62. Leopold of Austria Kidnaps Richard the Lionheart, Near Vienna, Austria 1192
The legends surrounding Leopold’s kidnapping of Richard the Lionheart are many. Nobody’s surprised by this. He WAS found, in an inn. Why? Oh, he was wearing his royal signet ring. Or, he had given gloves with royal insignia to some boy who was showing them off. We like to think that all his men were acting like he was the King of England, out of habit. But found he was. Despite, as later legend tells us, trying to disguise himself as the servant turning the spit. In this engraving from the early 17th century, we can see one version of why this might not have worked. Copper Enrgraving by Matthäus Merian the Elder, from: Johann Ludwig Gottfried, Historische Chronica, Frankfurt, 1630, p.559. Colourised later
Capturing an enemy and holding them for ransom, in the middle ages, wasn’t necessarily a crime. However, kidnapping a fellow crusader was not ok, since the pope has said that all the crusaders were supposed to treat each other well (by not capturing their lands and goods while they were off fighting, or kidnapping them and holding them for ransom), and also, there’s a difference between holding a fellow noble for ransom and kidnapping the king of England. To be truthful, as far as medieval crimes go, this one isn’t very criminal — just sort of dumb, and tacky, but it gives a chance to discuss the rehabilitation of Richard’s reputation (he wasn’t a horrible king! he was ok!) and the importance of historical fiction.
