The Youngest Prince Of The English Royalty House [EN]: Chapter 145

145. Richard I (2)

―Westminster Abbey―

A grand coronation ceremony was about to begin.

‘My title as Queen Mother ends today.’

Eleanor couldn’t quite express what she was feeling.

Perhaps it was because she felt a mix of relief, regret, and bitterness, like a fine wine from Rouen.

Of course, joy was the strongest emotion. Wasn’t it a joyous occasion for her to see her beloved son, Richard, fully inherit all the power of England and become Richard I?

‘Richard is the accomplished son who ended the tiresome battles and claimed the crown himself.’

Although it was a bit bitter that Richard I couldn’t produce an heir and didn’t seem inclined to, considering the issues with his ‘brother.’

Eleanor, who had long underestimated Prince John’s cunning, was pleased with her youngest son, who willingly bowed his head and acted as a vassal. Thanks to his wit, John and Richard hadn’t ended up at each other’s throats.

Yes, it was the era of her well-raised sons.

The aging mother could let go of her last lingering attachments and simply enjoy watching Richard and John, the two pillars, lead England into a new era. That was the right thing to do.

Her victorious sons were impressive, but her daughters-in-law and grandchildren were all remarkable people as well.

Yet, what was this feeling?

Perhaps this strange feeling was because of her aging husband.

“It’s a good day…”

“Henry, you…”

“Why?”

“Do you regret what you’ve done all this time?”

“…”

Henry II smiled bitterly as he recalled the past.

[‘Father, I will deal with the defeated in my own way.’

‘Richard, my son, I will give you everything, but do not spill your brothers’ blood. You must not regret it as your father does.’]

When his son Richard, victorious in the civil war, tried to completely ‘ruin’ his brothers.

Henry II felt the tragedy he had created by being indifferent to his sons and had to persuade the victorious Richard to save his defeated sons.

Recalling that memory, Henry II said,

“Do I even have the right to regret it?”

“Well, I was no different from you, a heartless mother, so I don’t have much to say.”

Eleanor also knew well that she was an unqualified mother. Hadn’t her ‘daughters’ already taken their revenge?

Henry II looked at his wife and said,

“So, Eleanor, let’s live comfortably for our children and then depart.”

Henry didn’t bother to add the cliché ‘cross the Jordan River’ [a euphemism for death]. He knew that his wife would understand him with just those words.

“Of course, we should. The Queen Mother’s position was as heavy as the King’s.”

As the two shared a laugh filled with the weight of years, someone came to the door.

“Your Majesty, it’s the Master of Ceremonies. May I come in?”

“Enter.”

“Your Majesty, the crown you requested has arrived.”

“You’ve worked hard. The day you call me ‘Your Majesty’ will soon be over.”

“I was happy to serve the great King Henry II all this time.”

“I’m not dying, just abdicating, so don’t be so serious and be on your way.”

“Yes, Your Majesty.”

As the old servant left, the soon-to-be-retired old king looked at the ancient crown.

“Now… I must place this crown on Richard’s head.”

“There have been many disturbances since Mother’s (Matilda’s) time, but this crown is still intact.”

“That’s because everyone who fought with me in those days protected this crown.”

With those words, Henry II thought of the enemies he had fought against in his youth to claim this crown. He, and the old people who were now just memories, had preserved William the Conqueror’s crown no matter what. Because that was the right thing to do.

Henry II looked at the old crown that his mother Matilda, who could never become queen in her lifetime, had given him with tears in her eyes, and he felt the years he had endured.

‘I, too, have had a hard time.’

Now it was time to put down the weight of the ‘William’s Crown.’

* * *

―Westminster Abbey, Great Hall―

The coronation was a ceremony for the enthronement of a secular ruler, but it was also a Catholic religious event.

Especially in the Middle Ages, the religious aspect was even stronger.

So, as soon as Richard, who was about to become king, arrived, the choir sang Psalm 122, praising God for granting England a new David (a secular ruler).

―I rejoiced when they said to me, “Let us go to the house of the Lord.” Singing of the joy of pilgrims entering Jerusalem. In the future, the saints will also enjoy the overwhelming emotion when they enter God’s glorious city~

Watching my older brother and his wife enter to the sound of the choir. Soon, these people would become King and Queen.

Anyway, the guests, including me, stood upright.

The only people sitting in this place were my father, Henry II, my mother, Eleanor, and the Archbishop of Canterbury, representing the Church of England.

What shone like a cushion on the throne where my father sat was the Stone of Destiny (Stone of Scone) [a historically significant stone used in the coronations of Scottish monarchs].

This sacred stone was the national treasure of Scotland, but since Scotland had long been conquered by England, it had long been a dedicated stone cushion for coronations.

Richard becoming Richard I was not so different from the history I knew. But the process was completely different.

There had been a painful ordeal called the War of the Lions, which was like a war of succession to the English throne. But the sting of the wounds had already gone to the Kingdom of Jerusalem.

Most of all, unlike the history I knew, at least my father, Henry II, had escaped the fate of dying miserably.

The old father had willingly decided to hand over his power to his ambitious son.

Of course, there was no concept of a retired king or emperor in European royal families.

To be precise, there was almost no voluntary abdication in history. Originally, abdication was when a monarch who had faced a coup or revolution had their crown taken away.

But today was different.

“I will now retire as Duke of Brittany, leave the secular world, and simply spend my last days. Therefore, I will bestow all that shines upon the new King, His Majesty King Richard I, the Crown of William.”

My father, who omitted the word ‘burden,’ had no intention of becoming a vassal of the new king, but he was saying that he would give everything he had achieved to my brother Richard. It was a kind of abdication declaration.

My father handed the crown he had been wearing to Archbishop of Canterbury Hubert Walter, who immediately held up William’s crown reverently and said to me.

