oath
himself, but Henry of Champagne, Balian of Ibelin and the Masters of the
Hospital and the Temple swore for him. Saladin himself signed the treaty next
day, in the presence of Richard’s ambassadors. The war of the Third Crusade was
over.
The treaty gave the coastal cities as far
south as Jaffa to the Christians. Pilgrims might freely visit the Holy Places.
Moslems and Christians might pass through each other’s lands. But Ascalon was
to be demolished.
As soon as Saladin had made arrangements
for their escort and lodging, parties from the Crusading army went up unarmed,
with a passport from the King, to pay their homage at the shrines of Jerusalem.
Richard himself would not go and refused to give any of the French troops a
passport, but many of his own knights made the journey. One party was led by
Hubert Walter, Bishop of Salisbury, who was received there with honour and
given an audience with the Sultan. They talked of many subjects and in
particular of Richard’s character. The Bishop declared that he possessed every
good quality, but Saladin thought that he lacked wisdom and moderation. When
Saladin offered the Bishop a parting present, the prelate asked that two Latin
priests and two Latin deacons might be allowed to serve at the Holy Sepulchre,
and also at Bethlehem and Nazareth. Saladin consented; and a few months later
the priests arrived and were allowed to perform their duties unmolested.
Rumours had reached Constantinople that
Richard was pressing for the latinization of the Holy Places. While Saladin was
still at Jerusalem an embassy arrived there from the Emperor Isaac Angelus,
asking that the Orthodox might be given back the full control of the Orthodox
Church that they had possessed in the days of the Fatimids. Saladin refused the
request. He would not allow any one sect to be dominant there, but, like the
Ottoman Sultans after him, he would be arbiter of them all. He also refused at
once a request made by the Queen of Georgia to purchase the Holy Cross for
200,000 dinars.
1199: Death of Richard
When the treaty was signed Richard
journeyed to Acre. There he set his affairs in order, paying the debts that he
owed and trying to collect those owed to him. On 29 September Queen Berengaria
and Queen Joanna sailed out from Acre, to reach France safely before the winter
storms. Ten days later, on 9 October, Richard himself left the land where he
had fought so valiantly for sixteen bitter months. Fortune was against him. Bad
weather forced him to call in at Corfu, in the territory of the Emperor Isaac
Angelus. Fearing that he might be taken prisoner, he took passage at once,
disguised as a Templar knight, with four attendants, in a pirate boat that was
bound for the head of the Adriatic. This boat was wrecked near Aquileia; and
Richard and his companions went on by land through Carinthia and Austria,
intending to hurry quietly on to the territory of his brother-in-law, Henry of
Saxony. But Richard was not a man to wear disguise convincingly. On ii December
he was recognized when he paused at an inn near Vienna. He was at once led
before Duke Leopold of Austria, the man whose banner he had thrown down at
Acre. Leopold accused him of the murder of Conrad of Montferrat and cast him
into prison. Three months later he was handed over to Leopold’s suzerain, the
Emperor Henry VI. His long friendship with Henry the Lion and his recent
alliance with Tancred of Sicily made him odious to the Emperor, who kept him
captive for a year and only released him in March 1194, on the payment of a
huge ransom and an oath of vassaldom. During the weary months of his captivity his
lands had been exposed to the intrigues of his brother John and the open
attacks of King Philip. When he returned to them he had far too many tasks to
do ever to contemplate another journey to the East. For five years he fought
brilliantly in France defending his inheritance against the cunning Capetian,
till, on 26 March 1199, a stray arrow shot from
himself, but Henry of Champagne, Balian of Ibelin and the Masters of the
Hospital and the Temple swore for him. Saladin himself signed the treaty next
day, in the presence of Richard’s ambassadors. The war of the Third Crusade was
over.
The treaty gave the coastal cities as far
south as Jaffa to the Christians. Pilgrims might freely visit the Holy Places.
Moslems and Christians might pass through each other’s lands. But Ascalon was
to be demolished.
As soon as Saladin had made arrangements
for their escort and lodging, parties from the Crusading army went up unarmed,
with a passport from the King, to pay their homage at the shrines of Jerusalem.
Richard himself would not go and refused to give any of the French troops a
passport, but many of his own knights made the journey. One party was led by
Hubert Walter, Bishop of Salisbury, who was received there with honour and
given an audience with the Sultan. They talked of many subjects and in
particular of Richard’s character. The Bishop declared that he possessed every
good quality, but Saladin thought that he lacked wisdom and moderation. When
Saladin offered the Bishop a parting present, the prelate asked that two Latin
priests and two Latin deacons might be allowed to serve at the Holy Sepulchre,
and also at Bethlehem and Nazareth. Saladin consented; and a few months later
the priests arrived and were allowed to perform their duties unmolested.
Rumours had reached Constantinople that
Richard was pressing for the latinization of the Holy Places. While Saladin was
still at Jerusalem an embassy arrived there from the Emperor Isaac Angelus,
asking that the Orthodox might be given back the full control of the Orthodox
Church that they had possessed in the days of the Fatimids. Saladin refused the
request. He would not allow any one sect to be dominant there, but, like the
Ottoman Sultans after him, he would be arbiter of them all. He also refused at
once a request made by the Queen of Georgia to purchase the Holy Cross for
200,000 dinars.
1199: Death of Richard
When the treaty was signed Richard
journeyed to Acre. There he set his affairs in order, paying the debts that he
owed and trying to collect those owed to him. On 29 September Queen Berengaria
and Queen Joanna sailed out from Acre, to reach France safely before the winter
storms. Ten days later, on 9 October, Richard himself left the land where he
had fought so valiantly for sixteen bitter months. Fortune was against him. Bad
weather forced him to call in at Corfu, in the territory of the Emperor Isaac
Angelus. Fearing that he might be taken prisoner, he took passage at once,
disguised as a Templar knight, with four attendants, in a pirate boat that was
bound for the head of the Adriatic. This boat was wrecked near Aquileia; and
Richard and his companions went on by land through Carinthia and Austria,
intending to hurry quietly on to the territory of his brother-in-law, Henry of
Saxony. But Richard was not a man to wear disguise convincingly. On ii December
he was recognized when he paused at an inn near Vienna. He was at once led
before Duke Leopold of Austria, the man whose banner he had thrown down at
Acre. Leopold accused him of the murder of Conrad of Montferrat and cast him
into prison. Three months later he was handed over to Leopold’s suzerain, the
Emperor Henry VI. His long friendship with Henry the Lion and his recent
alliance with Tancred of Sicily made him odious to the Emperor, who kept him
captive for a year and only released him in March 1194, on the payment of a
huge ransom and an oath of vassaldom. During the weary months of his captivity his
lands had been exposed to the intrigues of his brother John and the open
attacks of King Philip. When he returned to them he had far too many tasks to
do ever to contemplate another journey to the East. For five years he fought
brilliantly in France defending his inheritance against the cunning Capetian,
till, on 26 March 1199, a stray arrow shot from
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