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Page 3 of 3 John 1199-1216 (33 when crowned) John was the younger brother of King Richard and the youngest son of Henry 2nd. John is best remembered for loosing all the English lands in France to the King of France Philip 2nd Augustus and for the Magna Carta. In effect a thoroughly bad king. One has to remember that history in those days was written by monks. In truth John was a much better king than the Christian favourite Richard and Stephen both who ignored the problems of the country. John at least tried to deal with them energetically travelling the lands to check his instructions were being carried out. He should be noted for building up the navy, the sea defences and improving the economy. The loss of English territory in France Following the well managed rule of Henry 2nd his two sons Richard and John were both a disaster for England, while the French produced Philip 2nd who can be compared to Henry in terms of effective government and military acumen. Philip 2nd Augustus 1165 to 1233 Hence Philip’s life spanned that of Henry 2nd, Richard 1st and John. Richard 1st as a boy fought with Philip against his father Henry. Henry won these battles. Richard and Philip went on the 3rd Crusade together. Richard and Philip were reported to have a homosexual relationship. Richard although he married produced no children whereas Philip had three wives and a number of children. Philip soundly beat English King John (even though he was supported by Otto 4th of Germany) in battles for French territory to the extent that Philip produced modern day France and John and his Barons had to resign themselves to ruling only England and some of Ireland. Philip was requested by the Pope to help in the Crusade to rid southern France of the Christian fundamentalists the Cathars. He refused but the Cathars were exterminated other than those very few who had travelled to England Philip improved the prosperity and the human rights of the average man in France through economic reform and checking the power of the nobles. Philip died in 1233, John in 1216
John and Magna Carta Many historians put Magna Carta or the “Great Charta” as one of the turning points in English history which put Both put England ahead of the rest of Europe and probably the world in social justice and fair government. The background to how and why these rules could be adopted in a cruel Medieval environment will be dealt with a few paragraphs later. Magna Carta There were 63 clauses. Here are a few key ones. Human rights issues No person should be put in prison, have his property confiscated or be outlawed but by the judgement of his equals in a court of law. Justice should not be sold, delayed or refused to anyone. No person should receive such a fine which leaves him in financial ruin and should be in proportion to the offence. No person should be deprived of his means of livelihood.
Business and Trade Parliament and Taxation Norman and Plantagenet Kings ruled like dictators ignoring the safeguards which had been developed by the Anglo-Saxon Kings with their parliament called the Witan. In King John’s case he demanded excessive taxes from the Barons which had to be collected also from the Baron’s territories and people to finance his unsuccessful wars in France. These wars were of extreme importance to the Barons as in many cases it was their land the English forces were defending. Two important agreements were made: The King could no longer act as a dictator but had to discuss and agree all new taxes and indeed all important issues with a council of 25 chosen Barons. If the King could not agree with his Barons they had the right to declare war on him. The King could only ask for money for himself, if he was kidnapped and ransomed, at the knighthood of his eldest son and the marriage of his eldest daughter.
John’s reign, a chronological summary. 1166 John was born in Oxford England, Henry 2nd forth son. His elder brother Richard was also born in Oxford of the same mother, the Franco file, Eleanor of Aquitaine. Richard was 9 years older. 1177 John was appointed King of Ireland aged 11. 1189 Richard becomes King of England and Ruler of half of France and immediately goes on a Crusade. William Longchamp is made Justicar. Prince John is 23 years old and gets married to Isabella from Gloucester making John Earl of Gloucester and King of Ireland. This was a marriage of convenience. John being the youngest son of Henry 2nd had no land as it had been already given away. Isabella brought him most of the land of Gloucester. This loveless marriage was one of the reasons John had so many mistresses, some 12 in total producing as many illegitimate children.
1191 John ousts Longchamp and takes over as ruler of England in Richards absence. John is 25. He is energetic but could be cruel and unjust. 1194 Richard returns to England but only stays a few months before he returns to his beloved France to defend the lands being attacked by King Phillip of France.
1199 Richard is killed in France and John becomes King of England and 50% of France. John is now 33. But the coronation is disputed by Prince Arthur John’s elder brother Geoffrey’s son. Arthur is supported by the powerful Phillip King of the other 50% of France. 1200 John having failed to produce any children has time to fall in love for the first time, a 12 year old French princess, another Isabella but of Angouleme and granddaughter of the previous King of France. They eventually produce 5 children.
