"LEICESTER:" "I've been with him for very long." "LUCAS:" "Stop." "LEICESTER:" "How long were we there for?" "LUCAS:" "You know the situation at the time." "Five hours we were out there hunting." "I've never seen anyone miss a deer so many times." "Dear Lord, bless this journey in the name of Christ, who suffered on the cross for our redemption." "I pray that you'll allow me to fulfil my oath to you." "That I will be able to liberate Jerusalem in your name through our Lord Jesus Christ, your son, who is God, and lives and reigns with you, in unity with the Holy Spirit, world without end." "Amen." "Spying on me?" "It's my last chance." "They are all waiting for you." "It stopped to drink in a stream, and I was thinking," ""Surely this time, please." But he still missed it." " Oh, it moved, you startled it." " What's so funny?" " Lucas' inability to hunt." " Yeah, I think the deer can smell him." "When we go to the Holy Land I will show you all." "Oh, just make sure you bring my brother back alive, Lucas." " Of course, Your Majesty." " I promise you we'll protect him." "Bring yourself back, too." " Don't worry." " How can I not?" "Let's go." "Maybe your sister should be coming with us." "She likes you, Leicester, but she doesn't like you that much." "NARRATOR:" "Almost 1,000 years ago," "Richard I, King of England, set out to war." "It was the start of a journey that would take him from triumph to utter despair," "that would teach him the true meaning of love and loyalty, of success and failure." "Because Richard would risk everything, even his soul, on a mission to serve God." "And it would earn him the name Lionheart." "In 1191, a huge Christian army was on the move." "Twelve thousand soldiers were marching down the coast of the Holy Land, modern-day Israel, Lebanon, Syria and Jordan." "Each soldier had made an oath before God to free the land of Jesus' birth, in particular the city of Jerusalem, from the hands of the Muslims, who they called Saracens." "If they succeeded, their reward would be a place in heaven." "The previous effort had ended in disaster." "But this Third Crusade was led by Richard I of England." "MAN:" "Your Majesty!" "Your Majesty, you need to halt the march." "Halt!" "Saladin's army is the other side of the woods." " How many men?" " I don't know, all of them." "What do you mean, all of them?" "I mean all of them, his entire army, 20,000." "What's your order?" "We keep going." "We mustn't be drawn into a full battle." "That's what Saladin wants." "I want tight defensive formations or we'll be picked off by degrees." " Pass the order." " Wait!" "This isn't just your decision." "Burgundy, we don't have time." " This is as much my army as it is yours." " Well, decide!" "Lucas, tell Master Garnier the plan." "In no circumstances must he be sucked into a battle." "Go!" "Go!" "NARRATOR:" "The Crusader Army was an uneasy alliance drawn from across Europe." "It included English nobles like the Earl of Leicester," "French knights led by the Duke of Burgundy, and at the rear of the column, the Hospitalers, an order of warrior monks, who had been fighting in the Holy Land for 40 years." "Their leader was Garnier de Nablus." ""Do nothing," says His Majesty." "Easier said than done." "Why don't they attack?" "They know we're here." "Come on." "Come on." "Leicester, you're sure you saw a Saracen army?" "Maybe it was just a deer that scared you." " Cover!" "Cover!" " Cover!" "Hold formation!" "Hold the line!" "Keep moving, don't stop." "NARRATOR:" "The Saracen army had twice as many soldiers as the Christians that day." "Their plan was to soften the Crusaders up with their archers and then break the column apart with their cavalry." "They could then pick off each section piece by piece." "There's a gap." "Close the gap!" "Hold formation!" "Hold the line!" "Keep moving!" "Keep moving!" "The line's broken, we're being slaughtered." "We keep going." "That was our plan." "I'm changing it." "You said if we break formation, we'll be cut to pieces." "It's happening anyway." "Let's give Saladin the battle he wants." "Men!" "This is what we came for!" "A fight for God against the Devil!" "It's no sin to kill Saracens, so kill them all!" "Knights, charge!" "RICHARD:" "Burgundy!" "Burgundy!" "Where have you been?" "SOLDIER:" "Move it, move it!" "They're retreating." "Let them go!" "Regroup around the