William the Lion of Scotland for ten thousand marks. To faint-hearted crusaders he sold dispensations from their vow; and when men remarked on the reckless nature of his sacrifices, he is said to have turned the accusation with a jest: ‘I would sell London itself could I find a purchaser rich enough.’
On 11 Dec. Richard crossed to Calais, met Philip at Gué St. Rémi on 13 Jan., and again in March at Dreux. The two kings swore to defend each other's realms as they would their own; and, possibly on these occasions, promised to divide any conquests they might make upon the way. In June Richard was in Gascony, flinging Walter de Chisi into prison for the old offence of plundering the Compostella pilgrims. A little later, at Chinon, he appointed leaders for his great fleet, that was to sail round by Spain to meet him at Marseilles. On 1 July he met Philip at Vézelay. The latter arrived at Messina on 16 Sept. 1190 from Genoa. Richard had proceeded to Marseilles to await his fleet, but, before its arrival on 22 Aug., he, tired of waiting, left the port. It was not till 23 Sept. that he made his state entry into Messina. The two kings had not intended to make a long stay in Sicily, and Philip actually attempted to sail east on the day of Richard's arrival. A storm drove him back. Richard was in no such hurry to move. Rich as he was, he saw the chance of increasing his treasures.
William II of Sicily (d. November 1189) had married Richard's sister Joan, and was succeeded by his illegitimate cousin Tancred. King William had for many years been collecting money nominally for a crusade—a crusade which Tancred, whose claims upon the throne of Sicily were disputed by the emperor Henry VI, dared not undertake. This treasure, according to a current rumour, the dead monarch had left to his father-in-law, Henry II, and Richard now claimed it in the double title of his father's heir and leader of the great crusade. He also claimed the delivery of his sister's person and her dower. Joan was set free at once (28 Sept.); but the other demands were disputed. A local quarrel gave Richard an excuse for seizing Messina (4 Oct.), and Philip, although he refused to help in this high-handed action, did not scruple to claim his share of the booty. In a few days there was a nominal reconciliation, but the two kings were never really friends again. Shortly after this Tancred agreed to pay Richard forty thousand ounces of gold in lieu of all his claims, while Richard promised to marry his nephew Arthur (1187–1203) [q. v.] to Tancred's daughter, and thus tacitly acknowledged Tancred to be king of Sicily in spite of the pretensions of the emperor. With the new year, the jealousy between the English and the French increased. Early in March Tancred accused Philip of plotting a night attack on the English host. Philip declared the charge false and the letters offered in its proof to be forgeries. But true or false, Richard used the rumour as an excuse for breaking off his engagement to marry Alice, and for arranging to marry Berengaria of Navarre [q. v.] His alienation from Philip was complete.
Richard left Messina on 10 April, eleven days after Philip sailed thence for Acre. On Good Friday (12 April) a storm, sweeping down from the mountains of Crete, scattered Richard's fleet and drove him north-west to Rhodes. Other vessels were shipwrecked off Cyprus, where the Greek inhabitants, disregarding the sacred character of the pilgrims, robbed them and flung them into prison. Meanwhile the great vessel that held Richard's sister and his prospective bride reached Limasol harbour, and while the two ladies were hesitating as to the advisability of disembarking, Richard's own sails made their appearance on the horizon. Cyprus was then ruled by a pseudo-emperor, Isaac Comnenus; and Richard, who throughout his life had been a consistent opponent of the lawless custom of robbing pilgrims, whether to Compostella or elsewhere, was very indignant at the treatment of his own men. When Isaac slighted his demands for recompense, he forced a landing, drove the Greeks from the coast (May 6), and, pursuing his advantage next day, unhorsed the emperor with his own hand. On 12 May he married Berengaria; on almost the same day Richard's vassal, Guy de Lusignan, ex-king of Jerusalem, came to Cyprus begging Richard's support against the claims of Philip's candidate and kinsman, Conrad of Montferrat. Isaac, after a futile interview with Richard, fled by night to one of his strongholds, and the English king ordered Guy to lay siege to Famagusta. Philip sent a pressing message urging Richard to cease from conquests on his own account, and join the other crusaders before Acre; but the summons was disregarded; open war on Cyprus was declared, and by 31 May the island was subdued. Isaac was flung into silver chains, his wife and daughter sent to Acre, and Cyprus itself put under the rule of two of Richard's most trusted warriors. Later still the king sold his conquest to the templars, and when they, early in 1192, found the purchase too costly, passed it on to Guy de Lusignan, who at this time was forced to
