John, King of England

John was King of England from 1199 until his death in 1216. He lost the Duchy of Normandy and most of his other French lands to King Philip II of France, resulting in the collapse of the Angevin Empire. His judicial reforms had a lasting effect on the English common law system. The baronial revolt at the end of John’s reign led to the sealing of Magna Carta, a document sometimes considered an early step in the evolution of the United Kingdom.

About John, King of England in brief

John was King of England from 1199 until his death in 1216. He lost the Duchy of Normandy and most of his other French lands to King Philip II of France, resulting in the collapse of the Angevin Empire. His judicial reforms had a lasting effect on the English common law system. The baronial revolt at the end of John’s reign led to the sealing of Magna Carta, a document sometimes considered an early step in the evolution of the constitution of the United Kingdom. Contemporary chroniclers were mostly critical of his performance as king, and his reign has since been the subject of significant debate and periodic revision by historians from the 16th century onwards. John remains a recurring character within Western popular culture, primarily as a villain in films and stories depicting the Robin Hood legends. He was nicknamed John Lackland because he was not expected to inherit significant lands. He became Henry’s favourite child following the failed revolt of 1173–74 by his brothers Henry the Young King, Richard, and Geoffrey against the King. John was appointed the Lord of Ireland in 1177 and given lands in England and on the continent. He unsuccessfully attempted a rebellion against the royal administrators of his brother, King Richard, whilst Richard was participating in the Third Crusade, but he was proclaimed king after Richard died in 1199. His father, Henry II of England, had inherited significant territories along the Atlantic seaboard – Anjou, Normandy and England – and expanded his empire by conquering Brittany. John’s powerful mother Eleanor, Duchess of Aquitaine, had a tenuous claim to Toulouse and Auvergne in southern France, and was the former wife of Louis VII of France.

Although all parts of Henry’s empire owed allegiance to Henry, the disparate parts each had their own traditions and governance structures. Although the custom of primogeniture was slowly becoming more widespread, the concept of an empire was less popular amongst the Norman kings of England. It was unclear what would happen to the traditional ties between England and Normandy over time, and it was unclear whether John would inherit all his father’s lands on his death. John died of dysentery contracted whilst on campaign in eastern England during late 1216; supporters of his son Henry III went on to achieve victory over Louis and the rebel barons the following year. He is usually considered a hard-working administrator, an able man, and an able general. However, modern historians agree that he also had many faults as king,. such as what historian Ralph Turner describes as pettiness, spitefulness, and cruelty. John’s attempt to defeat Philip in 1214 failed because of the French victory over John’s allies at the battle of Bouvines. His argument with Pope Innocent III led to John’s excommunication in 1209, a dispute he finally settled in 1213. He spent much of the next decade attempting to regain these lands, raising huge revenues, reforming his armed forces and rebuilding continental alliances. The territories of Henry and Eleanor formed the Angevins’ Empire, named after Henry’s paternal title of AnJou and, more specifically, its seat in Angers.

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