standard!" "We thank you, dear Lord Jesus Christ, for this great victory, allowing us to take another step closer to Jerusalem." "We take comfort in the knowledge that those who have died today will be forgiven their sins, and they shall live forever in your glory." " Amen." " ALL:" "Amen." "You saved my life today." "Thank you." "I know you would do the same for me." "Tomorrow Jaffa, then Jerusalem." "NARRATOR:" "The defeat at Arsuf was a catastrophe for the Saracens." "Like the Crusaders, their army was made up of different peoples from across the Middle East, united only by their devotion to Islam and their desire to defend Jerusalem, also sacred to Muslims." "They were held together by the brilliant but ageing warlord, Saladin." "His second-in-command was his brother, Prince Al-Adil." "The emirs are saying that we have lost, that we cannot defeat Richard." " We have lost a battle, that is all." " But the road to Jerusalem is open." "Look, they are saying that you should never have fought him." "Are they?" "And they want you to consider a peace, a compromise." "There is no compromise with the will of God." "Richard knows that, and so do I." "And there will be no peace until we have driven them from our land." "Please continue." "But if we cannot defeat him in battle?" "There are other ways to defeat Richard, my brother." "Who's done this?" "Saladin." "He knows he can't beat us in battle, so this is how he'll fight now." "Whenever we want food, he'll burn the land, wherever we want shelter, he'll destroy it, even though it hurts his own people." "Summon the council." "Tell no one to drink from the well, he could have poisoned it." "NARRATOR:" "As the only king among the commanders," "Richard was the senior leader in the Crusading Army." "But he was not in total command." "Complex decisions were taken by the council of war." "Here the many factions, the nobility, the different nationalities, and the warrior monks, could have their say." "Jerusalem is only 40 miles away." "We make camp here, we bring in supplies, then we take the Holy City." "No!" "We must defeat the Saracen army first." "I know you are a new commander in this war, Burgundy," "But do not underestimate Saladin." "He doesn't scare me like he seems to scare you, Master Garnier." "Now, there are four strongholds on the road." "We garrison each one as we go, create a secure corridor." "There won't be any strongholds." "Look what he did to Jaffa." "We'll be harried every inch of the way to Jerusalem." "Now, everything that you say is influenced by fear, Garnier." "I'm curious." "Why is that?" "You calling me a coward?" "No, I don't think you're a coward, far from it." "No, the only thing you're scared about is losing your money!" " What?" " For a man who vowed to give up all their worldly goods, you seem to own a great many castles." "Gentlemen, please, enough!" "This is not helpful." "And no one's devotion is in doubt, but Garnier has a point." "We should consider alternatives, Burgundy, even though I know you don't want to." "May I speak with you alone?" "PRIEST:" "Eternal rest grant unto them, O Lord, and let perpetual light shine upon them." "A hymn becometh Thee, O God, in Zion, and unto Thee a vow shall be repaid in Jerusalem." " Hear my prayer, unto Thee..." " Jerusalem is that close." " Why aren't you backing me, then?" " I want to consider all the options." "If we march on Jerusalem without thinking, without secure supply lands, we could lose a lot of men." "And they will have died gloriously." "Look at them." "The only reason any of them are here is to complete their pilgrimage." "Like you and like me." "Are you going to deny them their salvation?" "These men would follow you anywhere." "Don't take their hope away from them." "Leicester, put it to the vote." "Those in favour of an immediate march and attack on Jerusalem, raise your hands now." "Those against?" "King Richard, you didn't vote." "The decision of the council is clear." "We march on Jerusalem." "All this food is brought to us by sea." "Yes, I know, Garnier." "Your Majesty also knows we are about to march 40 miles inland to Jerusalem, through a barren desert." "How is the food going to reach us then?" "It's madness." "I'm just saying, it would be tragic if we were to make the wrong decision." "The decision's been made." "It's what the men want." "But you're the king