Customer Reviews

The Troubadour's Song: The Capture and Ransom of Richard the Lionheart

5 star:		(4)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I give this book 4 stars because it is an enjoyable, easy read. But it doesn't get very deep into anything. I am not sure why "the troubadour's song" got prime billing on the title. It isn't much of the book. There isn't much historical evidence concerning Blondel and anything he might have done concerning locating King Richard or his release. The author's discussion is interesting but only a very small part of the book. The author pulled together the whole story of Richard, his capture, the other major participants in the story, England's raising of the ransom, and even, the economic effect on England. All well told. But nothing particularly astounding or revealing. However, the author writes very well. The story moves along nicely and you have a pleasant time reading it. If you are only vaguely familiar with King Richard's capture and ransom and that sort of story would be interesting to you, this is a good book to relax with and enjoy. A final aspect of this book I really enjoyed was at the end when he tells you what happened to all the major participants after Richard is released.

This book by David Boyle proves to be a superb work of history regarding the capture and ransom of King Richard I of England. Its a well written, easy to read and superbly research book that dealt with the details around Richard's captured, methods of his ransom and his dealing with his captors. Although it read like Richard's biography, the book gives a good detail study of this incident. It was interesting to know that inorder to ensure his final release, Richard pledged England to his captor, Henry VI of Holy Roman Empire. It was probably a pledge that he never meant to keep but for a brief moment of legel history, England was a province of Germany. Background material on Richard, especially his conducts during the Crusades and his dealing with various lords and rulers during the Third Crusade proves to be well presented and accurately gives the cause and effects behind his imprisonment.

The author also take pains to informed the readers of the type of the world, Richard lived in, the influence of music and men who write them like the troubadours. While the author get into the stories of these troubadours, especially one Blondal who were rumoured to found Richard's prison by singing under his castle cell, the author make it pretty clear to the reader where facts end and where the legend begin.

The book come highly recommended to anyone who happen to be interested in mediveal English history, especially in the personality of King Richard the Lion-Heart. A detail look at his captivity proves to be highly informative and interesting.

This book is one of those that is all too rarely found - the history is well-researched and very detailed and yet the style is smooth and engaging, making it both informative and a pleasure to read at the same time. The keenness of Boyle's interest in both the period - the late 12th century with its crusades, chivalry, courtly love and troubadours - and in the core event itself - the capture and ransom of Richard the Lionheart - comes through in the way in which he brings it all to life, immersing the reader to the extent that we feel we are there as witnesses.

One thing I felt Boyle did particularly well was pointing out where he was relating known historical fact and where he was filling in gaps with informed speculation, showing the various possibilities and why he felt a particular one might be the most likely. For example, very little is actually known about Blondel, the legendary troubadour of the title, but Boyle shows what is known and also what can be deduced or speculated based on it. He also does the same for Robin Hood, another legendary figure tied to the story of Richard's absence and return to England.

Another thing Boyle does well is giving the reader a sense of the personalities of the dominant figures of the period and its events, and showing how much the strengths and weakness of their personalities affected how things turned out. Richard's charisma, persuasiveness and calm in the face of adversity come out vividly in the parts where he is a prisoner of Henry VI, the Holy Roman Emperor, and put on trial for alleged crimes connected to his conduct of the crusade. By sheer presence and oratory, Richard wins over the German princes summoned to be his judges, not only winning his acquittal but also going on to form new alliances and trade deals for England, all while still a prisoner. His playful and winning nature comes out in how he dealt with his guards. Richard's reputation as a fearsome warrior was such that when he was captured, orders were given that he be guarded by four knights with swords drawn at all times. But within a matter of weeks, Richard so charmed his guards that he was constantly getting them drunk and engaging them in wrestling contests. At the same time, Boyle shows how Richard's ego and his inability to resist grand gestures were ultimately responsible for his being noticed and captured. It's rather difficult to travel incognito disguised as a merchant while at the same time insisting on giving expensive jeweled rings to local nobles and granting kingly bequests to build or restore cathedrals.

Other personalities are also brought out in vivid detail. Eleanor of Acquitaine, Richard's mother, in her 70's at the time but still a lioness in her own right, taking charge of the raising of the ransom and of the negotiations to free her son. The vacillating Holy Roman Emperor Henry VI, never truly certain of what he should do with his valuable but equally dangerous prisoner. Leopold of Austria, whose personal bitterness against Richard over his treatment at the siege of Acre led to his imprisoning of Richard when was forced by fate to attempt to cross through his lands on his return to England. And Philip Augustus, the King of France, a close friend in Richard's youth only to become his enemy in adulthood.

The book is rich in anecdotes relating to the events. Among my favorite was when Longchamp, Richard's unpopular Chancellor in England, tries to flee the country disguised as a woman only to be caught at the port when a flirtatious fisherman starts feeling him up. Another was when Richard, finally released from captivity, sends a written message to his treacherous brother John, warning him "Look to yourself. The devil is loosed!" The book also goes into interesting side details, such as the difference between troubadours and minstrels (troubadours wrote songs, whereas minstrels only sang them), the limited methods of writing down music at the time (they had a way of recording the where the notes were on a scale but not the tempo of how they should be played or how long they should be held), the way in which the ransom, almost a quarter of England's wealth converted into silver, was raised and the magnitude of its effect on the economies of both England and Europe, and the fates of all of the major figures in the period after Richard's release (almost all of them were dead in less than five years).

All in all, I highly recommend this book to anyone who enjoys either history or a good read. It more than meets the mark in both.

