King Richard I the Lionheart was shipwrecked on his way home from the Crusades and taken prisoner by Duke Leopold of Austria. He was later handed over to Henry VI of Germany.
After extensive negotiations by our Lady of Dunes in Koksijde (Belgium) and a ransom payment of one hundred thousand marks, Richard was released in 1194.
As a reward, he granted the church of Eastchurch to the Monastery of the Dunes, with papal confirmation received in 1196.