and as Your Majesty has frequently demonstrated," " you can change the decision." " Yes, I am the king." "The decision's been made and you'll obey it." "Your Highness." "Leicester." "RICHARD:" "Lucas!" "Lucas!" "Lucas." "I'm sorry." "He died because of me." "We should never have been there, it's my fault." "Then you must make amends." "I can't." "He's gone." "Can't you?" "Why did he die?" "Hmm?" "He died because you were reckless." "You went hunting." "You left the protection of the army, and you took him into danger." " Why did you do that?" " Because I was angry." "But why were you angry, Richard?" "Because if we march on Jerusalem we could lose a lot of men." "I'm worried it's the wrong decision." "But I did nothing to stop it." "So Lucas died because you acted like a child and not a king." "You couldn't face the truth." "If you really think that marching to Jerusalem is wrong, then you must act like a king and find another way to secure the city." "Then your friend will not have died in vain." "That is how you make amends." "Another way to take Jerusalem." "I, Richard, by the grace of God, King of England," "Duke of Normandy and Aquitaine, and Count of Anjou." "To Al-Malik Al-Adil Saif Al-Din," "Governor of Egypt, brother of the supreme sultan, Saladin." "Greetings." "Whereas both our enemies have been fighting for 40 years, we would like to make a proposal that could be to the benefit of both our great religions." "Whereas we have both suffered grievous losses..." "What does he say?" "There she is." "Your sister's as beautiful as ever." "Yes, and don't get ideas above your status Leicester, she's only been widowed 10 minutes." " It's two years now, isn't it?" " You'll obey your king." "Joan." "Ah." " Good to see you." " How are you?" " See?" "We managed to keep him alive." " Do you know the Earl of Leicester?" "It is an honour to see you again, Your Highness." "Where's Lucas?" "Why have you brought me here?" " This disgusts me." " Your marriage will secure Jerusalem" " for all Christians." " He's already married." "He's probably got three wives." "I never realised you had such a low opinion of me." "It's because of my opinion of you that Al-Adil will be flattered by the marriage." "This is why you brought me here?" "I would rather be back in Sicily, than married to a Muslim!" "This is not about what you want." "It's your sacred duty to your king and to your God." "You will marry Al-Adil and you will not object." "I'm sorry." "I know this is harsh, but it's the role we were born into." "Your marriage will prevent many deaths." "You will always be my sister." "I've invited him to a feast, so I hope you've got a better dress than that." " This is a disgrace." " That man's the future." "Watch and you might learn something about being a king." " You shouldn't be dealing with him." " Why not, if it secures Jerusalem?" "Pretend to have fun, Burgundy, and who knows, if you do that, you might even have a little by mistake." "Your Highness, let me introduce my sister Joan, Queen of Sicily." "Let's eat, Your Highness." " Are you enjoying yourself?" " It is interesting to see how you live." " RICHARD:" "Thank you for coming today." " Of course." "It was an intriguing proposition that you made." "And how do you find my sister?" "She's a beautiful creature." "Al-Adil, my friend, your brother is old, and when he dies, the will of your people to fight will die with him." "So let's agree on a peace now, a deal, for the good of both our people." "What do you have in mind?" "You will marry my sister and be king of Jerusalem and she will be your queen." "The coastal lands we have taken will my wedding present to you." "In exchange, you will allow Christians safe pilgrimage to the Holy City from the coast." "That is interesting." "Anything else?" "No." "Except, that in order to marry my sister you must convert to Christianity, of course." "You understand even less about us than I thought." "I don't have to make a deal with you because this is our land, not yours." "You are just visitors here and one day soon you will have to return to your wet, squalid little homelands." "But we shall never leave, because this is our home." "It will never be yours." "And I wouldn't marry your sister if she was the last woman on Earth." "There's no dealing with them." "We march on Jerusalem tomorrow and we take the city without