Here is a book which really looks into an episode in history which is treated lighly or not at all when reading about the crusades or the conflict between Richard and John or the Aquitaine. Richard the Lionhearted took up the cross in order to regain Jerusalem for Christianity, leaving a very difficult political scene behind him which only got worse as time went by. Hailed as a hero for his fighting skill he also made powerful enemies amongst the European courts because of hard decisions he made and frankly because of jealosy. Also, many Christians considered him a traitor for not seizing Jerusalem (which he could have done) and instead working out a diplomatic solution to give Christians free access to the city. No wonder Richard tried to sneak back to his kingdom.

One of the few things I disliked about this book is the effort to make the Middle Ages "multicultural" and "tolerant" (at least in Richard's time) and to link it to chivalry. The author has to bring out several exceptions to each of his suppositions until it is obvious that his theory holds no water. A good historian cannot use his own time as a template for the past.

Overall, an excellent book with some good photos as well.

It reads like a fairy tale:

Once upon a time there was a king, famous for his courage and strength, who was imprisoned in a distant castle by his enemies. No one in his homeland knew where he was, that is, until a minstrel wandered beneath the tower where he was kept. Below the tower, the troubadour sang, and to his amazement, he heard the answering refrain from above. It was, of course, the lost king, and the troubadour hurried to let his people know where he was being kept so that he could be ransomed and returned to his homeland.

But there is a good chance that it may have actually happened. Author David Boyle explores both medieval legend and fact in his book, The Troubadour?s Song: The Capture and Ransom of Richard the Lionheart. I must say, it?s one of the best works of popular fiction that I have come across this year. I do admit to a certain preference to this time in history, full of glamour and exoticism, and a particular favorite of many historical novelists and researchers alike.

In this, Boyle starts with the legend of King Richard?s imprisonment and how he may have been discovered by a troubadour, by the name of Blondel. Beginning with the historical legend, he moves on to discussing the culture and rise of the troubadour culture, and how the Courts of Love helped to shape a rise in music, and the idea of codified rule of behavior between men and women. King Richard had been raised in this culture of music and art, learning music and being no mean poet himself, all under the approving and watchful eye of his mother, the formidable Eleanor of Aquitaine, wife of Henry II of England. But lest anyone think that Richard was a dainty man, he was also a fearsome warrior, quick tempered and prideful, and loved to make war. And when his mother was replaced, as it were, by one of her husband?s mistresses, Richard took it as an excuse to raise a rebellion against his father.

Richard lost, but he would eventually survive his father to become King of England and master of the Angevin empire that his parents had built. And now, he intended to fulfill his vow and go on Crusade to the Holy Land and retake Jerusalem from the Muslims. His ally in this was the French King, Philip Augustus, who had helped him before in his rebellions, and may have been his lover.

Boyle goes in depth into the victories and failures of Richard?s crusade, providing an excellent analysis of what happened and when, and most importantly, why, along with giving some more insight into Richard?s shadowy queen, Berengaria of Navarre. But it was on the return trip from the Holy Land where the historical record gets murky. A minor German prince, Leopold of Austria, had been mortally insulted by Richard at a siege, and when Richard was discovered in disguise traveling in Leopold?s domain, it was an opportunity too good to pass up. He immediately had Richard arrested, and demanded an outrageous ransom ? the equivalent of nearly two billion dollars today.

It?s popular history at its best, Boyle?s writing is clear and free of jargon, told in a sprightly, slightly humourous style. He takes on such varied topics as the question of whether Richard was a homosexual or bisexual, the role of chivalry between opponents on a battlefield, medieval music, the plotting between Richard?s brother John and Philip Augustus and more than a dozen other topics. One interesting tangent that Boyle takes is the role of Robin Hood and King Richard, and indeed, the entire myth of King Richard ? and wicked Prince John ? a topic that will change many readers attitudes towards these characters. What works here is that the narrative is smooth and keeps from getting too tangled up in trivia, which is usually the problem with reading about history.

To help the reader along, there is an insert of photographs, taken mostly from manuscripts and tombs, and the usual bibliography and notes. Skimming through these, I found quite a few books and sources that are going to encourage me in future research.

This book takes several nights, provides plenty of entertainment and questions, and was pretty much overlooked when it was first published. For anyone interested in the middle ages, and particularly the real Richard the Lionheart, this is a must-read book. It?s entertaining, full of colour and life and certain not to disappoint.

Recommended

This is a good book but do not mistake it for a novel. It is non fiction but good writing to keep it entertaining. Boyle presents an unbiased history, until you reach the last chapter. But that is his own opinion and he freely admits that. It is also why I say it is written by an Englishman, because in spite of his honesty on Richard, he still admires him as great leader. In truth, even after I completed it, I still see him as one of England's worse King's and a large force behind troubles which plagued Europe for years. The man was brutal, treacherous and hated by many. He was almost a patricide and he had to be at least a little off base sexually for the only connection to him of having sex with women involve rape, there is never any sign of him even attempting to bed his wife and their are to many close associations with men. Boyle even admits that Richard's actions led to his being taken prisoner yet he sees Ricahrd as the victim. His image was loved but I still could find few redeeming qualities in the man himself. I do not consider a man who likes poetry and song, redeeming. It seemed to me he set in motion a great many disasters including the loss of his father's empire, and much of it from greed. King John was no more evil than the brother he followed, Richard just died in time to save himself from bearing the burden of his failures. In fact I see King John as the true hero of England for he lost most of the continental holdings, allowing England to have its own idenity, and one I still admire. The French do it with Napoleon, the Russians with Lenin and the Americans with Kennedy. Dying made them great but each of them created lasting problems. I thank Boyle for being honest with the facts even if we could not come to the same conclusions. Some things seem to be conflict on other facts I have read on Richard but as he states, it is hard to fill every gap of in such distant history. One of the better non fiction books out there.