And the youngest, John. Vindictive, self-serving, but undoubtedly clever. Henry saw in him perhaps the only prince who could properly inherit the government. Between them, Richard and John managed to undo in their own spectacular ways, not only the prospects of the kingdom, but in the space of 15 years, the entire empire their father had so skilfully constructed. It was on Richard that Eleanor pinned her hopes. She was even prepared to go as far as to encourage an alliance between Richard and her husband's bitterest enemy, the King of France. So in 1189, Richard declared war on his father. This time, Henry faced defeat, forced to watch as his barons defected to Richard. The beleaguered Henry had no choice but to negotiate and agree terms which humbled him before his own son.


最后是幺子约翰，心胸狭窄，自私自利，却无疑地相当聪明。在亨利看来，也许只有他，才是继承王位的合适人选。理查和约翰各自以令人惊叹的方式 不仅瓦解了王国的未来，还毁掉了其父花费十五年，而精心建造的帝国。埃莉诺寄希望于理查，她甚至准备鼓动理查，与其丈夫的死敌法国结盟。1189年，理查向他的父亲宣战。这一次，亨利遭到了失败，被迫看着自己的贵族倒戈向理查。腹背受敌的亨利别无选择，只能屈膝向自己的亲生儿子妥协。