181.  Richard’s Coronation.

Richard was on the Continent at the time of his father’s death.  His first act was to liberate his mother from her long imprisonment at Winchester (S177); his next, to place her at the head of the English government until his arrival from Normandy.  Unlike Henry II, Richard did not issue a charter, or pledge of good government (S160).  He, however, took the usual coronation oath to defend the Church, maintain justice, make salutary laws, and abolish evil customs; such an oath might well be considered a charter in itself.

182.  The Crusades (1190); how Richard raised Money.

At that period all western Europe was engaged in the series of wars known as the Crusades.  The object of this long contest, which began in 1096 and ended in 1270, was to compel the Saracens or Mohammedans to give up possession of the Holy Land to the Christians (S186).  Immediately after his coronation, Richard resolved to jion the King of France and the Emperor of Germany in the Third Crusade.  To get money for the expedition, the King extorted loans from the Jews (S119), who were the creditors of half England and had almost complete control of the capital and commerce of every country in Europe.

The English nobles who joined Richard also borrowed largely from the same source; and then, suddenly turning on the hated lenders, they tried to extinguish the debt by extinguishing the Jews.  A pretext against the unfortunate race was easily found.  Riots broke out in London, York, and elsewhere, and hundreds of Israelites were brutally massacred.

Richard’s next move to obtain funds was to impose a heavy tax; his next, to dispose of titles of rank and offices in both Church and State, to all who wished to buy them.  Thus, to the aged and covetous bishop of Durhap he sold the earldom of Northumberland for life, saying, as he concluded the bargain, “Out of an old bishop I have made a new earl.”

He sold, also, the office of chief justice to the same prelate for an additional thousand marks (S161, note 1), while the King of Scotland purchased freedom from subjection to the English King for ten thousand marks.

Last of all, Richard sold cities and town, and he also sold charters to towns.  One of his courtiers remonstrated with him for his greed for gain.  The King replied, “I would sell London itself could I find a purchaser rich enough to buy it.”

183.  The Rise of the Free Towns.

Of all these devices for raising money, that of selling charters to towns had the most important results.  From the time of the Norman Conquest the large towns of England, with few exceptions, were considered part of the King’s property; the smaller places generally belonged to the great barons.

The citizens of these towns were obliged to pay rent and taxes of various kinds to the King or lord who owned them.  These dues were collected by an officer appointed by the King or lord (usually the sheriff), who was bound to obtain a certain sum, whatever more he could get being his own profit.  For this reason it was for his interest to exact from every citizen the uttermost penny.  London, as we have seen, had secured a considerable degree of liberty through the charter granted to it by William the Conqueror (S107).  Every town was now anxious to obtain a similar charter.