“John Plantagenet, the Master of Ceremonies for the coronation, please take the crown.”

“I will carry out that sacred duty.”

I carefully accepted the crown. The crown presentation was the highlight of the coronation. It was quite a difficult task because I had to hold this crown for quite some time.

But considering the ‘honor’ and symbolism, it wasn’t a bad thing.

While I was temporarily holding the crown, my father took my mother’s hand and stepped down from the throne. Now the two chairs would belong to the new King and Queen.

“Servant of the Lord, it is time to begin the coronation.”

The Archbishop of Canterbury made the sign of the cross and said.

“Let us offer this coronation to the Holy God.”

The coronation finally began.

―We are creatures of the Almighty Father, and all that we have is God’s.

As the king who was ascending the throne today, Richard was wearing a splendid red robe, but with the help of the priests, he completely took off his top.

It meant that he was a naked sinner before Jesus Christ and Almighty God.

Swish.

Richard knelt before the cross and the icon. Then the Archbishop of Canterbury said.

“Now, rise.”

Soon, with the help of the assistant priests, the Archbishop of Canterbury immediately began the anointing ceremony.

“Like Samuel anointing the new David, do not forget that you are the representative of Almighty God.”

“Representing God, I will respect all the people of this land.”

With the anointing ceremony over.

The assistant bishops who assisted the Archbishop of Canterbury slowly dressed Richard. He was clothed with the power recognized by the Catholic Church.

Richard, having put on the splendid royal ‘robe’ again. At this moment, Richard I was completed.

The Archbishop of Canterbury was now about to hear the pledges of allegiance from the powerful figures.

Looking at the powerful figures of England, he said.

“Royal Chamberlain, Lord Chancellor, Treasurer, Master of Ceremonies, (Security) Minister of War, Earl Marshal, Master of the Coronation.”

Those who were called, including me, the ‘Master of the Coronation’ for today, looked at the Archbishop with pious expressions.

―What does the Lord’s servant ask?

“Do you acknowledge the enthronement of Richard I, whose qualifications for rule have been proven?”

―We will revere and fear the new King, and we will help him not to stray from Christ.

We, who would assist the secular leader, acknowledged the new King.

Now that the subordinates had sworn allegiance, it was time for a conversation between the Archbishop of Canterbury and the new monarch.

“Do you, the new monarch, solemnly swear to govern Britain, Ireland, Western France, and all the territories under your ownership, respecting their respective laws and customs?”

“I so swear.”

“With the power granted by the Lord, can you ensure that the law and justice of all judgments are upheld, and that mercy is shown so that the innocent are not executed?”

“I will.”

“O noble and holy ruler of this land, as an unforgettable representative of God’s law and the Gospel, maintaining the doctrine, worship, discipline, and the inviolability of the secular and the church of the Church of England, according to the laws enacted for the justice of England. Can you promise to respect the rights and privileges of the bishops and clergy of England, and all the servants of the Lord?”

“I promise all of this.”

Soon after, Richard sat on the throne as King, not just the Crown Prince.

“God, bless our new monarch, Richard I, and help the prosperity of the royal family and the abundance of the kingdom.”

‘Is it my turn now?’

“I will present the crown that I have been holding temporarily to the monarch.”

As the Master of the Coronation, I carefully and respectfully held William’s crown in both hands and spoke to the public.

I handed the crown to the Archbishop of Canterbury. The Archbishop of Canterbury, who received William’s crown from me, reverently placed the crown on Richard I’s head.

Now it was the last step, the ‘three cheers.’

We made holy expressions, and we made holy expressions.

―Almighty God, save Richard I.

We repeated it three times.

“Holy, Holy, Holy, Holy God~”

“Hear our prayers~”

Soon the holy hymns rang out, and the silent bells began to ring.

―Ding, ding, ding.

“Amen.”

―Amen.

“Long live King Richard I!”

“Long live the King!”

The new King Richard I ascended the throne, and I became the Duke of Normandy without Normandy as the heir to the throne.

* * *

―England, Duchy of Normandy, Rouen―

The coronation was held in London according to long history, but people guessed that Richard I would not reside in London. In the first place, Richard had no affection for London.

As expected, Richard I, who ascended the throne, valued the traditions of the coronation, but he had no intention of adhering to the traditional capital of England.

“We are Angevins [the ruling dynasty of England at the time] who occupy both the island and the mainland. Therefore, we cannot adhere to a nominal capital forever. From now on, the capital of England will be Rouen, where I am.”

“…!”

There was no great commotion. In the first place, even during the time of Henry II, the nominal capital was London, but London had never functioned as an administrative-capital.

Rouen was the base of our brother Richard I, and in the first place, the key positions in England were vassals of Richard I.

Those who would oppose the relocation of the capital had either died or gone to Jerusalem, the holy city, long ago.

With this, Richard I, who declared a new era.

―Step, step, step, step

He showed the people a review of the standing army, not mercenaries, on the nearby plains.

Of course, no foreign dignitaries were invited. Only the people of England were the audience.

“…!”

Unlike the standing armies of other European countries, all the soldiers wore brigandines (studded armor) [a type of body armor consisting of small metal plates riveted to a cloth or leather foundation] of uniform specifications, the knights wore full plate armor, which was a symbol of the Hundred Years’ War, and held sharper and stronger steel swords in their hands.

And the archers surprised people by firing more advanced composite bows and crossbows.

―Heeheehee.

New warhorses, improved from Arabian stallions, cried out.

“This power is all a standing army that I can mobilize whenever I want.”

“…!”

People shuddered.

The important fact was that this magnificent power was not a mercenary force, but a standing army. That was the source of Richard’s confidence.

Richard I spoke as if spewing out a lion’s roar.

“Our England loves peace.”