Before his ascendancy to the throne, Richard had pledged to the Pope and to his people that he would embark on the Third Crusade to recover the holy city, Jerusalem, from the hands of the Muslim armies who had conquered it several years prior. Furthermore, at the time of the reign of Richard, his predecessor and his successors, the English throne actually held several territories in France, most notably the Duchy of Normandy and the Duchy of Aquitaine. At its peak, this collection of territories united under the crown was known as the Angevin Empire. For most of his reign, Richard spent his time in either the French territories, or in the Levant where he crusaded with mixed success for several years.
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