delay and without mercy." "NARRATOR:" "On the 17th of November, 1191," "Richard set out on the march from Jaffa to Jerusalem." "He was heading inland into the teeth of a savage winter." "Ahead lay 40 miles of wilderness." "The Christians are on the move." "His offer of marriage shows that he's weak." "He needed a deal, but he did not get one." "SALADIN:" "Looks like rain is coming." "He's running at us with his eyes closed." "We have come to the greatest struggle of our times, brother." "Who is the stronger?" "Jesus Christ or Allah?" "These will be the longest weeks of their lives." "Destroy everything between Jerusalem and Jaffa:" "Ramla," "Latrun, Lydda, every town." "They must have no shelter, no warmth, no respite." "And cut down every tree." "Men don't have enough to eat." "They're fine, strong." "You know this land, Garnier, that's what you're always telling us." "We need food." "Go and find it." "Well, go on." "Or are you too old for the job?" "I know you're hungry." "This is part of Saladin's plan." "But believe that God will provide." "God will provide." " We got lucky." " That's not luck." "NARRATOR:" "The Crusaders'journey inland from Jaffa lasted two months." "But despite everything that Saladin and the weather threw at them, on the 6th of January, 1192, they made it to the ruined town of Beit Nuba." "Jerusalem was now within their grasp." "We'll camp here tonight." "Tomorrow we fulfil our oath." "Tomorrow, we will destroy our enemies!" "Like Saint George, we'll kill every infidel who stands in our way!" "Tomorrow, the Lord will grant us salvation!" "Come on, Garnier." "I want to see the city." "If we take the city, your pilgrim army will go home, leaving us Hospitalers to hold it, which we won't be able to do." "There aren't enough of us." "We'll just lose it again." "When Jerusalem falls, Saladin will be finished and his army will desert him." "GARNIER:" "Wishful thinking!" "I've been fighting here for years and..." "Enough, Garnier, both of you!" "I've seen the city." "Bring me a map." "There are double walls, the inner walls are even bigger than the outer." "We've won sieges before." "The Saracens in the city are weak." "We can't build siege engines because Saladin has destroyed every tree." "It's impregnable." "Then we encircle it, we starve them out." "It won't be them under siege, it'll be us." "Saladin has thousands of reinforcements who will all come to his aid." "I've seen their camps." "We'll be surrounded and trapped against the wall between Saladin in the city and his army outside." "He'll kill every one of us." "We can't take the city." "We have to turn back." " No, you can't do this." " You promised us." " You promised God we'd take Jerusalem." " You think I don't want that?" "It can't be done, not like this." "We need to think." "God does not want us to die needlessly." "How do you know what God wants?" "You're betraying him and your own men!" "Are you determined to do this?" "Yes." "Then you're a coward, and a traitor to God." "And I won't serve under you, nor will my men." "NARRATOR:" "The retreat from Jerusalem was a humiliation for Richard." "During the next six months, he moved down towards Egypt and attacked Saladin's supply routes." "But, without the French, he never had enough men to strike a decisive blow." "He even tried a second march on Jerusalem in the summer, but, again, he pulled out before the final assault." "The Crusade was faltering." "What do you want?" "Your brother John is threatening your throne." "You've said that before, you've been saying it for months." "This time, he's being supported by the King of France." "The French!" "I've got no choice." "I have to return to England." "That means you must break your oath." "I've got to go back." "I'm their king." "I promised at my coronation to protect them." "You also made a solemn vow to God to liberate Jerusalem in the name of God." "And that is what you must do now." "I've done everything I can, but I've failed here." "I've got to go home." "You?" "There are still Christians in Jaffa." "They need a priest." "Pray with me one more time." "I need to pray for forgiveness." "There is no forgiveness if you turn away from God." "You break your vow to him and you are damned." "NARRATOR:" "And so in July, 1192," "Richard took his remaining loyal soldiers back along the coast to the port of Acre." "From there