The Death of King John
Robin Hood movies love telling us how horrible King John was. Funny how they never mention the Magna Carta, which he agreed to implement.
Today is October 19, 2017, and on this date, 801 Years Back, in 1216, King John of England died.
King John is highly controversial historical figure. Generally speaking, his reign, from 1199 to 1216, was not a rousing success, but the man was not the bumbling idiot we imagine him to be thanks to his representations in pop culture.
A huge factor in this stems from the fact that John was pretty indifferent to religion, which was incredibly controversial at the time. This attitude culminated in a dispute with Pope Innocent III over the appointment of a new Archbishop of Canterbury that led to John’s excommunication from the Church.
Aside from that, John’s many personal flaws as a king were amplified by the fact that he was never expected to be king. He was the youngest of 5 legitimate sons of Henry II, who died in 1189. Henry II’s oldest son (who was also illegitimate, thus not an heir) was Geoffrey, and he became the Archbishop of York. William IX died as a child. Henry the Young King eventually revolted against his father, and was killed in battle in 1183. This left Henry’s throne to Richard the Lionheart, who has since been romanticized throughout history. More academically, though, Richard was a bad king, something his feats as a general continue to overshadow.
John did rebel against a Richard, but he was forgiven. In fact, as Richard was dying from an infected wound, he specifically bequeathed his lands to John. So the rift between the brothers, while not trivial or inconsequential, is often overblown. John did not accede to the throne through any nefarious or immoral means.
John’s reign is generally characterized by the fact that a failed military campaign led to the loss of Normandy in 1204, earning John the nickname “Lackland”, or “sans terre” in French. From that point on, he endeavored to regain the region, and that required taxation in order to field armies. These taxes, combined with food shortages due to bad harvests, created economic turmoil which made John unpopular. As things continued to worsen, John faced a revolt led by many English Barons. Then, in 1214, John suffered another failed military campaign in France.
In May of 1215 the rebel factions marched on London and captured the capital. John quickly sued for peace, which led to the drafting of the Magna Carta. What you weren’t told, though, was that neither side took the agreement seriously. In fact, the Magna Carta itself was declared illegal by the Pope, who also excommunicated all of the rebel barons. This started the First Baron’s War.
A revised version of the Magna Carta was adopted in late 1216, after King John’s death, which was caused by dysentery. With John out of the picture, peace was achieved.
Thanks for reading and be sure to check back tomorrow for the capture of a notorious Caribbean pirate.
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