While on his way home from the third Crusade, Richard “the Lionheart” I (r. 1189 – 1199) is taken captive by Duke Leopold V of Austria, and turned over to Henry VI, of the Holy Roman Empire. Henry demanded a ransom of 150,000 gold Marks. This is an unreasonably high amount for auric-poor England which traded in the Pound Sterling (silver).
NOTE: This is the origin of the saying, “It cost a king’s ransom.”
[restored 5/22/2021]
Subsequent Events:
References:
Winston Churchill, A History of the English Speaking Peoples, four volumes, (New York: Dorset Press, 1956-58), 1:233-37.
David Hume, The History of England: From the Invasion of Julius Caesar to The Revolution of 1688, six volumes, (London: T. Cadell, 1778; Indianapolis, Indiana: LibertyClassics, 1983), 1:394.
Current U.s. National Debt:
