King Richard the Lionheart: birth, life, personality

King Richard I of England was born on the 8th of September 1157 in the King’s House (later Beaumont Palace).  He was the 3rd legitimate son of King Henry II of England and Queen Eleanor of Aquitaine; Eleanor’s 6th child as she had previously been married to King Louis VII of France and...

Philippe II of France: a monarch rightfully deserving the epithet ‘Augustus’

Born on the 21st of August 1165, King Philippe II of France died on the 14th of July 1223 in Mantes-la-Jolie en route to Paris at the age of 58.  When his father, Louis VII of France, fell ill, he had his only son crowned at Reims in 1179, making...

End of the Siege of Acre (1189-1191)

On July 12 1191, the long siege of Acre (1189-1191) during the Third Crusade was finally over.  The city of Acre offered terms of surrender to the Crusaders, and this time, these terms were considered suitable and were accepted.  The siege had begun when Guy de Lusignan attacked Acre in...