6 lesser-known facts about the Ottoman Empire<\/strong><\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>This is not to suggest that Richard\u2019s expedition should be regarded as a failure, nor to deny that his campaign was punctuated by moments of inspired generalship \u2013 most notably in leading his army on a fighting march through Muslim-held territory between Acre and Jaffa. Rather, it is to point out that the Lionheart was still sharpening his skills in Palestine. The Third Crusade ended in stalemate in September 1192, but it was in the fires of this holy war, as Richard and Saladin fought one another to a standstill, that the English king tempered his martial genius.<\/p>\n
He returned to the west having acquired a new depth of experience and insight, and proved only too capable of putting the lessons learned in the Levant to good use as he strove first to subdue England, and then to reclaim the likes of Normandy and Anjou from Philip of France. It is this period, between 1194 and 1198, which rightly should be recognised as the pinnacle of Richard I\u2019s military career.<\/p>\n
By the time he reached England in March 1194, the 36-year-old Richard had matured into an exceptionally well-rounded commander. As a meticulous logician and a cool-headed, visionary strategist, the Lionheart could out-think his enemy; but he also loved frontline combat and possessed an exuberant self-confidence and inspirational charisma, allied to a grim, but arguably necessary, streak of ruthlessness.<\/p>\n
All of these qualities were immediately apparent when Richard marched on rebel-held Nottingham. This veteran of the siege of Acre \u2013 one of the hardest-fought investments of the Middle Ages \u2013 understood the value of careful planning, the decisive capability of heavy siege machinery and the morale-sapping impact of calculated violence. Though one contemporary claimed Nottingham Castle was \u201cso well fortified by nature and artifice\u201d that it seemed \u201cunconquerable\u201d, Richard brought its garrison to the point of surrender in less than two days. Other striking successes in siege warfare followed, not least when the Lionheart captured the mighty fortress of Loches (in Touraine) in just three hours through a blistering frontal assault.<\/p>\n
Sparring with the enemy<\/h3>\n
While campaigning on the continent to recover Angevin territory from Philip Augustus, Richard also demonstrated a remarkably acute appreciation of the precepts governing military manoeuvres and engagements. During the crusade he had sparred with Saladin\u2019s forces on numerous occasions, through fighting marches, exploratory raids and in the course of the first, incremental advance inland towards Jerusalem conducted in the autumn of 1191.<\/p>\n
This hard-won familiarity with the subtleties of troop movements and martial incursion served the Lionheart well when, in the early summer of 1194, Philip Augustus advanced west towards the town of Vend\u00f4me (on the border between the Angevin realm and Capetian territory) and began to threaten the whole of the Loire Valley.<\/p>\n
Richard responded by marching into the region in early July. Vend\u00f4me itself was not fortified, so the Angevin king threw up a defensive camp in front of the town. The two armies, seemingly well-matched in numerical terms, were now separated by only a matter of miles. Though Philip initially remained blissfully unaware, from the moment that the Lionheart took up a position before Vend\u00f4me, the Capetians (French) were in grave danger. Should the French king attempt to initiate a frontal assault on the Angevin encampment, he would have to lead his troops south-west down the road to Vend\u00f4me, leaving the Capetian host exposed to flanking and encircling manoeuvres. However, any move by the French to retreat from the frontline would be an equally risky proposition, as they would be prone to attack from the rear and might easily be routed.<\/p>\n
At first, King Philip sought to intimidate Richard, dispatching an envoy on 3 July to warn that a French offensive would soon be launched. Displaying a disconcerting confidence, the Lionheart apparently replied that he would happily await the Capetians\u2019 arrival, adding that, should they not appear, he would pay them a visit in the morning. Unsettled by this brazen retort, Philip wavered over his next step.<\/p>\n
When the Angevins initiated an advance the following day, the French king\u2019s nerve broke and he ordered a hurried withdrawal north-east, along the road to Fr\u00e9teval (12\u00a0miles from Vend\u00f4me). Though eager to harry his fleeing opponent, Richard shrewdly recognised that he could ill-afford a headlong pursuit that might leave his own troops in disarray, perilously exposed to counterattack. The Lionheart therefore placed one of his most trusted field lieutenants, William Marshal, in command of a reserve force, with orders to shadow the main advance, yet hold back from the hunt itself and thus be ready to counter any lingering Capetian resistance.<\/p>\n
Having readied his men, Richard began his chase around midday on 4 July. Towards dusk, Richard caught up with the French rear guard and wagon train near Fr\u00e9teval, and as the Angevins fell on the broken Capetian ranks, hundreds of routing enemy troops were slain or taken prisoner. All manner of plunder was seized, from \u201cpavilions, all kinds of tents, cloth of scarlet and silk, plate and coin\u201d according to one chronicler, to \u201chorses, palfreys, pack-horses, sumptuous garments and money\u201d. Many of Philip Augustus\u2019s personal possessions were appropriated, including a portion of the Capetian royal archives. It was a desperately humiliating defeat.<\/p>\n
Richard hunted the fleeing French king through the night, using a string of horses to speed his pursuit, but when Philip pulled off the road to hide in a small church, Richard rode by. It was a shockingly narrow escape for the Capetian. The Angevins returned to Vend\u00f4me near midnight, laden with booty and leading a long line of prisoners.<\/p>\n