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King John's brother, Richard the Lionheart, was not the 'good king' that the Robin Hood story makes him out to be. In reality, John was an able administrator while Richard during his reign spent only a few months in England, preferring to live on his lands and estates in France if not engaged in one of his many wars. He did not care for the English and saw England as a source of revenue only.

He was imprisoned by Leopold of Austria for murdering his cousin and for grossly insulting Leopold himself on his return from the Crusades. Leopold handed Richard over to his Emperor Henry VI who then asked John a ransom of 56,000 pound of silver, three times the yearly income of the English Crown.

Most of the money was raised by king John by taxing the nobles, the landowners and the church (there goes the Robin Hood story). Richard never thought of thanking anyone; instead, he asked for more money to start a war in Normandy.

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11y ago

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