Richard the Lionheart and coalition command on the Third Crusade

Richard was shaped by conflict with his father and repeated rebellion in Aquitaine before he became king in 1189. He joined Philip Augustus and Frederick Barbarossa on the Third Crusade, then emerged as its principal commander after Barbarossa's death and Philip's return home. Like Saladin, Richard's major achievement was holding together a diverse force through a prolonged campaign. He helped capture Acre and defeated Saladin in battle but could not retake Jerusalem. His later capture, ransom, renewed war with Philip, and death from a crossbow wound show how crusading command remained entangled with European dynastic politics.