The Ransom That Bankrupted a Kingdom

In 1192, King Richard I of England was captured on his return from the Crusades by Duke Leopold of Austria. The ransom demanded was staggering: 150,000 marks of silver — roughly 35 tons. To raise it, England melted church plates, taxed every citizen a quarter of their income, and stripped monasteries of their wool. It took nearly two years. When Richard finally walked free in 1194, the nation lay financially gutted.…