Statue of Richard I of England - London

Brad

The equestrian statue of King Richard I (1157-1199) is situated into the Old Palace Yard at the Palace of Westminster. It is the work of Italian sculptor Carlo Marochetti and was completed in 1856.

What you see is Richard the Lionheart on horseback as a 12th-century knight in chainmail, surcoat and crowned helmet with sword raised in the air. There are bas-reliefs on the side of the pedestal as well. Have a look when passing by if sightseeing in the area and interested in monument viewing.

Chip Vogt

Richard I (1157–1199) was King of England from 1189 until his death in 1199. He was the third of five sons of Henry II of England and Eleanor of Aquitaine. Richard I is best known as Richard the Lionheart because of his reputation as a great military leader and warrior during the Crusades.

macedonboy

The statue, Richard Coeur de Lion is an equestrian statue of the 12th-century English King Richard I, also known as Richard the Lionheart. Probably best known for his role in the Third Crusade and having his throne usurped by his brother King John. It simply depicts the king on horseback, left hand on the reins and the right hand holding a sword and arm held aloft.

A beautiful statue with some oddities like a medieval version of skin tight chainmail, which seems unrealistic, but beautiful nevertheless.

Ивайло Борисов

The statue was created by Baron Carlo Marochetti and is located in Old Palace Yard outside the Palace of Westminster, opposite Westminster Abbey in London.[1] With its pedestal, it stands 9 metres (30 ft) high, showing King Richard I on horseback. The king is depicted wearing a crowned helmet and a chainmail shirt with a surcoat, and lifting a sword into the air. The horse paws the ground, as if preparing for a charge into battle. Marochetti described his work as being inspired by Richard I rather than accurately depicting a 12th-century knight.[1][2]

Captain Arawak

Richard 1er Plantagenêt, dit Coeur de Lion, 3ème fils d'Henri II et d'Aliénor. Il n'a vécu que très peu de temps en Angleterre étant trop occupé par ses Duchés de Normandie et d'Aquitaine ainsi que par la 3ème croisade en terre Sainte. Richard ne parlait pas l'anglais, d'ailleurs c'est le français qui était parlé à la cour du royaume d'Angleterre jusqu'à Henri IV petit fils d'Edouard III. La guerre de 100 ans qui oppose les anglais aux français ou plus précisément les Plantagenêts aux Valois a contribué a choisir l'anglais comme langue officielle à la cour.

ɪᴏᴀɴ

Richard the Lionheart had three battles against Saladin and the Muslim army: the battle at Acre; the battle at Arsuf; and the battle at Jaffa. Despite being vastly outnumbered by Saladin and his troops, King Richard and the Christian army were victorious in each of these conflicts. It was at the battle at Acre that Richard earned the title of Lionheart. King Richard was unlike many of the kings throughout history, in that he himself would lead his army into battle and fight alongside his troops at the frontline, risking his life each time. His courage was unparalleled, and even his own enemies - such as Saladin’s high ranking officials (Baha al-Din) - were in awe and fear of this great king. Richard had been a soldier most of his life and, at only sixteen years of age, had led armies into battle and had victories fighting his enemies in England and France.

Before the end of his third year as king, Richard had scattered far and wide the rays of his valour. In one day he took Messina, a city of Sicily, by force, and he subdued the land of Cyprus in a fortnight. Then came his victories against the Muslim armies at Acre, Arsuf and Jaffa.

Some people criticise King Richard for his treatment of the three thousand captive Muslims at Acre, whom he ordered to be executed, however, he was left with little to no choice, due to the actions of Saladin, who had kept delaying the exchange that had been agreed with Richard. King Richard had asked Saladin to give back the Christian relic that had been taken in battle when Saladin had defeated the Franks at the battle of Hattin, a few years prior to Richard’s arrival, and which was believed to be part of the Cross that Christ had been crucified on. Saladin knew how much the Christians valued this item and believed that Richard and his army would not march onto Jerusalem without this holy relic in their possession, and so ultimately he made the decision to sacrifice the lives of three thousand of his own Muslim brothers, rather than return the Christian relic. King Richard had come to the Holy Land to capture Jerusalem back from the Muslims, and so he couldn’t just stay at Acre as month succeeded month, waiting perhaps endlessly. To leave so many fighting men in captivity at Acre would have entailed money, and a great many men would have had to guard them, and this he calculated was a cost that he could not bear.

It’s true that Richard did not accomplish his mission of taking back the city of Jerusalem from the Muslims, however, this was due to taking council with the Franks - the Christians who had previously settled in Jerusalem and made it their home - who advised King Richard not to lay siege to the city. The problem was that most of the army would not be remaining in the land after the conquest. After taking back Jerusalem and fulfilling their pilgrim, they would have then returned to their homes in England and France, leaving the city to only a remnant of people. They simply would not have enough military power to hold on to the city after Richard and his troops had departed, and so it would have been quite pointless in the end to try to take Jerusalem back and not worth the risk.

Ester Ekoi

It's such a beautiful sight and it's so historical and I'm so honoured to have experienced

Danilo Bolognesi

Richard Coeur de Lion is a Grade II listed equestrian statue of the 12th-century English monarch Richard I, also known as Richard the Lionheart, who reigned from 1189–99. It stands on a granite pedestal in Old Palace Yard outside the Palace of Westminster in London, facing south towards the entrance to the House of Lords. It was created by Baron Carlo Marochetti, an Italian sculptor whose works were popular with European royalty and the nobility, though often less well regarded by critics and the artistic establishment. The statue was first produced in clay and displayed at The Great Exhibition in 1851, where it was located outside the west entrance to the Crystal Palace. It was well received at the time and two years later Queen Victoria and Prince Albert headed a list of illustrious subscribers to a fund that aimed to raise money for the casting of the statue in bronze.

Although the money was duly raised and the bronze cast of the statue was finally completed in 1856, a lengthy dispute delayed its installation for several years. The original idea had been to erect the statue as a memorial to the Great Exhibition. This prompted opposition, as did proposals to place it outside Charles Barry's newly completed Palace of Westminster. Various other locations to display the statue were initially considered before agreement was reached that it would be placed in Old Palace Yard, Marochetti's preferred location. It was installed in October 1860, though it was not until March 1867 that it was finally completed with the addition of bronze bas-reliefs on either side of the pedestal.

The quality of the statue's workmanship caused problems during its first half-century; the horse's tail fell off the day after it was installed at the Great Exhibition, and forty years after its installation it was discovered to be riddled with holes and to have never been properly attached to its pedestal. It narrowly escaped destruction during the Second World War when a German bomb dropped during the Blitz landed a few metres away and peppered it with shrapnel. The pedestal and the horse's tail were damaged and Richard's sword was bent by the blast. In 2009, the Parliamentary authorities undertook a project to conserve and restore the statue.