King Richard 1 Lion Heart Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

King Richard 1 Lion Heart - Research Paper Example For this reason, King Richard is suspect of being a bad king. Nevertheless, there are some qualities in him to be appreciated. The label of a ‘bad king’ may not fully suit him. As king, he gave much on the behalf of others. Unfortunately, those ‘others’ were not the people of his kingdom. King Richard should be taken as he is and not quickly judged. The conclusion that he was neither a good or bad king, but a king, most correctly suits him. While not perfect, he was not wholly corrupt. An intelligent man, King Richard had a reason for his actions. Surely, the people of his land desired a better life than what he brought them. However, their suffering served a purpose that was to benefit a greater good. King Richard fought on behalf of what he believed to be right. He fought for that right with all that he had; which happened to include everything that the people of kingdom had. It is not amazing in medieval times for the peoples of a kingdom to lack social m obility. The oppression of his people for the sake of financial gain made such mobility impossible for those under King Richard’s rule. In this paper, the evidences that have been presented to label King Richard as either a good or bad king will be discussed and analyzed. The intent is to demonstrate that neither of these labels can fully describe him. Having some qualities from both categories, King Richard does not fit neatly into either. The actions of King Richard often depict a King that was not very interested in caring for his kingdom. He was obsessed with money. The kingdom was no more than a source of revenue to him. King Richard was able to extract large amounts of wealth from his people and land. This money he used for his own purposes. Therefore, his people did not get to enjoy the best of lives. Instead, King Richard pressured the people to pay taxes. He did not seek to enrich the lives of his own people. Their lives were full of work and yet they languished beca use of poverty. It is because of King Richard that the legend of Robin Hood was born. Robin Hood was a bandit, an outlaw, who sought to promote financial equality. The low distribution of wealth was the result of King Richards rule. He raped the land and the people of riches. Many people resented King Richard’s actions; especially since his father was considered to be a much better king. However, King Richard was hardly interested in following his father’s example. In fact, during his younger years, King Richard had actually engauged in war against his father. As it has been reported â€Å"  In 1173 he, the Young King and a younger brother, Geoffrey, backed by their mother, took up arms against their father in a war that lasted eighteen months† (Cavendish 2007). King Richard came to be despised by many of his people. For his greed of gain he is considered to be a bad king. When the thought of a king is someone who is beloved of the people and seeks their best interests arises, King Richard seems to fall nicely into the category of ‘bad king’. His lack of patriotism also helps him to fit into this category. It has been noted that â€Å"historians have traditionally spoken of him as incompetent and destructive, small-minded and incapable† (Heiser 1997; p.1). It was only about five months out of each year of his reign that the king actually resided in his own land. The rest of this time he spent in France. When King Richard made decisions about his kingdom they were often misguided. Being absent from