18 November 1188 - Prince Richard the Lionheart joins King Philip II, fighting against Richard's father Henry II in France. This conflict would end with the defeat of Henry II in the middle of 1189. As a result of the defeat, Henry II finally acknowledged Richard as his heir. The conflict weakened the aging king, and he died a few days after agreeing to terms.
Read about it in
The Swords of Faith
by Eichard W. Field.
Excerpt:
November 18, 1188
Bonsmoulins Castle, Eastern Normandy
Mid Morning
“Day three,” Jean-Paul said to Richard. They stood in a small sleeping chamber, preparing for the day’s events.
“The day push will come to shove.” Richard raised his chin. “Philip and I worked this out last night. Now it’s my father’s position that is foggy. We’ll clear that mist this morning.” Richard stretched, raising his arms up and clasping his hands. “Who else do we have with us this morning?”
“Charles the Strong from Poitiers, Francois from Limoges, and William the Axe from Winchester.” Jean-Paul paused and grinned, having left the best for last. “And Mercadier came in last night.”
Richard smiled at the mention of his favorite mercenary. “Good men. If things get hot again, and men are reaching for their swords, I do not intend to be outnumbered. And make sure everyone’s ready to move quickly.”
“Move quickly?”
“Yes.”
Jean-Paul shrugged and left.
Richard pulled his sword from its sheath. He looked at the blade and narrowed his eyes in determination. No, he hadn’t told Jean-Paul about all the possibilities for this meeting.
“The people of western Europe expect us to cease this fighting amongst ourselves and get on with rescuing Jerusalem,” Richard declared. “We cannot allow our own squabbles to prevent us from doing our Christian duty, or we will be damned to hell.” King Henry, King Philip, and Prince Richard sat around a large table. Each of them was accompanied by armed men with their hands not far from their swords.
Henry glared at his son. “Then perhaps you shouldn’t have started a war after taking a vow to rescue Jerusalem.”
“I brought this to the appropriate overlord. But I cannot have my subjects abused—”
Philip interrupted Richard. “You came to me to arbitrate, but would not accept my solution.”
“Because your solution was a blatant attempt to extend your power—”
Henry interrupted Richard. “Because you have no business offering any solution. This is my family’s business and we have the ability to attend to it.”
Philip began, “I am sovereign ruler for that—”
Henry interrupted Philip. “I am a king. You are a king. I need no permission from you to take whatever steps are necessary to protect my subjects. My son acts in my territories, in my name. He is mistaken about submitting to your authority.”
“Those lands are part of the Kingdom of France,” Philip argued. “You may hold title to them, but they remain part of France, and any landholder in these areas is my vassal.”
“A king will never submit to another king, and a less powerful one at that!” Henry countered.
Philip bit his lip. “Then I’ll be required to come after you until you do.”
“This is not what we need to do!” Richard told them. “This is just a repeat of all the shouting and posturing over the last two days! We must settle this!”
Philip nodded. “Yes. Let’s settle this. Let’s agree to return all conquests and withdraw all armies to the lines before this unpleasantness began. I … will look the other way on the situation in Toulouse.”
“How can I agree to such a thing?” Richard asked. “The territories I captured are much richer than those you’ve taken in Berry. And some of those territories I have taken were wrongly taken from my jurisdiction in 1183. This solution confers the most disadvantages on me.”
“See what happens when you yield to some perceived superior authority who has only his own priorities?” Henry asked. “This was none of Philip’s business.”
“Raymond of Toulouse is my vassal and ally,” Philip said. “He requested my help. This is my business.”
“So why did you invade Berry in my northern territories with no connection to Toulouse at the southern end of Aquitaine?” Richard asked.
Philip smiled. “I would have had to fight my way through at least three of your family’s provinces to get to Toulouse.”
“And could it be you knew my father would make no effort to resist your moves in the north?” Richard asked.
“Why should I help you?” Henry asked. “You want to submit your grievances to the French king without my consent? Reap what you sow.”
“Aren’t we in the same family, dear father? Am I not your son, next in line to inherit? Shouldn’t we be working together?”
“And now we get to it.” Philip smirked with superiority. “There are deeper issues here, aren’t there—deep family rifts. Succession. Suspicion. A lack of trust. My, my….”
Richard squirmed uneasily in his seat. “You enjoy this too much, Philip.”
“Well, as a king, I would enjoy offering a solution. Not just to patch up the current hostilities, but to resolve all the differences among us for the near future.”
Henry was already scoffing.
Richard noticed, but also knew what was coming. The show for his father was over. Richard thought he and Phillip had performed very well. Maybe Henry had believed it; maybe not. But now Richard would learn what he needed to know, potentially resolving all issues that prevented them from starting on their way to liberate Jerusalem.
Philip spoke with the authority of a statesman. “I will remove my armies from the territories I occupy in Berry. In return Henry will take his army off of the attack against my army. All barons within the Kingdom of England, and within the Angevin French territories, will swear allegiance to Prince Richard, as sole heir to King Henry of England. And Richard will set a date, very soon, to marry my sister Alice, which will settle the ongoing dispute in northern France.”
Richard turned at his father for a reaction, then wondered if he had looked too quickly.
“I see,” Henry said to Philip. “And this is your proposal.” Henry turned and eyed Richard.
“A good one, I think,” Richard said to his father. “A generous one. A proposal that really does settle all questions.”
Henry barked a forced, mocking laugh. “My son and the French king. In agreement. How about that.”
“We should all be in agreement,” Richard said.
“Oh we should, should we?” Henry forced a chuckle. “Just like that. After three days of tantrums and tirades.”
“What part of the proposal do you object to?” Philip asked.
“You know very well what part,” Henry said.
“All right. Here and now, father. Moment of truth. Will you or will you not
confirm me as heir to the throne and to your titles in France?”
Henry’s face reddened. “I will not be pressured in this way. I will not be manipulated into making decisions about my dynasty’s future leadership.”
Richard stood and looked at Henry. “Then I have no choice but to believe that the impossible is true. You do plan to disinherit me, your worthy and loyal son.” Richard walked around the table toward King Philip, who also stood. Richard knelt in front of him. “I declare my loyalty to King Philip of France for all Angevin domains on the continent of Europe—Normandy, Aquitaine, Anjou, Maine, and Berry.”
Richard stood and left. His men trailed behind.
“What was that?” Jean-Paul asked as they moved through the castle hall at a speed just short of a sprint.
Richard laughed. “I wish I could be there in that room to see my father. No doubt he is stunned, trying to figure out just what happened and what he will do about it.”
“He’s stunned? I’m stunned. What did just happen?”
“Philip will suggest a truce. My father will accept. It will run to the end of January. Then I’ll fight my father under Philip’s banner as Philip’s vassal until my father confirms my succession!”
“What a mess.” Jean-Paul shook his head.
“For now. But before I leave to take back Jerusalem for Christendom, I will be Prince Richard, heir to the throne of England and the Angevin lands in France! I will settle that issue once and for all!”
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