Richard I, king of England from 1189 to 1199, was a brilliant soldier and military strategist. His fierceness in battle during the Third Crusade won him the title of Coeur de Lion, or Lionheart. Even his most formidable enemy, Saladin, respected Richard and feared his army. Saladin's own emirs were terrified of the warrior they called Malek Rik. For decades following Richard's crusade, Muslim mothers called upon his name to frighten their children into behaving.

Despite his legendary heart of a lion in battle, he was honorable and generous as a king—at least for a king of his time. Richard the Lionheart was a king, a warrior, a hero, and a legend in his own time.