Richard I, King /ˌrɪtʃəd ðə ˈfɜːst $ -ərd ðə ˈfɜːrst/ BrE AmE
(1157–99) the king of England from 1189 until his death. During his period as king, he was almost never in England, because he spent a lot of time fighting in the ↑ crusade s and in France. He was a popular king and regarded as very brave, and for this reason he is often called Richard the Lionheart or Richard Coeur de Lion.