited castle after castle and outside each one sang the first lines of a song which he and Richard had composed together.

One day while resting in a garden at the foot of a tower in which Richard was held, the king saw him and sang, ‘ for he sang very well- the first part of a song which they had composed and which was known only to the two of them’ . This was the inspiration for the opening scene of the film, Ivanhoe (1952).

Blondel’s Song
In its earliest known form, this story was told in a Rheims prose chronicle written in about 1260. But it wasn’t until the eighteenth century that the legend took off. There was a troubadour known as Blondel de Nesle who lived at the same time as King Richard I. He was a native of Picardy whose work showed the influence of Gregorian chant. Twenty three of his songs have survived. But sadly, there is not a shred of evidence to link him to the legend or that he ever met the Lionheart.


Blondel outside the castle in Durnstein

So what was this ballad ‘actually written’  by King Richard the Lionheart, that Rózsa used?

King Richard's Ballads?
Two songs do exist that are attributed to King Richard I in early troubadour manuscripts, the ‘ rotrouenge’  said to have been composed in captivity and a ‘sirventes’  aimed at Dauphin of Auvergne. It is impossible to to be absolutely certain that Richard did write them, but the evidence that he was unusually interested in music is overwhelming. Richard was well educated, his upbringing would have included music. His mother was Eleanor of Aquitaine and a generous patron of poets and musicians. Richard grew up almost exclusively in Eleanor’s court. He was surrounded by the poetry and troubadour culture throughout his childhood.

The incredibly beautiful song, written in captivity, Ja nus hons pris, translates as "no man who is imprisoned' and is said to have been addressed to Richard's half-sister, Marie de Champagne, expressing the feeling that he had been abandoned by her and his barons to an unfair fate. 

Is this what Rózsa based his opening theme on for Ivanhoe?

Ja Nus Hons Pris
Original Old French
I
Ja nus hons pris ne dira sa raison
Adroitement, se dolantement non;
Mais par effort puet il faire chançon.
Mout ai amis, mais povre sont li don;
Honte i avront se por ma reançon
—
Sui ça deus yvers pris.

II

Ce sevent bien mi home et mi baron–
Ynglois, Normant, Poitevin et Gascon–
Que je n’ai nul si povre compaignon
Que je lessaisse por avoir en prison;
Je nou di mie por nule retraçon,
—
Mais encor sui [je] pris.

III

Or sai je bien de voir certeinnement
Que morz ne pris n’a ami ne parent,
Quant on me faut por or ne por argent.
Mout m’est de moi, mes plus m’est de ma gent,
Qu’aprés ma mort avront reprochement
—
Se longuement sui pris.

IV

N’est pas mervoille se j’ai le cuer dolant,
Quant mes sires met ma terre en torment.
S’il li membrast de nostre soirement
Quo nos feïsmes andui communement,
Je sai de voir que ja trop longuement
—
Ne seroie ça pris.

V


Ce sevent bien Angevin et Torain–
Cil bacheler qui or sont riche et sain–
Qu’encombrez sui loing d’aus en autre main.
Forment m’amoient, mais or ne m’ainment grain.
De beles armes sont ore vuit li plain,
—
Por ce que je sui pris

VI

Mes compaignons que j’amoie et que j’ain–
Ces de Cahen et ces de Percherain–
Di lor, chançon, qu’il ne sunt pas certain,
C’onques vers aus ne oi faus cuer ne vain;
S’il me guerroient, il feront que vilain
—
Tant con je serai pris.

VII


Contesse suer, vostre pris soverain
Vos saut et gart cil a cui je m’en clain
—
Et por cui je sui pris.

VIII

Je ne di mie a cele de Chartain,
—

La mere Loës.


