Many legends have grown up...
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Many legends have grown up about King Richard I "the Lionheart" of England, largely due to the even-more-legendary stories of Robin Hood. In these accounts, Richard is often depicted as the beloved but absent king, who left his evil brother John in charge while he went away to defend the realm. Richard was imprisoned and held for ransom in Germany during the Third Crusade. In his absence, the people expressed their devotion to their good king, and their hatred of Prince John. The recent film, Robin Hood, Prince Of Thieves, concludes with King Richard gratefully accepting the homage of his dutiful subject Robin Hood. The devotion of the subjects from afar has sustained the king in his exile. The truth is more like this: Richard was an absentee king because his French lands were larger, richer and more vulnerable than England. More interested in soldiering than ruling, he used England as a source of cash to finance his wars, and his officials were heartily detested for their enforcement of the king's taxation demands. If Richard looked fondly on his island realm, it was probably with gratitude for the streams of coin flowing across the channel! -- Walker
