I went to an auction in Franfurt a few weeks ago, where many interesting English coins were on offer. Had my heart set on some early English gold, specially Henry VIII. That was not to be - the bidding was too strong. I did, however, walk away with this nice penny of king Richard I of England (Spink 1347, short cross tpe. Moneyer Raul, London mint). Here is what Wikipedia says about Richard I, remembered by most by his nick name "the Lionhearted" " Richard I (8 September 1157 – 6 April 1199) was King of England from 6 July 1189 until his death in 1199. He also ruled as Duke of Normandy, Duke of Aquitaine, Duke of Gascony, Lord of Ireland, Lord of Cyprus, Count of Anjou, Count of Maine, Count of Nantes, and Overlord of Brittany at various times during the same period. He was known as Cœur de Lion, or Richard the Lionheart, even before his accession, because of his reputation as a great military leader and warrior. The Muslims (referred to as Saracens at the time) called him Melek-Ric or Malek al-Inkitar (King of England). By age 16, Richard was commanding his own army, putting down rebellions in Poitou against his father, King Henry II. Richard was a central Christian commander during the Third Crusade, effectively leading the campaign after the departure of Philip Augustus and scoring considerable victories against his Muslim counterpart, Saladin. While he spoke very little English and spent very little time in England (he lived in his Duchy of Aquitaine, in the southwest of France), preferring to use his kingdom as a source of revenue to support his armies, he was seen as a pious hero by his subjects. He remains one of the very few Kings of England remembered by his epithet, not number, and is an enduring, iconic figure in England". Interesting also this final verdict of Richard I by a famous historian: "he was a bad son, a bad husband and a bad king, but a gallant and splendid soldier." Richard the Lionhearted, Coeur de Lion
Perhaps it would be good to discuss the attribution of coins marked 'Henricus' to Richard and the availabliity of non-English coins in his name. This is not my area and I have no idea how to tell a Henry from a Henry but I know a lot of scholarship has gone into the period.
That is of course a good point. I am not sure how the attribution is made. I shall have to do some more research on this. For the moment I have found this quote in a specialized site: "Coins of Richard I are very similar to those struck under Henry II. All continue with the Kings name as Henricus". The Spink catalogue also points out that the only coins struck under Richard I and bearing his name are from his french territories of Aquitaine and Poitou. Maybe somebody can weigh in with some more information on this.
nice coin! One that I NEED For my Genealogy time line collection but i suspect it is also out of my price range for some time to come, also. Richard was my 24th Great Grandfather. Richard
Love the coin, history and statue! As for the statue, one hoof off the ground means he was once wounded in battle. If it were two hooves then that would mean he was killed in battle. If all four on the ground he went through all his battles unscathed. At least I think that is how it goes.
There are many identifying marks, portrait styles, and letter forms that can be used to distinguish between Henry II, Richard, John, and Henry III's short cross coins, all which bear the HENRICVS name. The details are plenty for specific class attribution, but a few general characteristics can be...the number of pearls in the crown, the number and form of the the hair curls to the right and left, and the form of the beard. (But even these general characteristics cannot be solely relied upon in all instances). Some short cross issues can be narrowed or attributed solely based on the moneyer or the form of a single letter or i.m. It's kind of hard to narrow down a standard attributon of classes on a forum message board, that's why such references as MASS and North exist. On another note, I do want to add that Richard's name can also be found on his Issoudun (Berry) issue in addition to the Aquitaine and Piotou issues.
Thank you all very much for your comments. I am glad that you appreciate the history of this king, and his coinage. I remember that even as a kid I used to read about, and be awed by stories about Richard the Lionheart. jimmy-bones, thank you for the explanation. I suspected that attribution to a specific king would have something to do with a moneyer (Raul apparently struck coin for both Henry II and Richard I). You provided many additional points. Very interesting! thank you.
He was killed by a wound he received whilst besieging an enemy fortress.... In fact, I think I can see two hooves off there.....
Thank you Simms, that is interesting. I did not now about that symbolism. Richard was killed by an arrow shot by a defender of a besieged castle. Wikipedia mentions that the king was magnanimous enough to pardon the young lad who shot the arrow.
Old topic, I know but let me add a modern piece: In a series about "Tales and Legends", Austria issued a Richard Lionheart coin in 2009. On the left we see Richard (with the lions on his cloak) being captured by Duke Leopold (with the eagle) at an inn in Erdberg (Vienna). On the right, the Blondel saga: It tells the story how Blondel, who wanted to find out where Richard was, rode from castle to castle, and would always sing songs that he and Richard knew well. When Blondel got to Dürnstein, Richard (who was arrested there) answered by singing from where he was imprisoned. Christian