Translation:
I
No prisoner can tell his honest thought
Unless he speaks as one who suffers wrong;
But for his comfort as he may make a song.
My friends are many, but their gifts are naught.
Shame will be theirs, if, for my ransom, here
—
I lie another year.
II

They know this well, my barons and my men,
Normandy, England, Gascony, Poitou,
That I had never follower so low
Whom I would leave in prison to my gain.
I say it not for a reproach to them,
—
But prisoner I am!
III

The ancient proverb now I know for sure;
Death and a prison know nor kind nor tie,
Since for mere lack of gold they let me lie.
Much for myself I grieve; for them still more.
After my death they will have grievous wrong
—
If I am a prisoner long.
IV

What marvel that my heart is sad and sore
When my own lord torments my helpless lands!
Well do I know that, if he held his hands,
Remembering the common oath we swore,
I should not here imprisoned with my song,
—
Remain a prisoner long.
V

They know this well who now are rich and strong
Young gentlemen of Anjou and Touraine,
That far from them, on hostile bonds I strain.
They loved me much, but have not loved me long.
Their plans will see no more fair lists arrayed
—
While I lie here betrayed.
 VI
Companions whom I love, and still do love, Geoffroi du Perche and Ansel de Caieux, Tell them, my song, that they are friends untrue. Never to them did I false-hearted prove; But they do villainy if they war on me,
—While I lie here, unfree. 
Tell them, my song, that they are friends untrue.
Never to them did I false-hearted prove;
But they do villainy if they war on me,
—
While I lie here, unfree.
VII

Countess sister! Your sovereign fame
May he preserve whose help I claim,
—
Victim for whom am I!
VIII

I say not this of Chartres’ dame,
—
Mother of Louis!
Click here to hear Ja Nus Hons Pris



Ivanhoe (Robert Taylor) sings to King Richard the Lionheart


My Heart Was A Lion
As Ivanhoe (Robert Taylor) rides past several castles, in search of his king, he sings:

My heart was a lion, but now it is chained,
Far do I travel, and will travel and sing
I travel, I travel in search of my heart
I vowed me a vow and I pledged this to be, 
Far will I travel until thou art free.


I think John Haines, in his book, ‘Music in Films on the Middle Ages’, sums it all up very well:

“As it turns out, ‘My Heart Was A Lion,’ is not based on any surviving medieval melody. It does not even occur in Sir Walter Scott’s ‘Ivanhoe.’ It does, however, resemble a modern folk song. Both music and text are apparently new to the 1952 film. It is possible that someone other than Rózsa wrote the music for this song. In the composers sketches for the film, dated November 1951 to January 1952, the music for ‘My Heart Is A Lion’ is nowhere to be found. If Rózsa did not write the song, then quite possibly his orchestrator, fellow Hungarian Eugene Zador - whose daughter once accused Rózsa of not giving enough credit to, ‘young former friend and colleague, the glorified copyist’ - made it up.
Whoever composed it, the song exhibits a few vaguely medieval touches, namely its use of a minor scale and its stepwise approach to cadences. But, in the main, it is a patently modern creation. . .The minstrel song in Ivanhoe bears only the slightest resemblance to the medieval ‘Ja Nus Hon Pris’. The word ‘chained’ vaguely matches Richard’s description of himself as a prisoner (hons pris), but that is all. And its melody has little to do with the music that survives in medieval manuscripts for ‘Ja Nus Hons Pris.’  In short, rather than medieval influences, Ivanhoes’s horseback song bears the marks of modern musical traditions, including that of a singing cowboy”.

John Haines: Music in Films on the Middle Ages Routledge (2013)


Many thanks to Laurence for getting in touch.

The Return of the King


The news of the coming of the king, so long and so desperately awaited, flew faster than the north wind. (William of Newburgh)
Richard I (1157-1199)

At the end of most Robin Hood films and stories we witness the return of King Richard I after being held as a hostage by Leopold of Austria. Disguised as an abbot, the king hunts down Robin Hood in Sherwood Forest and pardons all the outlaws. Prince John's evil attempt to usurp his brother's throne is foiled and the country rejoices at the return of the crusading king. But what was the Lionheart's reception really like when he got back to the shores of England?


Richard I from the Chronicle of King's and Patrick Barr as King Richard

I have been fascinated with the legend of Robin Hood for over forty years and have spent much of that time researching the history behind his phenomenal popularity. Surprisingly Richard I does not appear in the existing medieval ballads about the outlaw of Sherwood Forest. It was the Scottish chronicler John Major (or Mair) (1469-1550) who first linked the two of them together in his History of Greater Britain (1521). Since that time, Robin Hood's activities have been placed at the time of England's lionhearted king and his treacherous brother Prince John.The historical turmoil at that time provided a perfect backdrop to an endless stream of theatrical productions and fictional novels. 

Recently I returned to Kent with my new partner, Jules Frusher and together we visited Rochester Castle. With it's stunning 12th-century stone keep, it probably has the best preserved example of early Norman castle construction anywhere in England or France. During a long eventful history, it was besieged by King John's (1166-1216) forces during the first baron's war. I also learnt that Richard I had stopped off at the fortress during his journey back from the Holy Land. Looking at the remains of the Great Hall, I couldn't help but imagine what it must have been like during the time of the Plantagenet kings and in particular Richard I. So I decided to investigate the return of the Lionheart to England and see if it was as dramatic as Hollywood would have us believe. 

On the 4th February 1194 at 9 o'clock in the morning King Richard I's ransom of 100,000 marks was completed and hostages were handed over to insure the outstanding 50,000 marks would be paid. It was then that the Archbishops of Mainz and Cologne formerly released  Richard and he was brought to his mother, the formidable Queen Eleanor of Aquitaine. It was said that she was so overcome with emotion upon seeing her beloved son again that she broke down in tears. According to Richard of Howden's (the king's clerk) calculations, Richard had been in prison for one year, six weeks and three days. 


Martia Hunt as Eleanor of Aquitaine


During their journey back to England, through Europe, Richard and Eleanor stopped for three days in Cologne and on the 12th February the Archbishop received him with joy and they sang mass in the beautiful cathedral, which included the choir singing:
Now I know that God has sent his angel and taken me from the hand of Herod.

From Cologne, Richard traveled to Louvain and then onto Brussels, arriving there on the 25th February. A number of ships from England had now sailed into the port of Antwerp including Richard's favourite galley, Trench-e-mer (the sea cleaver) and the king and his mother were welcomed aboard by its faithful captain, Alan Trenchemer, who sailed the vessel onward to Zwin.
It was in the tidal inlet of Zwin on the Belgian-Dutch border, that the royal party dropped anchor for five days, supposedly delayed by bad weather. But historians generally agree that this was to allow Richard time to survey the inlets and islands under cover of darkness, through fear of being intercepted. The Lionheart was well aware that he faced not only a land-based invasion threat from King Philip of France, but a naval risk too.


19th Century image of Richard I on-board ship


Finally, on the 13th March, five weeks after his release, the little convoy docked in bright sunlight at Sandwich in Kent and Richard set foot on English soil for the first time since December 1189. But there were no big celebrations as they stepped off the vessel. Instead, Richard decided to visit Canterbury, claiming he did not want to visit any other church until he had visited the seat of St. Thomas Beckett of blessed memory and payed his respects. (Beckett had been murdered twenty three years before).

After giving thanks for his freedom at Beckett's shrine, Richard and Queen Eleanor travelled along the Pilgrims' Way. This included journeying along the old Roman road known in Anglo-Saxon times as Watling Street which ran from Dover to London, and passed through Ospringe, Chatham and Rochester. 


Pilgrims Way in Kent


As the royal party rode through the Kent countryside, news of the king's release was steadily spreading across the kingdom. Between them Philip of France and Prince John had offered to pay the German King and Emperor, Henry VI, a much larger sum than the current ransom, to detain Richard in captivity. But the deal never took place and when Philip heard Richard had been freed, he sent Prince John a message:
Look to yourself; the devil is loosed

Hubert Gregg as Prince John


Prince John's treacherous attempt at usurping the throne had failed miserably. The council of the realm declared his estates forfeit, his castles were besieged and the bishops excommunicated him. One of John's supporters, the castellan of St Michael's Mount in Cornwall, Henry de la Pomeroy, died of fright when he heard the Lionheart had been released. John fled at once to the safety of the French court.

Hubert Walter, Richard's new Chief Justicar and Archbishop of Canterbury was waiting for him at Rochester Castle. As his monarch approached, Walter dismounted and knelt before him. Richard too climbed down from his horse and gave his fellow crusader an emotional embrace. That night they both stayed in the keep of the castle, spending most of the evening deep in conversation.

Rochester Castle in Kent

Below the Great Hall in Rochester Castle

Three days after arriving at Sandwich in Kent, King Richard and Queen Eleanor crossed the Thames by the old wooden bridge and entered London:
to the great acclaim of both clergy and people, he was received in procession through the decorated city into the church of St. Paul's to give thanks for his restoration. Afterwards as they rode to the palace of Westminster they were hailed with joy along the Strand. (Ralph of Diceto)

The citizens of London decked the streets with banners and bunting and received their king and his mother with an enthusiastic and honest joy. Although the country had been fleeced of a huge amount of its wealth, there was still enough to give him a lavish reception. The German agents who were present to oversee that the outstanding balance of Richard's ransom would be paid, were stunned to see that the country had not been brought to its knees and commented that the ransom had been put too low.
Oh king! if our emperor had suspected this, you would not have been let off so lightly. (Brompt.-Hemingford)

The legendary knight William the Marshall, was so keen to greet his king that he missed his brother's funeral so that he could hurry to witness all the celebrations.

Such joy have I in the king's coming that I can withstand the grief that I did not believe I could bear. (William Marshall- Crouch)

But the jubilation was cut short when Richard's attention was drawn to the two remaining strongholds still holding out for his treacherous brother. These were the garrisons at Tickhill and Nottingham Castle.

Richard reached Nottingham on 25th March: 
with such a vast multitude of men, and such a clangor of trumpets and clarions, that those who were in the castle were astonished and confounded and alarmed, and trembling came upon them, but still they did not believe that the king had come and supposed that the whole of this was done by the chiefs of the army for the purpose of deceiving them. The king, however,took up his quarters next to the castle, so that the archers of the castle pierced the kings men at his very feet. The king being incensed with this put on his armour, and commanded his army to make an assault on the castle. (Roger de Hovenden, Itinerarium Regis Ricardi )

Ralph Murdoc and William de Wendeval were holding Nottingham Castle in Prince John's name and refused to surrender.


Nottingham Castle


The siege had already been started by William earl of Ferrers, David earl of Huntingdon (the brother of William the Lion, king of Scots) and Randulf earl of Chester. This is peculiar because the legend of Robin Hood not only links the outlaw with the earldom of Huntingdon but also with Randulf earl of Chester (Piers Plowman c.1377).

David, earl of Huntingdon, took part in Richard's coronation and shortly afterwards married the sister of Randulf earl of Chester.

King Richard according to some sources arrived with just a few hours of daylight left, and as he stood watching the siege two of those next to him were suddenly hit by arrows. The defenders were convinced that the fanfare was just a trick and fought on. The Lionheart ordered an immediate assault. Such were his military talents that by dusk the wooden gateway to the outer bailey and the barbican had been captured and burnt. But the defenders lay secure behind the high stone walls of the middle bailey and during the night deliberately burnt down the castle's outer works, depriving the besiegers of as much cover as possible.

Clothed in a simple coat of light mail, with a steel cap on his head, he [Richard] advanced as far as the gate of the castle, preceded by men bearing before them large shields. 
The next day Richard ordered  Master Elias of Oxford to bring stone throwing engines from London.The king decided not to make another assault on the castle until the machines were ready. Meanwhile he hung from gibbets, in full view of the defenders, some men at arms captured outside of the castle.  Richard's message was clear, if they continued to hold out they would all suffer the same fate. The Archbishop of Canterbury was also ordered to excommunicate the defenders. 

On the 27th March the bishop of Durham brought additional forces and prisoners from nearby Tickhill Castle. 
But while the king was at dinner:


Ralph Murdac and William de Wendeval, constables of Nottingham Castle, sent two of their companions to see the king; who after having seen him, returned to the castle, to tell those who had sent them what they had seen and heard respecting the king and his preparations. When William de Wendeval and Roger de Montbegum heard of this, they went forth with twelve others from the castle, and threw themselves at the king's mercy, and returned to the castle no more.(Roger de Hovenden, Itinerarium Regis Ricardi)

Richard is reported to have said to his visitors from Nottingham Castle, 'Well, what can you see? Am I here?' But it was not until the third day of the siege, and the mediation of the archbishop of Canterbury, that the rest of the defenders were persuaded to surrender:


Philip de Worcester and Ralph de Worecester his brother, and all the rest who were in the castle, surrendered the castle to the king, and threw themselves on the king's mercy, for life and limb and worldly honour. (Roger de Hovenden)

The gates were opened and Richard entered Nottingham Castle and after which, according to Roger de Hovenden:
Richard, king of England went to see Clipston and the forests of Sherwood, which he had never seen before, and they pleased him greatly; after which on the same day he returned to Nottingham. (Roger de Hovenden)

Sherwood Forest


Two days later, a Royal Council was held in the hastily repaired Great Hall of Nottingham Castle. Richard sat between the two archbishops. The 72 year old Queen Eleanor also attended the debate along with Hugh, bishop of Durham, Hugh bishop of Lincoln, William bishop of Ely, the king's chancellor, William bishop of Hereford, Henry bishop of Worcester, Henry, bishop of Exeter, John, bishop of Whitherne, earl David, brother of the king of Scotland, Hamelin, earl of Warenne, Ranulph earl of Chester, William earl of Ferrers, William earl of Salisbury and Roger Bigot.

The council would last four days. On the second day, legal proceedings began against not only Prince John but also the bishop of Coventry:


being aware of their secret plans, had devoted himself, and had give his adherence to the king of France and earl John, devising all kinds of mischief to the injury of his kingdom. Judgement was accordingly given, that earl John and the bishop of Coventry should be peremptorily cited, and if they should not come within forty days to take their trial, they pronounced that earl John   had forfeited all rights in the kingdom and that the bishop of Coventry would be subjected to the judgement of the bishops. (Roger de Hovenden)

Two months later John, who had now been abandoned by the King of France and dispossessed of his revenues and lands in England, visited his mother Queen Eleanor. After a private consultation with her, he fell at Richard's feet in Lisieux, France and begged his brother's forgiveness. It was immediately given by Richard who said to his younger brother, 'Don't be afraid John, you are a child (John was in fact, 27 years old). You have got into bad company and it is those who have led you astray who will be punished.'

Later, one of Richard's envoy's, John of Alencon, looked Prince John in the face and warned him that the king had treated him better than he deserved and no doubt better than he would have treated his own brother.

The feuding brothers were reconciled, with the help of their mother.

So, on Richard's return to England, not only did he dramatically attack Nottingham Castle and expel his scheming brother, but also spent a day hunting in Sherwood Forest. Sadly there is no record of him meeting Robin Hood, but I hope that you will agree the history is just as intriguing as the legend.

More information can be found here on the research and history about Robin Hood. There are also many more pages about Nottingham Castle, the ballads about Robin Hood and Sherwood Forest.

Sources:
The Annals of Roger de Hovenden, (1853) Henry T. Riley
The Life and Times of Richard I, (1973) John Gillingham
Richard I, (1999) John Gillingham
Lionheart, (2014) Douglas Boyd
Eleanor of Aquitaine, (1999) Alison Weir
Blondel's Song, (2006) David Boyle
Lionheart and Lackland, (2006) Frank McLynn

Patrick Barr as Richard the Lionheart




Mike has recently sent in this great still of Patrick Barr (1908-1985) as King Richard I in Walt Disney's live-action movie the Story of Robin Hood and his Merrie Men (1952).

Like Hubert Gregg who played Prince John, Barr resurrected his role as Richard the Lionheart in two episodes of the classic TV series the Adventures of Robin Hood. In a unique cross-over between the silver screen and television  he appeared once again as King Richard, this time alongside Richard Greene in two episodes; Secret Mission (1956) and Richard the Lion-Heart (1956) .

Patrick (or Pat, as he was sometimes called) was born in Akola, India on 13th February 1908 and had his first brush with the legendary outlaw when he first appeared on the silver screen in 1932 as a torturer in the black and white short, The Merry Men of Sherwood.

During the 1930’s Patrick was very often cast as dependable, trustworthy characters and after six years of military service during WWII he continued to bring those qualities to his roles in a very long career in film and television. His early notable movies included The Case of the Frightened Lady (1940), The Blue Lagoon (1949), The Lavender Hill Mob (1951) and The Story of Robin Hood and his Merrie Men (1952).




In 1950 Patrick had appeared as the Earl of Northumberland in a television production of Richard II and it was in this medium that his popularity was mainly to grow, although he did continue to perform in some celebrated films. He appeared once again alongside Richard Todd in the classic war film, The Dambusters (1955), Saint Joan (1957), Next To Time (1960), The Longest Day (1962), Billy Liar (1963) The First Great Train Robbery (1979) and Octopussy in (1983).

His later television appearances included four episodes of Dr Who, three performances as Lord Boyne in The Secret of Boyne Castle for the Wonderful World of Disney in 1969 and three episodes of Telford’s Change in 1979.
Pat died aged 77 in Wandsworth, London on 29th August 1985.

To read more about Patrick Barr please click here. There are also 84 stills and images from Disney's Story of Robin Hood in the Picture Gallery and more information on the real Richard the Lionheart here.


Richard the Lionheart's Siege of Nottingham Castle.


Robin Hood  kneels before Richard the Lionheart

Although Richard I does not appear in the existing medieval ballads of Robin Hood, it was only a matter of time before the two legendary characters came together in English myth. Today, Richard the Lionheart and Robin Hood are now inseparable in countless film and television productions of the outlaws adventures in Sherwood Forest. The Lionhearted king has always had a fascination for me and particularly his siege of Nottingham Castle in 1194. It was during this period in Richard's return to England that we come closest to the moment when the two legendary characters 'might' have met.


Robin Hood and Richard the Lionheart.

Due to the unrest at home and the threat to his lands in Normandy, caused by his brother John's alliance with Philip of France, Richard uncharacteristically had to turn his back on the Crusade in the Holy Land and return to England. Unfortunately his journey home was a disaster, culminating in his capture and imprisonment by Duke Leopold of Austria in December 1192. The Duke then sold Richard to Henry VI Emperor of Germany in March 1193. Meanwhile his trecherous brother Prince John, toured England, telling anyone that would listen that, King Richard was dead.

On Richard's departure to the Holy Land, John had not been given Nottingham Castle as part of his estates. But it was partly re-built in stone and held by Prince John  along with several others,when news reached England of Richard's imprisonment  and ransom  of 150,000 marks (£100,000). This huge sum was twice the annual revenue of the English crown. Although, as Richard was master of the provences of the Angevin empire, the sum would eventually not only come from England, but also Normandy, Britanny and Aquitaine.

John had offered the Emperor 80,000 marks to keep Richard I imprisoned until Michaelmas, or a proportionate sum for every month he kept him captive beyond it. But the Holy Roman Emperor stood by his word and Philip sent a message to his ally, Prince John, "have a care, the devil is un-loosed." The Lionheart was a free man again, having been captive for one year, six weeks and three days. It was said that the castellan of St. Michaels Mount in Cornwall dropped dead of fright when he heard of Richard's return. Immedialtely Prince John escaped to France and lay low in Normandy.


King John

On the 20th March 1194, King Richard landed in Sandwich in Kent, from where he hastened to Canterbury, declaring that he did not want to visit any other church in England until he had visited the seat of St.Thomas Beckett. He then made his way to London via Rochester where a thanksgiving service was held in St.Paul's Cathedral. After two days in London the Lionheart then rode north to Nottingham to deal with his brother. While Richard was on his way back to England, the great Council had declared all Prince John's estates forfeit and the assembled bishops excomunicated him.

Richard reached Nottingham on 25th March, "with such a vast multitude of men, and such a clangor of trumpets and clarions, that those who were in the castle were astonished and confounded and alarmed, and trembling came upon them, but still they did not believe that the king had come and supposed that the whole of this was done by the chiefs of the army for the purpose of decieving them. The king, however,took up his quarters next to the castle, so that the archers of the castle pierced the kings men at his very feet. The king being incensed with this put on his armour, and commanded his army to make an assault on the castle. "
(Roger de Hovenden, Itinerarium Regis Ricardi ).


Richard's effigy in Fontevrault, France

Ralph Murdoc and William de Wendeval were holding the castle in Prince John's name and refused to surrender.

The siege had already been started by William Earl of Ferrers, David Earl of Huntingdon (the brother of William the Lion, king of Scots) and Randulf Earl of Chester. This is peculiar because the legend of Robin Hood not only links him with the earldom of Huntingdon but also with Randulf Earl of Chester ( 'Piers Plowman' c.1377).

David, Earl of Huntingdon, took part in Richard's coronation and shortly afterwards married the sister of Randulf Earl of Chester.

King Richard according to some sources arrived with just a few hours of daylight left and as he stood watching the siege, two of those next to him were suddenly hit by arrows.The Lionheart ordered an immediate assault. Such were his military talents that by dusk the wooden gateway to the outer bailey and the barbican had been captured and burnt. But the defenders lay secure behind the high stone walls of the middle bailey and during the night deliberately burnt down some buildings.

