Longchamp governed England while Richard was on the Third Crusade, but his authority was challenged by Richard's brother, John, who eventually succeeded in driving Longchamp from power and from England. Longchamp's relations with the other leading English nobles were also strained, which contributed to the demands for his exile. Soon after Longchamp's departure from England, Richard was captured on his journey back to England from the crusade and held for ransom by Henry VI, Holy Roman Emperor. Longchamp travelled to Germany to help negotiate Richard's release. Although Longchamp regained the office of Chancellor after Richard's return to England, he lost much of his former power. He aroused a great deal of hostility among his contemporaries during his career, but he retained Richard's trust and was employed by the king until the bishop's death in 1197. Longchamp wrote a treatise on the law, which remained well known throughout the later Middle Ages.
Longchamp was well known for his dislike of women and his preference for boys. A popular joke of the time was that the rebellious barons might be willing to leave their daughters with him as hostages to guarantee good behavior, but never their sons.
Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/William_Longchamp
Further Readings:
Hardcover: 312 pages
Publisher: Cambridge University Press (August 16, 2004)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0521839688
ISBN-13: 978-0521839686
Amazon: Sodomy, Masculinity and Law in Medieval Literature: France and England, 1050-1230
Shedding new light on the representations of masculinity and same-sex desire in medieval literature, William Burgwinkle offers a historical survey of attitudes towards same-sex love during the Middle Ages. His studies of a wide range of texts reveal that medieval attitudes towards sexual preferences were much broader than usually conceded. Although most texts of the period denounced sodomy, Burgwinkle reveals how some also endorsed it, however inadvertently.
More LGBT History at my website: www.elisarolle.com/, My Ramblings/Gay Classics
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