Even in his own time, King Richard personified all the ideals of knighthood. His legend is intertwined with that of King Arthur, whose sword Excalibur he wore. King of England, warrior, ruler and violent killer; six feet tall, with flaming red hair and beard – and a passion for poetry, he was also a master strategist at a time when Europe’s dynasties were engaged in a vicious struggle for power. But his heroic life took a fateful turn when – at age 35 – he wore the wrong clothes in the wrong place at the wrong time … In 1190, Richard and the King of France embarked on a crusade together. En route for the Holy Land the two fell out. There would be far-reaching consequences on the return journey. France began to plot against Richard, and soon found a number of co-conspirators. Suddenly, all homeward routes were blocked. Travelling incognito, Richard was captured near Vienna. Held for 15 months, he was ransomed for the unheard-of sum of 35 tons of silver, three times the income of the English crown! And the balance of power in Europe had changed. How did the kidnapping occur? And how did the myth of Richard the Lionheart become so firmly established, from the tale of the minstrel Blondel to the legend of Robin Hood? Richard the Lionheart explores the questions and mysteries that surround Richard, through high-quality re-enactments of crucial moments in his reign and interviews with leading historians.