How Much Of His Reign Did Richard I Spend In England?

Richard Coeur de Lion (lionheart) as he was known, was crowned in 1189 and killed in battle in 1199. During his ten-year rule he spent just over four months in England. Almost as soon as he was crowned, he left for the Holy Land to join the Third Crusade (the religious and territorial wars between Christians and Muslims) and remained there until 1192. While he was away, his brother John and the French king, Philip, plotted together to be rid of him.
Richard was travelling home in 1192 when he was shipwrecked, and imprisoned by the duke of Austria. The duke demanded a ransom (not an unusual practice at the time) which John refused to pay, declaring Richard dead and himself king. Soon, however, the news or Richard's captivity spread. John fled to France, Richard was ransomed and returned to England briefly in 1194. He soon went abroad again, and spent most of the rest of his life in France, fighting to retain territory there.

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