King John: Difference between revisions

Latest revision as of 15:42, 19 October 2016

24 December 1166 (Beaumont Palace, Oxford) - 18 October 1216 (Newark Castle). King of England.

John acceded to the English throne 6 April 1199 after the death of his older brother Richard I. He was crowned King of England 27 May 1199 at Westminster Abbey. He was the son of Henry II and Eleanor of Aquitaine thus continuing the line of Angevin kings. He was married twice. His first marriage to Isabella of Gloucester was annulled in 1199 when he married the daughter of the Count of Angouleme who was also called Isabella. He had two sons, one of them his later successor Henry III, three daughters and a number of illegitimate children. While his brother Richard I participated in the Third Crusade John had already acted for his brother since 1189. His nickname "John Lackland" ("Johann Ohneland") probably alludes to him not inheriting much land from his father as he had four older brothers.

The reign of King John was a difficult time, politically as well as religiously although he was a capable administrator. He seemed to be unable to win the trust of others and had himself difficulty to trust others. Besides the heavy taxes which he imposed, the loss of all English possessions in France to the French king Philip II made him unpopular. In 1215 John sealed the Magna Carta which limited his power and gave several rights to the rebelling barons.

The religious trouble began when John refused to accept Stephen Langton as archbishop of Canterbury which led to the suspension of religious services which included baptisms, marriages and funerals and to the excommunication of John from 1208-1213. He was however able to soothe Pope Innocent III by ultimately accepting his choice of archbishop of Canterbury and by paying an "annual monetary tribute" [1] which was continued by the monarchs to follow him for another 150 years.

Sources:

http://www.britroyals.com/kings.asp?id=john

http://www.royal.gov.uk/HistoryoftheMonarchy/KingsandQueensofEngland/TheAngevins/JohnLackland.aspx

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 The reign of King John was a difficult time, politically as well as religiously although he was a capable administrator. He seemed to be unable to win the trust of others and had himself difficulty to trust others. Besides the heavy taxes which he imposed, the loss of all English possessions in France to the French king Philip II made him unpopular. In 1215 John sealed the [[Magna Carta]] which limited his power and gave several rights to the rebelling barons.
-The religious trouble began when John refused to accept Stephen Langton as archbishop of Canterbury which led to the suspension of religious services which included baptisms, marriages and funerals and to the excommunication of John from 1208-1213. He was however able to soothe Pope Innocent III by ultimately accepting his choice of archbishop of Canterbury and by paying an "annual monetary tribute" [http://www.example.com link title] [link does not work!] which was continued by the monarchs to follow him for another 150 years.
+The religious trouble began when John refused to accept Stephen Langton as archbishop of Canterbury which led to the suspension of religious services which included baptisms, marriages and funerals and to the excommunication of John from 1208-1213. He was however able to soothe Pope Innocent III by ultimately accepting his choice of archbishop of Canterbury and by paying an "annual monetary tribute" [http://www.example.com] which was continued by the monarchs to follow him for another 150 years.
 Sources: