Richard I (September 8, 1157-April 6, 1199) was the second son of King Henry II of England. He succeeded his father and became the second king of the Plantagenet Dynasty. He reigned from 1189 to 1199. He was also Duke of Normandy (also known as Richard IV), Duke of Aquitaine, and Earl of Anjou. He was always at the forefront in battle, as brave and tenacious as a lion, so he was nicknamed Richard the Lionheart.

Richard lived as a teenager in Aquitaine, France, with his mother Eleanor. In 1168, he was made Duke of Aquitaine. In 1184, he became heir to the throne due to the death of his eldest brother. From 1188 to 1189, he colluded with Philip II of France in a rebellion against his father and succeeded in seizing the throne. The reason is that his father replaced his young son John as crown prince.

In 1190, Richard and Philip II launched the Third Crusade. In 1191, they occupied Cyprus and captured Akka, but their march into Jerusalem was resisted by Saladin and failed. However, the heroic sentiments and demeanor between Richard and Saladin have been widely passed down into later generations and become a beautiful talk. In September 1192, Richard negotiated peace with Saladin on the condition that Christians could freely enter and exit Jerusalem.

However, he was captured by King Leopold V, Duke of Austria, halfway back home, and handed over to King Henry VI, Holy Roman Emperor. The emperor imprisoned him in the mountain castle at Triffels. Richard's mother Eleanor and the Archbishop of Canterbury Hubert Walter fought hard and finally redeemed Richard in 1194 for 150,000 marks.

In 1196, Richard and Philip II had a conflict and fought, which led to a tax rebellion in London. In 1199, Richard went to France to suppress the rebellion of Aquitaine. The style of leading the way was still the same. Unfortunately, he was killed by an arrow and handed over the throne to his younger brother John before his death.

Richard served as King of England for ten years and fought abroad for a long time. He only spent six months in the country. Most of his internal affairs were governed by Walter. He did not understand English and spent a short time in the country. He fought and was captured everywhere, causing a heavy financial burden on the people. However, the people appreciated his medieval chivalry. Secondly, he often went abroad, which expanded the power of aristocratic families and aristocrats, laying the foundation for future constitutional development.

Richard's queen was Berengaria of Navarre (c.1165/1170-1230), childless. Historians therefore question the nature of the marriage, and even suspect that Richard may have leaned towards homosexuality. The subject was rumored to be Philip II of France, who joined the Third Crusade, and the matter was also discussed in the movie "The Lion in Winter".

Richard's story has been brought to the screen many times: the film "The Lion in Winter," directed by Anthony Harvey and starring Peter O'Toole, Katharine Hepburn, Anthony Hopkins, John Castle, Nigel Terry, Timothy Dalton and Jane Merrow, who played Richard in his first film appearance.

Commentary: As a king, it is invaluable to take the lead and see death as a return.