Editing Richard of Cornwall (section)

==Biography==
===Early life===
He was born 5 January 1209 at [[Winchester Castle]], the second son of [[John, King of England]], and [[Isabella, Countess of Angoulême]]. He was made [[High Sheriff of Berkshire]] at age eight, was styled [[Count of Poitou]] from 1225 and in the same year, at the age of sixteen, his brother [[Henry III of England|King Henry III]] gave him Cornwall as a birthday present, making him [[High Sheriff of Cornwall]]. Richard's revenues from Cornwall helped make him one of the wealthiest men in Europe. Though he campaigned on King Henry's behalf in [[Poitou]] and [[Brittany]], and served as regent three times, relations were often strained between the brothers in the early years of Henry's reign, once Henry took rule for himself. Richard rebelled against him three times and had to be bought off with lavish gifts.

In 1225, Richard traded with Gervase de Tintagel, swapping the land of [[Merthen Manor|Merthen]] (originally part of the manor of [[Winnianton]]) for [[Tintagel Castle]].<ref name=listing>{{National Heritage List for England|num=1142128|desc=Merthen|access-date=16 January 2012}}</ref> It has been suggested that a castle was built on the site by Richard in 1233 to establish a connection with the Arthurian legends that were associated by [[Geoffrey of Monmouth]] with the area. Richard hoped that, in this way, he could gain the [[Cornish people]]'s trust.<ref>Lovering, D. (2007, May 13). Arthurian legend lives on at Tintagel. ''Deseret News.''</ref>

The dating to the period of Richard has superseded Ralegh Radford's interpretation which attributed the earliest elements of the castle to Earl Reginald de Dunstanville and later elements to Earl Richard.<ref>Radford, C. A. Ralegh (1939) ''Tintagel Castle, Cornwall''; 2nd ed. London: Her Majesty's Stationery Office; p. 12</ref> [[Sidney Toy]], however, has suggested an earlier period of construction for the castle.<ref>Toy, S. (1939), ''Castles: a short history of fortifications from 1600 B.C. to A.D. 1600'', London: Heinemann</ref>

===Marriage to Isabel, 1231–1240===
In March 1231, he married [[Isabel Marshal]], the wealthy widow of the [[Gilbert de Clare, 5th Earl of Gloucester|Earl of Gloucester]], much to the displeasure of his brother King Henry, who feared the Marshal family because they were rich, influential, and often opposed to him, as did Richard by this point. The joining of Richard to the Marshal family increased the power behind these rebellions, and the potential risk for Henry. Richard became stepfather to Isabel's six children from her first husband. In that same year he acquired his main residence, [[Wallingford Castle]] in Berkshire (now [[Oxfordshire]]), and spent much money on developing it. He had other favoured properties at [[Marlow, Buckinghamshire|Marlow]] and [[Cippenham]] and was a notable [[lord of the manor]] at [[Princes Risborough|Earls Risborough]], all in Buckinghamshire.

Isabel and Richard had four children, of whom only their son, [[Henry of Almain]], survived to adulthood. Richard opposed [[Simon de Montfort, 6th Earl of Leicester|Simon de Montfort]] and rose in rebellion in 1238 to protest against the marriage of his sister, [[Eleanor of England, Countess of Leicester|Eleanor]], to Simon. Once again he was placated with rich gifts. When Isabel was on her deathbed in 1240, she asked to be buried next to her first husband at [[Tewkesbury]], but Richard had her interred at [[Beaulieu Abbey]] instead. As a pious gesture, however, he sent her heart to Tewkesbury.

===On Crusade and marriage to Sanchia, 1240–1243===
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| footer = '''Left''': Seal (''verso'' side) of Richard of Cornwall, showing his arms; '''right''' his arms: ''Argent, a [[Lions in heraldry|lion rampant]] gules crowned or a bordure sable [[bezant]]ée'' as drawn by his contemporary [[Matthew Paris]] (d. 1259)<ref>Matthew Paris, Book of Additions, British Library Cotton MS Nero D I, fol 171v [http://www.bl.uk/onlinegallery/onlineex/illmanus/cottmanucoll/h/011cotnerd00001u00171v00.html];</ref>
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Later that year, Richard departed for the Holy Land, leading the second host of crusaders to arrive during the [[Barons' Crusade]]. He did not fight any battles but managed to negotiate for the release of prisoners (most notably [[Amaury de Montfort (died 1241)|Amaury de Montfort]]) and the burials of [[crusaders]] killed at a battle in [[Gaza City|Gaza]] in November 1239. He also refortified [[Ashkelon|Ascalon]], which had been demolished by [[Saladin]]. On his return from the Holy Land, Richard visited his sister [[Isabella of England|Isabella]], the empress of [[Frederick II, Holy Roman Emperor|Frederick II]].

After the birth of [[Edward I of England|Prince Edward]] in 1239, provisions were made in case of the king's death, which favoured the Queen and her Savoyard relatives and excluded Richard. To keep him from becoming discontented King Henry and Queen Eleanor brought up the idea of a marriage with Eleanor's sister [[Sanchia of Provence|Sanchia]] shortly after his return on 28 January 1242.{{Citation needed|date=October 2014}} On his journey to the Holy Land, Richard had met Sanchia in Provence, where he was warmly welcomed by her father [[Ramon Berenguer IV, Count of Provence|Raymond Berenger IV]].{{sfn|Cox|1974|p=114}} Richard and Sanchia were married at Westminster in November 1243. Marriage to Sanchia had the advantage of tying Richard closely to the royal couple and their interests.

