Richard was no sooner informed of his father's death than he was stung with remorse for the undutiful part which he had acted, and professed his respect for his father's memory, by retaining Henry's ministers and servants in those offices which they had so honourably discharged to their former master ; while those who had encouraged and assisted his rebellion, met with neglect and hatred. He immediately restored to liberty Queen Eleanor, who had been long detained in confinement ; and profusely bestowed upon his brother John no less than six earldoms, with many opulent and extensive possessions. The commencement of his reign, how ever, was attended with a very melancholy catastrophe, which, while it shows the bigotry and superstition of the age, proves how ineffectual the authority of the sovereign was to restrain the violence of his subjects. Richard had prohibited any of the Jews from appearing at his coronation; but some of that nation, presuming upon the large presents which they had made to the king, ventured to approach the hall where he dined. As soon as they were discovered they were exposed to the insults and outrages of the populace ; and a rumour was wick edly spread, that the king had ordered the massacre of all the Jews within the kingdom. London was im mediately filled with uproar. The houses of this de fenceless people were pillaged and burnt, and they and their families put to death. The houses of wealthy Christians were also attacked and plundered ; and so general was the spirit of riot and pillage, that when the king empowered Glanville, the justiciary, to enquire into the authors of this enormity, so many of the prin cipal citizens were found to be involved in it, that it was deemed proper to drop the prosecution. At York there were similar disorders, and five hundred Jews, who had retired to the castle for safety, finding them selves unable to defend it against the assaults of the po pulace, murdered their wives and children, and threw the dead bodies over the walls upon the besiegers ; they then set fire to the buildings, and perished in the flames.
This zeal against the enemies of the cross was the ruling passion of the times; and Richard, who to this spirit added a love of military glory, was scarcely seated upon his throne, when he began to prepare for a crusade against the Infidels. Every other interest and consi deration was sacrificed to the success of this pious enter prize. His father had left him above 100,000 marks, and he endeavoured to increase this sum by every expedient. The revenues and manors of the crown, and the offices of greatest trust and power in the kingdom, were expo sed to sale. The dignity of chief justiciary was bought by the Bishop of Durham for 1000 marks ; and the vassalage of Scotland, together with the fortresses of Berwick and Roxburgh, was sold for 10,000 marks. Exactions and extortion were next employed, and the oppression was felt by all ranks. He was at last ena bled to proceed with a •ell•appointed army to the plains of Vezelav, where he had promised to meet the king of France. There the two monarchs reviewed their for ces, and having sworn inviolable friendship, and pub licly pledged their faith not to invade each other's do minions during the crusade, they departed for the Holy Land. See CRUSADES.
Before his departure, Richard had appointed Hugh, Bishop of Durham, and Longchamp, Bishop of Ely, justiciaries and guardians of the realm, during his ab sence : but scarcely had the king left England, when an open animosity broke out between the two prelates. Longchamp was haughty and overbearing ; and, being armed with the legantine commission, arrested his col league, and governed the kingdom by his sole authori ty. His arrogance, ostentation, and violence, however, drew upon him universal hatred; and having ventured to throw into prison Geoffrey, Archbishop of York, Prince John, roused from his inactivity by this act of wanton power, summoned him to appear before a gene ral council of the nobility and prelates. Longchamp, apprehensive of his safety, were he to trust himself into their hands, fled beyond seas, when he was deposed from his office of justiciary, and the archbishop of Rouen chosen in his room. As he still, however, possessed the commission of legate, he continued to disturb the go vernment ; and his intrigues were encouraged by the king of France. This prince, jealous of the renown which Richard had gained by his military exploits, and disgusted with the ascendency which he had acquired over the crusaders, had deserted the crusade under pre tence of bad health; and though he had sworn not to commence hostilities against the dominions of Richard during his absence, yet he endeavoured by every mean secretly to annoy and distract his government. He even detached Prince John from his allegiance, by promising him his sister Alice in marriage, and offering to put him in possession of all his brother's transmarine dominions ; and that vicious prince was prevented only by the au thority of the queen-dowager, and the menaces of the council, from raising a civil war in the kingdom.
Richard was informed of all these machinations of his rival. The ardour of the crusaders had gradually aba ted; and their numbers being thinned by the sword, by fatigue, and by disease, they now thought of return ing home. Richard alone opposed this desire ; but he was at last obliged to yield to the general wish, anti concluded a truce with Saladin for three years. On his way home, Richard was shipwrecked on the coast of Italy, and, having assumed the disguise of a pilgrim, attempted to pass secretly through Germany. His ex penccs and liberalities, however, betrayed the dignity of his character, and he was arrested at Vienna, by the Duke of Austria, to whom he had given some disgust at the siege of Acre. This prince delivered him up for a considerable sum to Henry VI. Emperor of Germany, who threw !inn into a dungeon, and loaded him with irons. This fatal intelligence filled his subjects with grief and consternation. He had secured their affec tions by his bravery and generosity ; and the only trai tor in the kingdom was his brother John, who secretly rejoiced in his imprisonment, and joined his influence to that of the king of France to continue his captivity. They entered into negociations with the emperor to de liver his royal prisoner into the hands of Philip, or to de tain him in perpetual confinement ; and John, taking advantage of the general confusion, attempted, with the assistance of Philip, to wrest the sceptre from the hand of his unfortunate brother.