How did Richard the Lionheart, who once said he would sell London if he found a buyer, become celebrated as the ideal of English chivalry? This book examines the life of Richard I (1157–1199) through the captivating stories told about him, from accounts of his deeds in medieval sources to his portrayals in modern literature and media. Tales of Richard’s exploits were as colourful as they were varied, ranging from him wielding King Arthur’s sword to being a son of the Devil or even a cannibal. Instead of separating fact from fiction, this book explores how these tales shaped his legacy in both his time and ours.

This book, at once readable and scholarly, shows how the fascinating historical figure of Richard the Lionheart metamorphosed into the character of myth and romance that we know today. An ideal introduction to England’s most legendary medieval king. * Jay Rubenstein, Professor of History and Religion, USC Dornsife *
Heather Blurton takes her reader on an enthralling journey through Richard the Lionheart’s many lives. She is a lyrical and sure-footed guide to this most mercurial of medieval figures whose image and reputation, as Blurton incisively shows, were being crafted even in his own short lifetime. * Anthony Bale, Professor of Medieval and Renaissance Literature, University of Cambridge *
Richard the Lionheart’s legendary legacies have never been explored more lucidly than in Heather Blurton’s account of England’s most absent and most mythic monarch. Blurton deftly weaves together a history of fact-framing and fiction-making from medieval chronicles to contemporary Robin Hood films. This book is compelling, insightful, deeply researched, and lively with instances of history stranger than fiction, and fiction imbued with history, making medieval lives matter in ever-evolving ways to those that read them. * Christine Chism, Professor of English, UCLA *

Heather Blurton is Professor of English at the University of California, Santa Barbara. Her books include Inventing William of Norwich: Thomas of Monmouth, Antisemitism, and Literary Culture, 1150–1200 (2022).