King John

It wasn’t long before John had another chance to prove himself. In 1199, Richard was killed in France, making John the new King of England. Sadly though, John’s reign began poorly with the death of his nephew, Arthur of Brittany, in 1202. Many believed John to be behind the death and sought to oppose him, defeating his army in 1204 and forcing him to retreat. This damaged his reputation further, earning him the new nickname of John Softsword.

Known to have inherited his father’s bad temper, John decided to cover the costs of the defeat by raising taxes, but this angered all but his treasurers. He also lost favour with the church after clashing with the pope over the appointment of the Archbishop in 1207, which led to his excommunication and placed England under Church law.

As a result, no wedding or christening was considered legal until it was confirmed by the pope. The law also stated that only this christened would be able to enter Heaven, while all those born out of wedlock would be sent to Hell upon their death. This placed enormous pressure on the population of England, who blamed John for the potential fate of their souls.

John eventually relinquished to the church but all was not forgiven, and in 1214 the pope declared that anyone who attempted to overthrow the king had the legal right to do so. Meanwhile, John suffered another significant loss to the French at Bouvines, which resulted in England losing all of its French territories.

Facing pressure from the barons and the church, John was forced to sign the Magna Carta in 1215, which officially handed over many of his rights to the country. Displaying his temper once more, John attempted to retreat from the agreement in 1216, but he was met with force from the barons, who declared war against their king.

It was during this time that John became unwell, suffering from dysentery. He also witnessed the loss of his treasures as he attempted to cross water in the Wash, Lincolnshire, where the high tide covered his baggage train father than anticipated. Just a few days later John succumbed to his illness, dying on 19 October 1216 to be replaced by Henry III.

Thought history highlights John’s faults, there is still evidence that he was not the dark character that he is depicted as now. It’s possible that John fell foul of the common habit of the masses to disrespect kings once they were no longer alive to defend themselves.

See also: The Black Death of 1348 to 1350