katysails wrote:

Richard I's (Richard the Lion heart)

Purportedly gay....and slaughtered thousands of poor Arabs in the Crusades....

From what I've read, historians pretty much assume Richard I was definitely gay.
Shucks, he wrote love songs to his boyfriend.

As for slaughtering thousands of poor Arabs, the worse charge is that he (or
rather his men, Richard did not sully his hands killing ordinary people, he saved
his talents for other knights & kings) killed thousands of Christians and Jews on
the way to his Crusade and during the course of it.

Romantic figure definitely, gay most probably, great warrior and even a well above
average war leader, but not a particularly good king. The whole ten years he was
King of England he only visited the place twice briefly.

Regards
Doug King