“Is it my turn now?” When Hadmar nodded, Richard strode to the center of the hall. The silence was complete, even eerie. “I was born into a rank that makes me accountable only to Almighty God. But I do not fear the judgment of just men, and these accusations are so scurrilous and vile that I welcome this opportunity to defend myself against them. Be he an emperor, a king, or a knight, a man’s honor is precious in his sight, for it is his legacy, how he will be remembered.” Richard paused and then looked toward the dais. “So when I am done, mayhap the illustrious emperor of the Romans may wish to address those foul rumors that he had a hand in the murder of the Bishop of Liege.”
Caught by surprise, Heinrich proved that he was not as invulnerable as he’d have others believe, for his hands tightened upon the arms of his chair and although his expression remained impassive, color crept into his face. As their eyes met, Richard felt a hot surge of pure pleasure. He knew the other man would not forgive him for that, but he did not care. If he was going down, by God, he’d go down with his banner nailed to the masthead. He was heartened, too, to see some smiles as he glanced around the hall—smiles hastily hidden, but smiles, nonetheless. So this carefully selected audience was not as partisan as Heinrich had hoped; even here there were men who doubted the emperor’s innocence.
“I will respond to these charges in the order in which they were made. I arrived in Sicily to discover that my sister, Queen Joanna, had been detained in Palermo by King Tancred, who had also seized her dower lands. I secured my sister’s freedom and after negotiations with Tancred, he agreed to pay twenty thousand ounces of gold as compensation for the loss of her dower, as well as another twenty thousand ounces that King William had bequeathed for the war against Saladin. So yes, I made a treaty with King Tancred, for there was no other way to get the money owed my sister or William’s bequest. I understand why this would anger the emperor. But it was not done with malice. I was not pleased when I learned that the emperor had met the French king at Milan and formed an alliance that I knew would be to my detriment. Yet I did not question the emperor’s right to make such a pact, no more than he can object to my right to act as I saw fit in my dealings with the King of Sicily. That is the way of statecraft, the prerogative of kings.”
Richard paused again. They were listening intently, but he could not tell if his words were having any impact. “I am astonished that I should incur criticism for the actions I took against the usurper Isaac Comnenus, for I did no more than avenge myself for the wrongs done to my men, and in so doing, I was able to free the Cypriots from his oppressive yoke. When we sailed from Messina for the Holy Land, our fleet was scattered in a savage storm and several of our ships were driven ashore at Cyprus, including the ship carrying my betrothed, the Lady Berengaria of Navarre, and my sister Queen Joanna. Isaac imprisoned the shipwreck survivors and attempted to force my ladies to come ashore with threats, intending to hold them hostage. God willing, I arrived just in time to keep them from falling into his hands. Of course I sought to punish him for such an outrage; is there a man in this hall who would not have acted as I did?
“When Isaac then sought peace, I agreed, only to have him flee in the night rather than honor the terms of our pact. So I deposed this faithless, evil man, and I make no apologies, for he had refused to permit Christian ships to dock in Cypriot ports and was known to have ties to Saladin.”
Richard turned then to face Leopold, who’d been given a seat of honor on the dais. “If the Duke of Austria is offended by these actions against his kinsman, I can only remind him that we all have family members who are an embarrassment—or worse. I would speak now of the insult I gave him at the siege of Acre, when I ordered his banner taken down. The initial fault was his, but I will admit I rebuked him too severely, for it resulted in his departure from Acre, and we could ill afford to lose a fighter of his stature. Surely, though, he has been well avenged for this injury by my detention and captivity.”