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Today, April 6, 2016 (we're hours ahead of the time zone), mark the 817th death anniversary of Richard I of England, famously known as the “Lionheart�� for his legendary military skills and daring exploits. I am reposting my review of the book Lionheart by Sharon Kay Penman, which I read last year. :-)

One word that can justifiably illustrate King Richard I, and that Sharon Kay Penman has used in this book thrice: bravura. Indeed, he was never short of audacity, always leading his men to the front line and proving himself a capable military tactician as early as sixteen. For all his blunders as a son, a husband, and a king, or even the risky exploits he had committed himself into that almost bordered on perverse tenacity and perhaps a strong disregard to his self-preservation, no one could ever dispute his sound warrior skills and great courage in the battlefield. Reading this book felt like watching a far-fetched movie about a hero who is glorified excessively for his ability to run through the enemy line on his own, come to his wife and sister’s rescue in the nick of time and in a rather dramatic fashion, and reclaim a besieged town and hold fast to it even when they were greatly outnumbered by the enemy—only, these aren’t merely whimsical hero’s tales but a few of the many testimonies that proved Richard’s legendary valor.

No wonder he’d been referred to as the “Lionheart�� in his lifetime and thereafter. He was definitely a force to reckon with, a “medieval rockstar��, to quote one book reviewer. So admirable was his authority that many were enamored to follow him to hell and back and sacrificed themselves on his behalf as one Norman knight did. I think I would do the same if I were part of his retinue; I would also stay loyal and trusting and confident even to be sleeping soundly every night knowing that my liege lord could easily outdo the saints in performing miracles and bringing good fortune in his favor every time. Sadly, though, that with all the illustriousness surrounding King Richard’s life, his death had come out rather tragically lackluster (actually, his later years and death aren't covered in this book, all the more reason to read the next—and final�� installment of Penman’s Plantagenet series, A King's Ransom).

I detested his selfish and skeptical nature in the previous book, Devil's Brood, although my general sentiment about him after reading this story has now quite mellowed to ambivalence (or even perhaps a bit more on the approving side). Penman has painted King Richard here in a different light—a pleasant kind of different in my opinion, and a satisfying divergence from the many chronicles practically underlining his disreputable deeds. I also appreciate how the author has narrated the events of the Third Crusade in a very detailed fashion that didn’t turn out flat in the end. I find that she has a witty way of describing historical events, and if she were a History professor, she’d surely have lots of eager enrollees in her class!