The Coronation of Richard The Lionheart

 After the death of his long suffering father, Henry II, in July 1189, Richard The Lionheart was crowned king of England at Westminster Abbey on 3rd September, 1189. The great and good of the English nobility flocked into the Abbey and among them included the great knight William Marshal who had, only months before, scared Richard straight during his rebellion against his fatherl. Also in attendance were innumerable bishops as well as the Archbishop of Canterbury, Baldwin of Forde, who crowned Richard as well as the Archbishop of Dublin, John Comyn. With the abbey now full, the ceremony begun.

The bishops and abbots, clad in purple and holding the cross and candles aloft before them, made their way to the altar whilst Richard was collected from one of the abbey’s inner chambers. Next came the nobles who had a role to play in the ceremony. John Marshal, brother of William, carried forwards two large spurs whilst Godfrey De Lucy, who would be made Bishop of Winchester shortly after the ceremony, carried forward the cloak that Richard was soon to be draped in. William Marshal then stepped forwards carrying the royal sceptre whilst the Earl of Salisbury, alongside him, carried the royal rod. Then came David, Earl of Huntingdon and brother of King William The Lion of Scotland, Robert Earl of Leicester and Richard’s odious brother, John, all carrying aloft three splendid swords.

The honour of carrying the crown fell to William De Mandeville, earl of Essex. This was a touch ironic. William’s father, Geoffrey, had rebelled against King Stephen over 40 years earlier, dying in the process. However, William was clearly sufficiently trusted by the king to be given such an honour and any past unpleasantness between the De Mandevilles and the crown was put to one side. William died weeks later, in November 1189. Now, it was Richard’s turn to make his way up to the altar with the Bishops of Bath and Durham flanking him.

First, the new king swore three vows. He swore to protect the church, to adminster justice across the land and to remove any bad or outdated laws and replace them with new and modern ones. Richard was then prepared for the crowning. Golden sandals were placed on his feet. The royal sceptre was placed into his right hand and the rod into his left. Archbishop Baldwin then poured oil onto three parts of Richard’s body; his head, shoulders and right arm. A linen cloth was then placed on Richard’s head before he was dressed in a fine tunic before he was presented with a sword as a symbol that the king would protect the English church. Another cloak was placed over Richard’s shoulders before he was made to swear another oath. Richard, resplendent in all his royal finery, from the tunics and cloaks to his golden spurs and sandals, was now ready to be crowned. Baldwin placed the crown on Richard’s head before he was led back to his throne, still flanked by the bishops of Bath and Durham. 

Richard was just a few days short of his 32nd birthday on the day of his coronation. He was tall, over 6 foot, handsome with piercing eyes and physically strong. The sight of him sitting on the throne for the first time would have left a lasting impression on those in attendance. Medieval coronations, as no doubt, they still are, were tiring occasions even for a man as robust as Richard and he was all too happy to remove all the royal garments that had been placed on him. He changed into more comfortable clothing and switched to wearing a lighter crown, ready for the celebration banquet.

There does remain a strong irony about Richard’s coronation. It was a very English occasion for a king who was not very English at all despite the fact he was born in Oxford and spent the first few of his life in England. Richard, famously, would only spend around 6 months of his decade long reign in the country and, from the outset, he had his eyes set on a land far away. Henry II had vowed to go on Crusade but never made it. Richard, whilst Prince, had also sworn to go on Crusade. Now, he was king he could make preparations for an expedition where Richard would prove himself to be one of history’s greatest generals. England, despite all the pomp and splendour of his coronation, was clearly not big enough for this remarkable man.