Dürnstein Castle, near the River Danube in Austria, still overlooks the town, though today the mighty fortress is a ruin. It was here that King Richard the Lionheart was held after his capture at Vienna in December 1192 until the end of March 1193, when he was taken to Trifels in southwestern Germany. Richard was finally released from captivity on February 4th, 1194, after receiving an enormous ransom payment raised by the people of England.
IT was no part of Richard’s character to be, like his rival Philip, a hater of music or minstrelsy. On the contrary, he often practised the arts of song and music himself.
Blondel de Nesle,* a favourite minstrel, who had attended his person, devoted himself to discover the place of his confinement. He wandered in vain, from castle to palace, till he learned that a strong and almost inaccessible fortress, upon the Danube, was watched with peculiar strictness, as containing some state prisoner of distinction.*
The minstrel took his harp, and approaching as near the castle as he durst, came so nigh the walls as to hear the melancholy captive soothing his imprisonment with music.* Blondel touched his harp; the prisoner heard and was silent: upon this the minstrel played the first part of a tune, or lay, known to the captive, who instantly played the second part; and thus the faithful servant obtained the certainty that the inmate of the castle was no other than his royal master.
Either Jean I of Nesle (?1155–1202) or his son, Jean II of Nesle (?-1241). Identifying him with the father, who was Lord of Nesle from 1180 to 1202 and went on the Third Crusade as Richard did, fits in better with the legend.
Richard is known to have composed a song during his captivity, Ja nuns hons pris, which can be heard below.
De Nesle found Richard at Leopold of Austria’s castle in Dürnstein, Austria, where he was kept following capture in December 1192. Henry VI, the Holy Roman Emperor, then had Richard moved to Trifels in Germany at the end of March 1193. By this time secrecy was a thing of the past: Richard was tried for various alleged crimes, and an exorbitant ransom demand of 100,000 marks was made.
Précis
Sir Walter Scott told the tale of Blondel de Nesle, the minstrel and friend of King Richard I, who learnt of Richard’s kidnap by Leopold of Austria and determined to find him. Blondel found a likely prison, and began to sing one of Richard’s favourite tunes outside. When someone inside joined in, he knew he had found his friend. (59 / 60 words)
