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King John, often branded as the worst king in English history. Was he truly the villain that history remembers, or has his story been unfairly tainted?
- 6 min
- 6K
- Evelyn Edwards
May 6, 2011 · The final scene into which the Bastard rushes is a cluster of rites of passage: John’s transition from life to death, Prince Henry’s transition to kingship, and the Bastard’s transition from royal surrogate and image maker to the universal spokesman for all England.
People also ask
How did King John die?
How old was King John when he died?
Did King John die from dysentery?
When was King John crowned king of England?
- Early Life
- Rebellion Against Henry II
- Rebellion Against Richard & Succession
- Philip II of France
- Pope Innocent II
- Magna Carta
- Robin Hood
- Barons' War & Death
John was born on 24 December 1167 CE at Oxford, the youngest of four sons born to King Henry II of England and Eleanor of Aquitaine. Given no particular inheritance of note, he was nicknamed 'LackLand' meaning he had no lands, although his father did pack him off to Irelandin 1185 CE with the title Lord of Ireland. John, acting as viceroy, managed ...
Richard and his younger brother John challenged their father Henry II in 1188-9 CE. The rebel sons formed an alliance with Philip II, the new King of France (r. 1180-1223 CE). The rebellion was supported by Eleanor of Aquitaine. Losing control of both Maine and Touraine, Henry eventually agreed to peace terms which recognised Richard as his sole he...
While Richard was fighting abroad during the Third Crusade (1189-1192 CE) and then held in captivity by the Holy Roman Emperor, John took the opportunity to try and usurp the throne. The help of Philip II of France did not prove decisive, though, and Richard's able ministers Hubert Walter organised enough resistance to thwart the rebellion. When Ri...
John had married Isabella of Gloucester on 29 August 1189 CE and, obviously partial to the name, married Isabella of Angouleme (a county in Aquitaine) after his first marriage was annulled on 24 August 1200 CE. This second attachment proved troublesome for the English king since the second Isabella had been previously promised to a French count, Hu...
Back in England, King John may not have been talentless but he was certainly managing to make himself one of the most unpopular kings in English history. The next group he upset was officials of the Church after his refusal to endorse Stephen Langton for the post of Archbishop of Canterbury. As Langton was the papal candidate, Pope Innocent III (r....
Upsetting foreigners and the Church was par for the course for most medieval rulers but things really started to go badly for John when he began to upset the powerful barons. The king's heavy taxation to pay for his French campaigns was crippling, even worse, there was no military gain to show for it. Another policy that irked the barons was the ki...
One name that is frequently associated with King John is Robin Hood, the 13th-century legendary outlaw who stole from the rich and gave to the poor in the area of Sherwood Forest, Nottingham. Robin represented the common man, hence his weapon was the bow and not the sword of a medieval knight. Unfortunately for romantics, there probably was no such...
Back to the actual history of John's reign. The king had still not quite grasped the principles of statehood, as shown when he went back on his word and ignored what he had signed in the Magna Carta. Inevitably, the barons sought to rid themselves of their sovereign, they refused to give up their occupation of London, and they invited another candi...
- Mark Cartwright
Feb 24, 2022 · In All About History issue 114, on sale now, uncover the real story of King John of England, the much maligned monarch, sometimes described as the worst king in England's history. But...
Oct 4, 2017 · Scene 1. Synopsis: John, King of England, is told by a messenger from the King of France that the territories held by John should belong instead to John’s nephew Arthur. When John refuses to be swayed by this message, he is threatened with war; John counters with a warning that he will attack France first.
King John was en route to meet his adversaries in October 1216 when he took shelter at Newark Castle and died of dysentery on 18 October 1216. Rumour has it to this day that King John succumbed after overindulging in peaches at a banquet nine days before. It has also been suggested that monks poisoned him with ale or plums at Swinehead Abbey.
Oct 18, 2016 · It is 800 years since one of England's most reviled monarchs, King John, died from dysentery. BBC News examines how this gut-wrenching condition has claimed the lives of several English kings...
