Castle: Crusaders

Lion Knights/Crusaders (1984-1992)
A Lion Knight Minifigure.The sets that would eventually form the basis of the Lion Knights were released the same year as the Black Falcons in 1984. The Lion Knights' shield used either a blue lion against a yellow background or a yellow lion against a blue background, both with a red border. The mini-figures that were associated with these shields invariably had blue or red pants and red torsos with blue sleeves, and their helmets were usually gray; and although many of them had a shield-like emblem on their shirts, it was not the same as the lion shield design, but rather, it was two black and gold axes crossing each other against a black and gold background, split down the middle, with a red border. A few of these sets were later inducted into the Lion Knight subtheme, so some fans retroactively consider all such sets to be Lion Knight sets. As with the Black Falcons, Lego never officially named this faction for some time, although catalogues in the United States and Australia used the name Lion Knights while Canada used Lion Crest. The 1992 Canadian catalogue officially established the faction as the Crusaders.[3]

Over the years, Lion Knights were included in many sets along with the Black Falcons, Forestmen, and Black Knights. Examples include the Guarded Inn in 1986, Castle Mini Figures in 1988, and Knights' Challenge, a set that was the successor after the 1979 Knights' Tournament, in 1989 (ten years later).

An unusual Lion Knights set was the Armor Shop in 1986, which was the only set to have the rare black short sword and a Lion Knight Flag.

The first castle under the Lion Knights was King's Castle. This castle was one of the largest Lego Castle sets produced. Four mounted knights and eight soldiers/guards were included. The walls of the castle could be opened to play inside the castle.

The second and last Lion Knight's castle released was King's Mountain Fortress in 1990. This was one of the first sets to feature the newly invented knight helmet visor and armor pieces. Crossbows and glow in the dark ghost were also new pieces introduced. The King's Mountain Fortress was also the first Lego castle to be mounted on a raised baseplate which would feature in subsequent Lego castles as well as in Lego Pirates. Two exclusive elements the set included a princess and a black-colored bird. A small Crusader-style set, King's Catapult appears to be the only Lego castle set to be released in 1991. Finally, the last Lion Knight-style set produced was Treasure Cart released in 1992, another small set that included a soldier pulling a treasure chest on a cart.

In 2001, Lego re-released the well-known Guarded Inn, re-numbered (#10000) as a Lego Legend. The set consisted of two Lion Knights, a mounted Black Falcon Knight, and an inn keeper. This set was the only structure to include red Tudor walls. One change in the reissue was the horse saddle had two clips instead of one. Since 1984, Lego Castle had horse saddles with a single clip (except the horse barding saddles) at one side until 1992 when that was changed to two clips.

The Lion Knights (like the other knight factions) were in open conflict with the Forestmen, as shown by several catalog dioramas, analogous to the legendary conflict between King John of England versus Robin Hood and his Merry Men of Outlaws. Sets such as Knights' Challenge suggested that the Lion Knights had a respected rivalry with the other knights, the Black Falcons and Black Knights. The 1992 Canadian catalogue described the Lion Knights (renaming them as Crusaders) as "looking to take over the country's rule" while also establishing the Black Knights as "longtime rulers of the countryside", possibly suggesting that these factions could go to war.[4]