Richard I – King of England

 The Armoury's  exclusive range of intricately hand painted mounted armoured knights cover the period AD1100 to up the end of the Wars of the Roses in 1485, and includes English kings from Richard the Lionheart, through to Edward I, Edward III, the Black Prince and Richard III. Each figure combines high quality sculpting with historically accurate heraldic painting by internationally acknowledged painters, who spend up to 80 hours on each figure. The overall dimensions of the 90mm scale cast metal knights are aproximately 6 inches in length x 7 inches high. Prices range from £850 to £1200. Sculptures can be painted to specific heraldic designs on request.

Richard I – King of England

Richard Coeur de Lion, or Richard Lion-Heart, (1157-99), King of England, was the third son of Henry II and Eleanor of Aquitaine. Although enthroned as Duke of Aquitaine in 1172, he was, like his brothers Henry and Geoffrey, discontented with his lack of authority and joined their revolt of 1173-74 against their father. Later he fought against the same brothers when they intervened in support of a rebellion against him in Aquitaine. In 1189 he again warred with his father and defeated him. Henry II's death brought him to the English throne in 1189, but soon after his coronation he set out in 1190 on the Third Crusade. En route he captured Messina and Cyprus and married in 1191 Berengaria of Navarre. Later the same year he captured Acre with Guy of Lusignan and Philip II of France from the Saracens under Saladin. Richard and his allies gave the city to the Knights Hospitalers, and for the next century it was the chief Christian possession in the Holy Land.

After Acre, Philip II returned to France, where he began plotting against Richard with the latter's brother John. Richard remained in the Holy Land but had to abandon his attempt to seize the strongly fortified city of Jerusalem. After concluding a treaty with Saladin that allowed Christians access to the holy places of Jerusalem, he too started home. However, he was captured in December 1192 by Leopold V of Austria, with whom he had quarrelled on crusade, and was imprisoned in the castle of Durnstein, where the troubadour Blondel de Nesle is supposed to have found him. Leopold delivered Richard to Holy Roman Emperor Henry VI, who released him in 1194 only after Richard paid an enormous ransom, raised by his English subjects, and surrendered his kingdom, receiving it back as a fief of the Holy Roman Empire. Richard returned briefly to England to complete the suppression of the revolt raised against him by his brother John and to raise funds. Thereafter he fought Philip II in France, where prior to his death in a minor engagement, he was responsible for building the famous Chateau Gaillard.