$~~~~$Richard I was the king of England from 1189 to 1199. He was known as “Richard the Lionheart” because he was a brave warrior and was said to be afraid of nothing. After ascending the throne, Richard led an army to join the Third Crusade to recover Christian holy sites from the Muslims. He fought side by side with the Duke of Austria, Leopold V, and together they conquered the powerful fortress of Acre in 1191. However, when Richard reached the top of the castle to claim victory, he displayed only his own banner and not that of Duke Leopold, who was absent at the time. This was an insult too much for the duke to bear, so he placed a price on Richard’s head.

$~~~~$Richard was aware of the danger awaiting him on his way back to England after the war. However, he had no other choice but to cross through Austria, a land controlled by his unfriendly former ally. Richard traveled in disguise but was recognized and caught before reaching Vienna. Duke Leopold held Richard at Dürnstein, a castle on the bank of the Danube River. After a few months, Richard was handed over to the German Emperor Heinrich VI. A ransom of 35 tons of silver was demanded by the duke and the emperor to release Richard. That was a huge amount for England to pay.

$~~~~$In 1194, the ransom was paid and Richard was finally released, though the effort it took to raise the money affected people throughout England. The silver was split between the German Emperor and the Austrian Duke. The Austrians used it to improve the city walls of Vienna and some small towns in the east. It was also used to establish the Austrian mint and make silver coins. Until the 1960s, small amounts of the silver stemming from the ransom could still be found in Austrian 10 Schilling coins.