Richard the Lionheart

1157 – 1199

Richard I, known as Richard the Lionheart, was King of England from 1189 to 1199 and one of the most aggressive of the Crusader kings. During the Third Crusade in 1191, after his troops captured the Mediterranean port of Acre, he ordered the execution of approximately 2,700 Muslim prisoners of war—men, women, and children—in full view of Saladin's army. He spent only six months of his ten-year reign in England, taxing the kingdom into ruin to fund his Crusader campaigns and his European wars.

Last checked: May 10, 2026, 1:06 PM