Britannica
Sources used in this answer
What happened to Richard I while he was sailing home from the Crusade?
Created from Britannica articles
using AI.
AI can make mistakes, so verify using Britannica articles.
Richard I
Richard I, detail of tomb effigy in the abbey church of Fontevrault-l'Abbaye, France.
While sailing home from the Third Crusade via the Adriatic Sea, Richard I was forced ashore near Venice by a storm. Due to the hostility of Philip II, Richard attempted to travel in disguise, but he was discovered in Vienna in December 1192.1
He was captured and imprisoned by Leopold V, Duke of Austria, whom Richard had previously insulted during the Crusade. Richard was later handed over to the Holy Roman emperor Henry VI, who held him in various imperial castles. To secure his release, Richard was forced to agree to a colossal ransom of 150,000 marks and acknowledge his kingdom as a fief of the emperor. He was finally released in February 1194 after a significant portion of the ransom was raised by his subjects in England.123