Eleanor and Sanchia's youngest sister [[Beatrice of Provence|Beatrice]] married [[Charles I of Naples]], while their oldest sister [[Margaret of Provence|Margaret]] had married [[Louis IX of France]]. The marriages of the kings of France and England and their two brothers to the four sisters from [[Provence]] improved the relationship between the two countries that led to the [[Treaty of Paris (1259)|Treaty of Paris]] in 1259.<ref>{{cite news | title= The Texts of the Peace of Paris, 1259 | journal = The English Historical Review | volume = 66 | number = 258 | pages = 81–97 [88] | last = Sanders | first= IJ | year=1951 | publisher=Oxford University Press}}</ref>

===Poitou and Sicily===
Richard was appointed count of [[Poitou]] some time before August 1225.{{sfn|Weir|1999|p=67}} However, Richard's claims to [[Gascony]] and [[Poitou]] were never more than nominal, and in 1241, King [[Louis IX of France]] invested his own brother [[Alphonse, Count of Poitiers|Alphonse]] with Poitou. Moreover, Richard and Henry's mother, Isabella of Angoulême, claimed to have been insulted by the French queen. They were encouraged to recover Poitou by their stepfather, [[Hugh X of Lusignan]], but the expedition turned into a military fiasco after Lusignan betrayed them.{{sfn|Cox|1974|pp=112–113}} Richard conceded Poitou around December 1243.{{sfn|Weir|1999|p=67}}

[[Pope Innocent IV]] offered Richard the [[Kingdom of Sicily|crown of Sicily]], but according to [[Matthew Paris]], he responded to the extortionate price by saying, "You might as well say, 'I will sell or give you the moon, rise up and take it'".<ref>{{Cite book |last=Whalen |first=Brett Edward |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=PaSTDwAAQBAJ&dq=richard+of+cornwall+offered++the+moon+climb+up+and+take+it&pg=PA220 |title=The Two Powers: The Papacy, the Empire, and the Struggle for Sovereignty in the Thirteenth Century |date=2019 |publisher=University of Pennsylvania Press |isbn=978-0-8122-5086-2 |page=110 |language=en}}</ref> Instead, his brother King Henry attempted to purchase the kingdom for his own son [[Edmund Crouchback|Edmund]].

===Elected King of Germany, 1257===

Richard was elected in 1257 as [[King of the Romans|King of Germany]] by four of the seven [[Prince-elector|German Electoral Princes]]:

*[[Konrad von Hochstaden]], the Archbishop of [[Electoral Cologne|Cologne]]; 
*{{interlanguage link|Gerhard I von Dhaun|de|Gerhard I. von Dhaun}}, Archbishop of [[Elector of Mainz|Mainz]]; 
*[[Louis II, Duke of Bavaria|Louis II]], the [[Electoral Palatinate|Count Palatine]];
*[[Ottokar II of Bohemia|Ottokar II]], King of [[Kingdom of Bohemia|Bohemia]].

His candidacy was opposed by [[Alfonso X of Castile]], who was supported by three electors:

*[[Albert I, Duke of Saxony]]; 
*[[John I, Margrave of Brandenburg]]; 
*[[Arnold II of Isenburg]], Archbishop of [[Roman Catholic Diocese of Trier|Trier]].

[[Pope Alexander IV]] and King [[Louis IX]] of France favoured Alfonso, but both were ultimately convinced by the powerful relatives of Richard's wife Sanchia, and his sister-in-law, [[Eleanor of Provence]], to support Richard. [[Ottokar II of Bohemia]], who at first voted for Richard but later elected Alfonso, eventually agreed to support the Earl of Cornwall, thus establishing the required simple majority. So Richard had to bribe only four of them, but this came at a huge cost of 28,000 [[Mark (currency)|marks]]. On 17 May 1257, [[Konrad von Hochstaden]], [[List of Archbishops of Cologne|Archbishop]] of [[Cologne]], himself crowned Richard [[King of the Romans]] in [[Aachen]];<ref>Goldstone, Nancy (2008). ''Four Queens: The Provençal Sisters who ruled Europe.'' Penguin Books, London, p. 213.</ref> however, like his lordships in [[Gascony]] and [[Poitou]], his title never held much significance, and he made only four brief visits to Germany between 1257 and 1269.

===Later life, death and successors===
[[File:Sanchie.jpg|thumb|Seal of Sanchia, Queen of the Romans, Richard's wife]]
He founded [[Burnham Abbey]] in Buckinghamshire in 1263, and the {{ill|Grashaus|de}}, [[Aachen]] in 1266.

He joined King Henry in fighting against Simon de Montfort's rebels in the [[Second Barons' War]] (1264–1267). After the shattering royalist defeat at the [[Battle of Lewes]], Richard took refuge in a [[windmill]], was discovered, and was imprisoned until September 1265.

Richard bought the [[feudal barony of Trematon]] in 1270.

In March 1271 Richard's son and heir [[Henry of Almain]] was murdered in Viterbo at the Church of San Silvestro by [[Guy de Montfort, Count of Nola|Guy]] and [[Simon de Montfort the Younger]] in revenge for their father and brother [[Henry de Montfort]] being killed at the Battle of Evesham. Simon and Guy were Richard's nephews and sources say that Richard did not recover from the shock. In December 1271, he had a stroke. His right side was paralysed and he lost the ability to speak. On 2 April 1272, Richard died at [[Berkhamsted Castle]] in Hertfordshire. He was buried next to his second wife [[Sanchia of Provence]] and [[Henry of Almain]], his son by his first wife, at [[Hailes Abbey]], which he had founded.

After his death, a power struggle ensued in Germany, which only ended in 1273 with the emergence of [[Rudolf I of Germany|Rudolph I of Habsburg]], the first scion of a long-lasting noble family to rule the empire. In Cornwall, Richard was succeeded by [[Edmund, 2nd Earl of Cornwall|Edmund]], son of his second wife Sanchia.