Clothed in a simple coat of light mail, with a steel cap on his head, he [Richard] advanced as far as the gate of the castle, preceded by men bearing before them large shields. 


Nottingham Castle


The next day Richard ordered  Master Elias of Oxford to bring stone throwing engines from London.The king decided not to make another assault on the castle till the machines were ready. Meanwhile he hung from gibbets, in full view of the defenders, some men at arms captured outside of the castle. He also summoned the Archbishop of Canterbury to excommunicate the defenders. 

On the following day the Bishop of Durham brought additional forces and prisoners from nearby Tickhill Castle. 
But while the king was at dinner:

Ralph Murdac and William de Wendeval, constables of Nottingham Castle, sent two of their companions to see the king; who after having seen him, returned to the castle, to tell those who had sent them what they had seen and heard respecting the king and his preperations. When William de Wendeval and Roger de Montbegum heard of this, they went forth with twelve others from the castle, and threw themselves at the king's mercy, and returned to the castle no more.
(Roger de Hovenden, Itinerarium Regis Ricardi)

 But, it was not until the third day of the siege, and the mediation of the Archbishop of Canterbury, that the defenders were persuaded to surrender:

Ralph Murdac, Philip de Worcester and Ralph de Worecester his brother, and all the rest who  were in the castle, surrendered the castle to the king, and threw themselves on the king's mercy, for life and limb and worldly honour.
(Roger de Hovenden)


Medieval Nottingham

The gates were opened and Richard entered the castle. Three days later, a Royal Council was held in the main hall. Richard sat between the two archbishops. The Queen Mother also attended the debate, which was to last for four days. They finally reached the decision to call upon Prince John to appear and answer the charges of treason whithin forty days. But due to the inter-cession of their mother, the feuding brothers were eventually reconciled.

On Palm Sunday, Richard rode off into Sherwood Forest to enjoy two days at the royal hunting lodge in Clipstone.

Roger of Hoveden in his Itinerarium Regis Ricardi, says:

Richard King of England did a view (perambulation) of Clipstone and Sherwood which of he had never seen before and it pleased him much.

We get more detail of Richard's trip by John Manwood (d.1610) in his Treatise of the Forest Laws:

“I have seen many ancient records in the tower of Nottingham Castle very badly kept, and scarce legible; in which Castle the Court is usually kept for Peverill-Fee: Amongst which it appears, that in the year 1194, King Richard being hunting in Sherwood Forest, did chase a hart out of the forest into Barnsdale into Yorkshire; and because he could not recover him, he made a proclamation at Tickhill in Yorkshire, and at several other places thereabout, that no person should kill, hurt or chase the said Hart; and this was afterwards called a Hart-Royal Proclaim’d.”


Sherwood Forest

Richard then returned back to Nottingham.  Sadly, we have no more information about his time amongst the beautiful glades of Sherwood and whether he met a certain outlaw in Lincoln Green. But the legend lives on.

Richard the Lionheart in Sherwood Forest


Because of several projects that I am currently working on, (including a novel) my blog has been slightly neglected over the past few months. But I am desperately trying to catch up with some of the fascinating information sent to me by some of my readers.
Albie has sent some wonderful facts about the history of Sherwood over the last few years and there are still more for me to upload. But this post was kindly sent in by Trish about the early boundaries of the Royal Forest of Sherwood. She was inspired to write this because of a small anecdote in Manwood’s Treatise of the Forest Laws (1598) that mentioned Richard the Lionheart hunting in Sherwood Forest:
“I have seen many ancient records in the tower of Nottingham Castle very badly kept, and scarce legible; in which Castle the Court is usually kept for Peverill-Fee: Amongst which it appears, that in the year 1194, King Richard being hunting in Sherwood Forest, did chase a hart out of the forest into Barnsdale into Yorkshire; and because he could not recover him, he made a proclamation at Tickhill in Yorkshire, and at several other places thereabout, that no person should kill, hurt or chase the said Hart; and this was afterwards called a Hart-Royal Proclaim’d.”

