11 Facts About King John of England
The unlikely king that lost an empire
John, King of England (1166–1216), is one of the more interesting monarchs in English history. From birth, he was unlikely to become king, but through the course of events would rule England from 1199–1216.
In those seventeen years, he would lose an empire and suffer several uprisings from his barons. He plotted against his brother, had a child bride, defied the pope, and was not well-liked by the nobility. John became a literary figure starting in the Tudor period, seeing him as a proto-Protestant martyr fighting the Roman Catholic Church.
In modern opinion, he tends to be best known as the scheming king John Lackland in the Robin Hood stories, plotting to wrestle the crown from his brother Richard the Lion Hearted and being foiled by the brave Robin Hood. Today he is considered one of the worst, if not the worst, of the kings of England. Today, we will examine eleven facts about King John that you may not know.
His parents were a medieval power couple
John was born to King Henry II (1133–1189) and Eleanor of Aquitaine (1122–1204) in 1166. This was Eleanor’s second marriage, as she married King Louis VI of France (1120–1180), whom she later divorced and married Henry.
