Richard was born at Beaumont Palace in Oxford on 8 September 1157. He was the son of Henry II and Eleanor of Aquitaine, whose family controlled England and extensive territories in what is now France.

Richard was not born simply waiting to inherit the English crown. He was the couple’s third son, and his family’s lands became a source of rivalry between Henry and his sons. Richard became particularly associated with Aquitaine, his mother’s duchy.

He became King of England in 1189 after Henry II’s death. His reign lasted until 1199, but much of the activity for which he became known took place outside England. He joined the Third Crusade and fought in the eastern Mediterranean. On his return, he was imprisoned in Europe and held for ransom. Much of the rest of his reign was spent fighting in France.

His military reputation gave rise to the name by which he remains widely known: Richard the Lionheart. The familiar image is therefore of an English king whose political and military interests extended far beyond England.

Beaumont Palace no longer survives. Its site lies around modern Beaumont Street in Oxford, where Richard’s birth is still commemorated.