1200-03 Fighting in France. John and the English Barons against his nephew Arthur and Phillip of France. The Battle for who rules in western France, the English or the French. And for the identity of the English, are they half French of solely English. John lost. It is not reported that John was a useless general but more that Philip was particularly good. Background Philip and Arthur started the conflict by attacking John’s French territories. Arthur was captured while attempting to take the castle of Mirabeau (where his grandmother Eleanor was staying.) John imprisoned him Rouen Castle where he died, probably murdered by John. Philip was furious and with the extra energy of hatred took all English lands in France with the exception of the extreme western part on the Atlantic coast north of Spain and south of the river Loire. (approx 300 miles north south by 50 miles. Or Bordeaux and the west of Gascony. The land lost included Normandy, perhaps still the emotional home of the English Kings, and its loss caused John and the Barons (who had also lost much land) to consider England as their home (or perhaps their only safe home) for the first time. 1205 The power of a Medieval Pope. A religious upheaval was commenced by the death of the Archbishop of Canterbury. John and his elder monks voted for John de Grey Bishop of Norwich but the younger monks chose a Reginald. John sent to Rome for an adjudication. Pope Innocent 3rd ignored both local preferences and appointed Stephen Langton who King John rejected.
1208 The Pope was furious and set out to punish John and England as follows. The Pope pronounced an interdict which forbade any religious service to be held other than for the baptism of infants. The purpose was to set the people of England against John. For 4 years nobody could be buried in Church land and no “Mass” was allowed which eliminated the chance of the people “confessing” or the dead being prayed for to move them through purgatory. To the God fearing mind of the superstitious medievals, this was frightening. John still refused to budge so the Pope excommunicated him which meant John would believe he had no chance of going to heaven. John reacted by seizing the property of the clergy and bishops. Finally the Pope declared that John was no longer King of England and appointed the French King Phillip to the throne and told Philip to attack England.
1213 After 5 years a religious persecution by the Pope, John and the Barons were in no mood to fight a war with Philip and John agreed to the Pope’s demands and , accept Langton as Archbishop, returned the church property and paid a annual tribute of 1000 marks to Rome. The Pope ordered Philip to stand down. But Philip was so incensed that he turned his assembled French army on Flanders. 1214 Flanders was a major trading partner for English sheep’s wool so John had little difficulty in persuading the Barons to produce an army to defend Flanders. Unfortunately Philip was too good a soldier and at the battle of Bouvines, King John’s army under the Earl of Salisbury, supported by the Count of Flanders and Otto Emperor of Germany were defeated. Philip 2nd Augustus is sometimes called the creator of modern France
Build up to the Magna Carta. If the Battle of Bouvines created modern France it certainly created modern England. The English Barons as well as King John had lost all their land in France and so for the first time had to concentrate on making England their only home. There was no real need for them to be bilingual French/English. Most of them had indeed spoken English poorly. They were fed up with the King who they felt must no longer be allowed to be a loose canon and should now be brought under the rule of law, the same as everybody else. 1213 The Pope’s Archbishop of Canterbury Stephen Langton supported the Barons “uprising” as it developed firstly in Northumbria where the Barons were not old French blood but new self made men of Anglo stock. Langton presented the demands of the northern barons to the others at a meeting at St Paul’s based on the coronation charter of Henry 1st. 1214 At Bury St Edmunds the Barons took an oath to compel King John to sign a charter detailing agreed rights and liberties or they would take up arms against him. 1215 the Barons rode into the walled city of London with their charter and were well received by the populace and the King saw that he had the whole country against him. Hence the first bill of rights and responsibilities signed under oath by any king anywhere in the world.
This was not the end of the story. King John appealed to the Pope who backed John and suspended Archbishop Langton. John immediately recruited an army of mercenaries marched to and sacked Northumbria. The Barons then recruited none other than the son of King Philip of France Prince Louis who on arriving in London found himself the new uncrowned popular King of England. John still in the north hurried towards London and en-route took a short cut over the Wash with his army and all his wealth including the crown of Edward the Confessor.(Also more importantly all the jewellery of his mother Eleanor of Aquitaine who was the richest woman in the world at the time.) He lost the lot as it sank into the quick sands helped by the rapid incoming tide. A daily occurrence well known to the locals but not the King. 1216 With nothing left to pay his army John fled to Swinestead Abbey in Newark where he fell ill or perhaps he was poisoned and died aged 49. When King John’s son Henry was made King the Barons and the people dropped the Frenchman Prince Louis.
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