Which French king joined Richard the Lionheart on the Third Crusade?

Philip II Augustus was the French king who joined Richard the Lionheart on the Third Crusade.

Philip became king of France in 1180 and took the cross after the capture of Jerusalem by Saladin in 1187. He and Richard, then still Duke of Aquitaine and later king of England, agreed to campaign together. They departed Vézelay on 4 July 1190, although their armies later took different routes to the Mediterranean.

The French and English forces reunited in Sicily before sailing to the Levant. Philip reached Acre on 20 April 1191, while Richard arrived in June. Together, their armies helped capture Acre in July, one of the Crusade’s major successes. Philip soon became seriously ill with dysentery and returned to France later that year, leaving troops behind.

A common mix-up is Louis VII, Philip’s father, who led the failed Second Crusade. Henry II of England also took the cross for the Third Crusade but died before campaigning; Richard succeeded him and led the English contingent.