Richard I of England Quotes
The time has come to stop this [war]. The points at issue are Jerusalem, the cross and the land. Jerusalem is for us an object of worship that we could not give up even if there were only one left. The cross, which for you is only a piece of wood with no value is for us of enormous importance. If the Sultan will deign to return it to us, we shall be able to make peace and rest from this endless labor.
See {582893} for Saladin's Reply. King Richard was the leader of all the Christian forces in the Holy Land for the Crusade. There was a belief, that a wooden cross in the possession of the Muslim force was the true cross of the Crucifixion of Jesus Christ
Richard I, 1157-1199, (Richard Lion-Heart), King of England, Message to Saladin, proposing a truce and peace negotiations, 1191
Sourced by: Eigen's Political and Historical Quotations
King Richard was the leader of all the Christian forces in the Holy Land for the Crusade. See related quote for King Richard's initial peace proposal message.
The Papacy was at one of it’s lowest points. Two men, Clement and Urban, both claimed the Papacy and each had raised an army to fight the other. Each was promising indulgences to those who would fight, and in a modality similar to the Muslim terrorists of the 21st century, the soldiers were promised ascendancy to Heaven if they fell in battle for such a holy cause. The armies of the popes marched under the cross as their banner, and Wycliffe found that obscene and actually wrote a treatise saying so. See {618087}.
When the Turks defeated the Christians, the only explanation many Christians could conceive of was that God was on the side of the Turks.
A major issue amongst Israeli’s is to how they should relate to those hostile Islamic nations in their area who claim they are at war with Israel or the Jewish People. This position in effect says that the oratory of those Islamic groups that claim that they are in a war—a holy war even—should be taken at their word and treated as a wartime enemy and Israel should actively attempt to kill and destroy them.
Richard I (8 September 1157 – 6 April 1199), known as Richard Coeur de Lion or Richard the Lionheart because of his reputation as a great military leader and warrior, was King of England from 1189 until his death in 1199. He also ruled as Duke of Normandy, Aquitaine, and Gascony; Lord of Cyprus; Count of Poitiers, Anjou, Maine, and Nantes; and was overlord of Brittany at various times during the same period. He was the third of five sons of Henry II of England and Eleanor of Aquitaine and was therefore not expected to become king, but his two elder brothers predeceased their father.