( John Manwood d.1610)

The Royal Forest of Sherwood

I was intrigued by this because the first official description of the boundary of the Royal Forest was completed in 1218 and showed that at its most northern point, Sherwood stretched 20 miles from Nottingham as far as the River Meden. Barnsdale of course is in Yorkshire a great deal further and quite a jaunt on horseback even for Richard the Lionheart! But Trish has completed some detailed research about Sherwood’s earlier size and below is her interesting and important discoveries about the original ‘Forest of Nottingham.’

Here is Trish's post:

'Some weeks ago you mentioned the anecdote from Manwood’s Forest Laws about how Richard I hunted a hart from Sherwood to Barnesdale, and wondered at the distance he covered.  This got me thinking about the forest boundaries, for it is generally accepted that the northern boundary of medieval Sherwood was the river Meden.

This boundary was formally established in the perambulations and inquisitionsarising from the 1217 Charter of the Forest. But where was the boundary before then?

During the reign of Henry I, the eastern boundary of the forest (known then as the ‘old forest’ or ‘the forest of Nottingham’) ran from the place where the Doverbeck joins the Trent, and followed the douerbek, thence to cuningeswað and then north to bikeresdik, near the Yorkshire border.  This includes the region north of the Meden known as Hatfield.  This boundarywas indentified early in the reign of Henry II, when the Archbishop of York requested that his Nottinghamshire lands, almost all of which were east of the Doverbeck, to be exempt from forest law.  He justified his request by claiming that they had not been part of the forest during the reign of Henry I.  (The record of the Inquest is appended in Crook, 1994).
But this inquest was held in the first or second year of Henry II’s reign, which suggests that it was during King Stephen’s time – the Anarchy – that forest laws began to be enforced east of the Doverbeck, in the region known as the Forest of Clay.  This is odd, for it is generally recognised that forest laws were only haphazardly enforced during the Anarchy, and some forest land was simply reclaimed by the inhabitants and landholders (Crook, 1994; Poole, 1955).  Further, shortly after becoming king, Stephen, in a charter of liberties, agreed to disafforest all lands that Henry I had afforested while maintaining those forests created by William I and William II. This suggests either that Stephen wasn’t successful in disafforesting the area of Hatfield, or that the region had already been subject to forest law under William I or II.

Sherwood Forest

And in a writ following the charter of liberties, in which the canons of Southwell were granted exemptions from forest laws, it was stated explicitly that their lands were within the forest  (Crook 1994).  If anything, the size of the forest should have been reduced during Stephen’s reign, but in this case it wasn’t. Perhaps William Peverel was overzealous in enforcing the forest law and took a few liberties?  The interestingthing is that the canons were only granted exemptions – the possibility that their lands were outside the forest was not recognised by the king.
So at the opening of Henry II’s reign, it would appear that the area known as the Forest of Nottingham, as well as at least a portion of the Forest of Clay, were already subject to forest law despite the grumbles of the Archbishop of York.
Further evidence shows that all of Nottinghamshire north of the Trent was subject to forest law during the reigns of Henry II, Richard I and John.  The Pipe Rolls from these reigns (specifically1167-1212) record the penalties imposed on vills in the forest eyres.  (This information comes from an unpublished MA thesis which I would love to get my hands on).   The region subject to forest law included all of Nottinghamshire north of the Trent and possibly some to the southeast, and extended into eastern Derbyshire aswell.

Hunting in the Forest

So, when Richard I chased that hart from Sherwood to Barnesdale, he may not have had all that far to go.  The distance from Blyth to Barnesdale is about 20 or 25 miles – no more than a bracing race for an extraordinary man like Richard the Lionheart. He seems to have been gracious about not catching the beast, at least!
Regards,
Trish '
Crook, David.  “The Archbishop of York and the Extent of the Forest in Nottinghamshire in the Twelfth Century.”  In George Garnet and John Hudson, eds., Law and Government in Medieval England and Normandy: Essays in Honour of Sir James Holt.  Cambridge University Press, 1994.
Liddell, William Hetherington.  “Some Royal Forests North of the Trent, 1066-1307. Unpublished MA Thesis.  University of Nottingham, 1961.


Patrick Barr as Richard the Lionheart

This is groundbreaking research by Trish and I would like to thank her very much for allowing me to post her work.
I wonder what other manuscripts were left decaying in that tower at Nottingham Castle? But at least we do know that after his return from the Holy Land, King Richard did visit Sherwood Forest and also Robin Hood’s other traditional haunt - Barnsdale in Yorkshire.