he planned to return home to England to settle the rebellion started by his brother, John." "His crusade had ended in crippling disappointment." "King Richard is leaving." "Heading home." "Is he?" "Yes." "His army is heading to Acre." "The fleet is being prepared." "So it's worked." "The great King Richard has finally failed." "We must strike Jaffa." "Take back the city." "But you said you would never fight them again." "No." "I said I would never fight Richard again." "Are you sure?" "If you lose, the emirs will no longer support you." "We will win." "Hmm?" "NARRATOR:" "With Richard apparently out of the way," "Saladin made his move." "Summoning troops from across his empire, he took personal charge of the assault on Jaffa." "NARRATOR:" "Within three days, the tiny Crusader garrison was overwhelmed." "The few survivors managed to pull back into the citadel, the stronghold in the centre of the town." "But they were completely cut off." " Jaffa's under attack." " What?" "If the city falls, they'll all be killed." "Tell the fleet we're not leaving." " How many men has Saladin got?" " Ten thousand." "Take your army by the coast." "I'll go by sea." "Ten thousand's too strong." "We need more men." " There are no more men." " Yes, there are." "BURGUNDY:" "I don't think so." "But these people will die without your help." " You've sworn to defend all Christians." " No." "I swore to capture Jerusalem, but your cowardice prevented that." "There's nothing to be gained by going to Jaffa." "You won't fight Saladin?" "Not with you." "How do I know you won't turn around again when victory is right in front of you?" "Isn't that what you people do?" "But there are Christians there." "Well, you should have thought of that before you turned away from Jerusalem." "Their fate is in God's hands now, not mine." "Leave him, Leicester, we'll go on our own." "Because I'd rather have the whole of Saladin's army in front of me than Burgundy behind me." "NARRATOR:" "Within days, the Hospitalers set off on the 60-mile march down from Acre." "But Saladin intercepted them." "No one knew, however, that Richard had planned a two-pronged assault on Jaffa." "He and a small force of 2,000 men were approaching the city by sea." "There are only Saracen flags." "Too late." "Is there nothing I can do here?" "We need to let them know we're still alive." "My lord, my lord, Look!" "There are Christians still alive there." "In the citadel." "We'll row straight for the beach, at full speed and run aground." "Men!" "It can be done." "Today, we win a victory for God." "Come on!" "Remove your armour." "It'll weigh you down." "MAN 1:" "King Richard!" "MAN 2:" "King Richard!" "NARRATOR:" "Richard was outnumbered six to one." "But his amphibious assault caught the Saracens completely by surprise." "The coastal side of Jaffa was unprotected." "Open the doors." "NARRATOR:" "But regaining the citadel had been the easy part." "Richard's small force now confronted the full might of Saladin's 12,000-strong army." "For the first and only time the two greatest warriors of their age came face to face." "This would be the defining moment of the Third Crusade." "Come on!" "Who wants to be the first to die?" "Or are you all cowards?" "Come out here and fight me!" "You want to go to heaven?" "I'll make it happen!" " Signal the attack now!" " Signal the attack!" "Come on!" "Attack." "Attack, I say." "Al-Adil, signal the attack now!" "Forward!" "Forward men!" "Forward!" "Attack!" "Forward!" "Come out here and fight me!" "Do not be afraid, he's just a man!" "Come on!" "Attack!" "He's just a man." "NARRATOR:" "The accounts of both Christian and Muslim writers agree." "Despite being vastly outnumbered, it was Richard's sheer physical presence that defeated Saladin that day." "As his army melted away, so did Saladin's authority." "Had Saladin delayed his attack by just a matter of days," "Richard would have been on a boat to England and history would have been different." "Instead, Saladin was forced to make peace with the Crusaders." "In fact, both sides had to compromise." "The Christians kept their coastal lands and were allowed safe passage into Jerusalem, but it remained in Muslim hands." "Richard the Lionheart eventually returned to England and was again crowned as king." "He died seven years later while fighting the French." "He never set foot in the Holy City."