The Mudcat Café TM
Thread #129653   Message #2912981
Posted By: Geoff the Duck
24-May-10 - 05:14 AM
Thread Name: Robin Hood in the Crusades?
Subject: RE: Robin Hood in the Crusades?
This site gets Way too picky at times. Raymond was commenting about a Richard and a Robert, and clearly didn't realise he had typed the wrong "R" word before clicking the "send" button.

As for the crusades. I was not at all sure exactly how they fitted in with other events, so looked them up. It turns out that the Third Crusade lasted Three years. Richard's dad signed up for it, but then died before the armies started out, leaving Richard as a new king. Richard lived in Aquitaine at the bottom end of France, so presumable didn't have as far to travel to get to the Crusade, but it must have taken a while to march an army as far as Jerusalem.
When the crusade finished, on his way home, Richard managed to get himself imprisoned for about 15 months. In all, he was out of the frame for over four years, but less than five, but then again - he didn't actually live in England, and before the crusade started, it was his father who was king.

Given the duration of the Crusade (Is 3 years a long war or a short one?) I imagine that anyone who went to it to fight probably stayed until the finish. A foot soldier would then have had to walk or bum a lift home, unlike nobles who had horses. Even given Richard's imprisonment of over a year, it wouldn't leave a lot of time for our hoodie chap to travel home, form his band and knuckle up to a sheriff and a prince before Richard was ransomed and back in charge.

Quack!
GtD.