Penman is remarkably consistent in her rendering of history, turning her efforts to Richard, Coeur de Lion, son of Henry II and Eleanor of Aquitaine, a king in his own right. Filled with the fighting spirit of his illustrious ancestry, Richard I "takes the Cross" in 1191 to free the Holy Land from the infidels, Saladin in particular, and return home sheathed in glory for his country and his Church. Savvy enough to snare France's Philippe Capet into joining the crusade, Richard orchestrates an enforced truce with his brothers, John and Geoffrey, Eleanor following her son's holy journey with trepidation, fearing for his safety and that of England while he is away.
With exquisite detail, Penman recreates the enormous undertaking of a crusade, the gathering of forces, military equipment, supplies, sailing vessels, horses and servants sufficient to sustain the endeavor and win the battle for Jerusalem, the progress on land and sea, battles along the way, the sly betrayals of political enemies, the King of France uncomfortably aware of his sore comparison with the imposing figure of his rival, the handsome god-soldier astride his magnificent steed. Doing everything in his power to distract, delay and bedevil Richard, the two royal factions ride in tandem, but with contrary purposes, success in the Holy Land promising plunder for both, dissension mocking their Christian alliances.
The weight of fact and myth lays heavily on Penman's sympathetic interpretation of events, Richard I in public and private, with the bravado and courage of a warrior and the sensitivity of a seasoned lover in pursuit of a lady. Following the long reign of Henry II, a brutal, war-hardened ruler, Richard has much to prove to a country ready for change but reluctant to fund a long crusade, as driven by his commitment to the Church as his political ambitions as king, the crusade his battle cry for England against the forces of evil. Through secret negotiations Richard marries Berengaria of Spain, who accompanies him on crusade. Witnessing the wisdom and subtle diplomatic talents of Berengaria, and Richard's sister, Joanna, recently-widowed Queen of Sicily, the young king balances the military and the political, assailed by endless problems created through the crafty Philippe's machinations.
On his great mission, Richard confronts treachery, treason and the emotional strains of a new marriage, acquitting himself well throughout the grueling campaign, only to meet his match in Saladin. It is on the bloody battlefields where Richard proves himself most worthy, especially when dealing with Saladin, an equally wily and charismatic soldier/politician. Though the 3rd Crusade ends without the anticipated bounty of plunder and glory, Penman's portrait of this oft-maligned character lauds his broad appeal as a leader, at least until Jerusalem, truly the son of the ruthless and diplomatically brilliant Henry II and Eleanor of Aquitaine, claiming his place in history in Medieval England, a crucible of kings, warriors, power, glory and myth. In Lionheart, Richard's star is in its ascendancy, success a bright bauble waiting to be snatched to decorate the English crown. But Penman's leaves us in the Holy Land, the final chapter of Richard's fate yet to be writ in her next novel, The King's Ransom. Luan Gaines/2011.
