RICHARD

This article appears in Volume V23, Page 294 of the Encyclopedia Britannica.

Encyclopedia Britannica - Main :: RHY-RON

RICHARD ,

earl

EARL

Cornwall

CORNWALL

and king of the Romans (1209-1272), was the second son of the English king John by Isabella of

Angouleme

ANGOULEME
ANGOULEME, CHARLES DE VALOIS, DUKE OF (1573-1650)

. Born in 1209, Richard was the junior of his brother, Henry III., by fifteen months; he was educated in England and received the earldom of

Cornwall

CORNWALL

in 1225. From this date to his death he was a prominent figure on the political stage. In the years 1225-27 he acted as

governor

GOVERNOR (from the Fr. gouverneur, from gouverner, O. Fr. governer, Lat. gubernare, to steer a ship, to direct, guide)

of Gascony; between 1227 and 1238, owing to quarrels with his brother and dislike of the foreign favourites, he attached himself to the baronial opposition and bade

fair

FAIR

to become a popular hero. But in 1240 he took the command of a crusade in order to escape from the troubled atmosphere of English politics. He was formally reconciled with Henry before his departure; and their amity was cemented on his return by his

marriage

MARRIAGE

with Sancha of Provence, the sister of Henry's queen (1243). Henceforward Richard, though by no means blind to the faults of the government, was among the most constant supporters of Henry III. While affecting to remain neutral in the quarrels of the barons with the Poitevins and Savoyards he constantly assisted the king with loans, and thus enabled him to withstand the pressure of the Great Council for reform. In 1257 a bare majority of the German electors nominated Richard as king of the Romans, and he accepted their offer at Henry's desire. He was elected partly on account of his wealth, but also because his family connexion with the Hohenstaufen and his friendly relations with the papacy made it probable that he would unite all German parties. In the years 1257-68 Richard paid four visits to Germany. He obtained recognition in the Rhineland, which was closely connected with England by trade relations. Otherwise, how-ever, he was unsuccessful in securing German support. In the English troubles of the same period he endeavoured to act as a mediator. On the outbreak of civil war in 1264 he took his brother's side, and his capture in a windmill outside Lewes, after the defeat of the royalist army, is commemorated in the earliest of English vernacular satires; he remained a prisoner till the fall of

Montfort

MONTFORT
MONTFORT, SIMON DE, EARL OF LEICESTER (d. 1265)

. But after Evesham he exerted himself, not without success, to obtain reasonable terms for those who had suffered from the vengeance of the royalist party. He died on the 2nd of April 1272. His end is said to have been hastened by grief for his eldest son, Henry of Almain, who had been murdered in the previous year by the sons of Simon de

Montfort

MONTFORT
MONTFORT, SIMON DE, EARL OF LEICESTER (d. 1265)

at Viterbo. The earldom of Cornwall passed to Richard's eldest surviving son Edmund, who was guardian of, England from 1286 to 1289. On Edmund's death, in October 1300, it became extinct.
Authorities.The

original

ORIGINAL

sources and general works of reference are the same as for the reign of Henry III. G. C. Gebauer's Leben and Thaten Herrn Richards von Cornwall (

Leipzig

LEIPZIG

, 1744), H.

Koch

KOCH
KOCH, ROBERT (1843–1910)

's Richard von Cornwall, 1209-12S7 (Strassburg, 1888), and A. Busson's Doppelwahl des Jahres, 1257 (Munster, 1866) are useful monographs.
(H. W. C. D.)

End of Article: RICHARD

If you wish, you can link directly to this article.

<a href="http://jcsm.org/StudyCenter/Encyclopedia/RHY_RON/RICHARD.html">
RICHARD
</a>

(Previous)
RICH, RICHARD, 1ST BARON RICH (1490?-1567)

(Next)
RICHARD (d. 1184)

JCSM was founded in 1997 and exists to help the community and bring people into a life-changing and productive relationship with Jesus Christ. JCSM offers over 200,000 free web pages, including its weekly inspirational emails that were sent continuously for over a decade.

Jesus Christ Saves Ministries
P.O. Box 9297
San Diego, CA 92169
1-888-887-0417 or Email