Person:John of England (1)

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John (24 December 1166 – 19 October 1216) 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 and contributing to the subsequent growth in power of the French Capetian dynasty during the 13th century. The baronial revolt at the end of John's reign led to the sealing of , a document considered an early step in the evolution of the constitution of the United Kingdom.

John was the youngest of the four surviving sons of King Henry II of England and Duchess Eleanor of Aquitaine. 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 1173–1174 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. John 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. He came to an agreement with Philip II of France to recognise John's possession of the continental Angevin lands at the peace treaty of Le Goulet in 1200.

When war with France broke out again in 1202, John achieved early victories, but shortages of military resources and his treatment of Norman, Breton, and Anjou nobles resulted in the collapse of his empire in northern France in 1204. He spent much of the next decade attempting to regain these lands, raising huge revenues, reforming his armed forces and rebuilding continental alliances. His judicial reforms had a lasting effect on the English common law system, as well as providing an additional source of revenue. An argument with Pope Innocent III led to John's excommunication in 1209, a dispute he finally settled in 1213. John's attempt to defeat Philip in 1214 failed because of the French victory over John's allies at the battle of Bouvines. When he returned to England, John faced a rebellion by many of his barons, who were unhappy with his fiscal policies and his treatment of many of England's most powerful nobles. Although both John and the barons agreed to the peace treaty in 1215, neither side complied with its conditions. Civil war broke out shortly afterwards, with the barons aided by Louis VIII of France. It soon descended into a stalemate. 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.

Contemporary chroniclers were mostly critical of John's performance as king, and his reign has since been the subject of significant debate and periodic revision by historians from the 16th century onwards. Historian Jim Bradbury has summarised the current historical opinion of John's positive qualities, observing that John is today usually considered a "hard-working administrator, an able man, an able general". Nonetheless, modern historians agree that he also had many faults as king, including what historian Ralph Turner describes as "distasteful, even dangerous personality traits", such as pettiness, spitefulness, and cruelty. These negative qualities provided extensive material for fiction writers in the Victorian era, and John remains a recurring character within Western popular culture, primarily as a villain in films and stories depicting the Robin Hood legends.

John, King of England 1199 to 1216, was the son of King Henry II and Eleanor of Aquitaine. Being the King's youngest son, he was left out of the division of royal dominions and was called John Lackland for this reason. However, he was given scattered possessions in England and France and the lordship of Ireland. His brief expedition to Ireland in 1185 was badly mismanaged. He deserted his dying father in 1189 and joined his rebellious brother, who was crowned Richard I the same year and generously gave John lands and titles. When Richard departed on the Third Crusade, John had himself acknowledged temporary ruler and heir to the throne (1199), and conspired with Philip II of France to supplant Richard on the throne. This plot was thwarted by a group including queen mother Eleanor. Richard pardoned him, but when he died and John became king, excluding his nephew Arthur I of Brittany, Arthur then led a revolt in France supported by King Philip. John made himself unpopular in England by divorcing Isabel of Gloucester and marrying Isabel of Angouleme, who was betrothed to Hugh de Lusignan. In 1202, Arthur was captured and it is thought that John murdered him in 1203. Defeated by Philip in 1204, John surrendered Normandy, Anjou, Brittany, Maine, and Touraine, retaining only Aquitaine and part of Poitou in France. After refusing to accept the newly elected Archbishop of Canterbury, John was excommunicated by Pope Innocent III, who conspired with Philip II to invade England. John surrendered England to the Pope and received it back as a fief. After unpopular and unsuccessful military campaigns, John was forced by the barons to sign the Magna Carta at Runnymede in 1215. John died during his struggles with the barons, leaving his son Henry III to rule.

1. ↑ John of England, in Wikipedia: The Free Encyclopedia.
2.   David Williamson, (i)The National Portrait Gallery History of The Kings & Queens of England(/i) (Old Saybrook, CT: Konecky & Konecky, 2000( qu
   pg 34.
3. ↑ English Monarchs, online (http:/www.englishmonarchs.co.uk), accessed 8-27-2006 (3).
4.   Royal Dau of Engl. p. 158 (GS #13702).
5.   Dict. of Nat'l Biog., p. 402-16 (GS #920.042 D561n vol 29).
6.   Burke's Peerage 99th Ed., prefix p. 253 (GS #942 D22bup).
7.   John I 'Lackland', King of England, in Lundy, Darryl. The Peerage: A genealogical survey of the peerage of Britain as well as the royal families of Europe.
8.   King John, in Find A Grave.
9. ↑ ^{9.0 9.1 9.2} JOHN, son of HENRY II King of England & his wife Eléonore Dss d'Aquitaine (Beaumont Palace, Oxford 24 Dec 1166 or 1167-Newark Castle, Lincolnshire 18/19 Oct 1216, bur Worcester Cathedral), in Cawley, Charles. Medieval Lands: A prosopography of medieval European noble and royal families.
10.   Cokayne, George Edward, and Vicary Gibbs; et al. The complete peerage of England, Scotland, Ireland, Great Britain and the United Kingdom, extant, extinct, or dormant [2nd ed.]. (London: St. Catherine Press, 1910-59)
    Volume 3 page 429.
11. ↑ Nichols, John. A collection of all the wills, now known to be extant, of the kings and queens of England, princes and princessess of Wales, and every branch of the blood royal: from the reign of William the Conqueror to that of Henry the Seventh, exclusive, with explanatory notes and a glossary. (London: J. Nichols, 1780)
    pages 13 and 14.

    The will may be read here (in Latin).

12. ↑ no date?