In fighting him, John lost Normandy altogether. At least The Lion in Winter, starring Katharine Hepburn and Peter O'Toole as John's parents Eleanor and Henry II, portrays the family tensions acutely and gives a sense of the personal power struggles within the Plantagenet dynasty. His conflicts were not with his subjects but with barons, the Pope or the French. Rare for the time, King John was noted as behaving very apathetic towards religion. The first was with the King of France. "The Victorians used King John as a punchbag. Most kings were capable of behaving badly from time to time. John has the reputation of an unsuccessful, evil and tyrannical king. King John seemed untroubled by this as did the people of England. By June 1215, matters had got so bad that the barons forced John to meet them at Runnymede in order to limit his powers. The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. The Victorians latched on to John's moral failings like his cruelty and his sexual deviancy, taking mistresses married to barons, and this repulsed their newly formed idea of medieval knights as perfect gentlemen. King John was very unlucky, he says, but he also made his own bad luck. Cruelty and cowardice were two of John’s most notable faults, but he had plenty of others besides. "But he always overplays his hand and goes too far because he's in a position of power and can't rein back. To pay for his foreign wars, not to mention a huge ransom when he was captured, Richard had raised taxes far higher than any level England had experienced. The barons captured London but could not completely defeat King John so both sides met to discuss the matter. King John had indulged in precisely that sort of unjust behaviour, and his subjects had called him to account for it. Clergymen and laymen alike were united in their detestation of John. He was a bad King because he … The official website for BBC History Magazine and BBC History Revealed, Try 6 issues of BBC History Magazine or BBC History Revealed for only £9.99. So the question is to what degree those sources are accurate.". King John, who reigned from 1199 to 1216, is viewed by most historians as an ineffectual leader because of his inability to get along with his subjects and with other European leaders. ", Salisbury poison suspects 'linked to Czech blast'. But among the dozens of bad kings and despots, why is John always the pantomime villain? He drove the monks of Canterbury into exile and eventually seized the lands of all the English clergy – moves that led to England being laid under interdict and the king himself being excommunicated. So why do we always like to bash King John? So he doesn't have a sense of scale and that's his biggest problem.". This was a period when you could be blinded, castrated or even killed by the king’s officials for taking a deer in the royal forest. “He kept his prisoners in such a horrible manner, and in such abject confinement,” wrote the author of the 13th-century History of William Marshal, “that it seemed an indignity and a disgrace to all those with him who witnessed such cruelty.”. for centuries king john was regarded as a bad king.Stories say that he taxed people enourmously and broke all the rules of the magna carta … © 2020 Stephen J. Phillips Yet when their friends and families in Anjou and Brittany continued to fight against him, John rounded up 22 of these knightly captives and sent them to Corfe Castle in Dorset, where they were starved to death. Nor was King Harold, but he at least engaged his enemies when they landed on the shores of England and went down fighting alongside his men. Another of John’s major failings was cowardice. There seems to be a problem, please try again. The popular image of John as a cruel tyrant began a few years after his death in 1216, after a turbulent 17 years on the throne. John, by contrast, killed people in this way en masse, and on more than one occasion. In the History of the English-Speaking Peoples, Winston Churchill wrote: "When the long tally is added, it will be seen that the British nation and the English-speaking world owe far more to the vices of John than to the labours of virtuous sovereigns; for it was through the union of many forces against him that the most famous milestone of our rights and freedom was in fact set up. Modern attempts to rehabilitate him require us to ignore this chorus of disapproval from his contemporaries as well as his own nefarious acts. They also complained that he forced himself on the wives and daughters of his barons. King John, better known as 'Bad King John' was a complete and utter unmitigating bastard. 2. You can unsubscribe at any time. Powered by Create your own unique website with customizable templates. John Lackland, John Softsword, the phoney king… Not names one would want to be known by, especially as a monarch ruling over lands that stretched from Scotland to France. King John Reign. 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. What are the challenges of telling LGBTQ history? BAD KING JOHN: He was a bad King because he told lies! But the assertion that all medieval chroniclers were churchmen is a fallacy. Please enter your number below. John was a bad king, but he wasn't groomed to be one either, he was named "Lackland" because as the youngest son it was doubtful that he would ever get land. What was wrong with King John? A nation in numbers: 100 years of British life in 7 statistics, Traitor or triple agent? They weren’t interested in the rights of ordinary people, just themselves. He was certainly not a milksop like Henry VI or Richard II, averse to armed conflict. He returned to the continent in 1206 and 1214 to try to regain lost ground, but on each occasion withdrew rapidly when told that his enemies were approaching. He was a bad King because he never used to keep his promises for money! So fast was his retreat on this occasion that he was three leagues away before his troops realised he had abandoned them. King John was unpopular. King John was successful in some ways but in others he was unsuccessful too! At the time of their coronation, medieval monarchs were required to swear an oath, part of which was a promise to do good justice. After his death in 1307 Edward I was praised for the quality of his justice, and in his own letters the same king can be seen exhorting his officials to act justly. For most of his reign John was at war with the king of France, Philip Augustus, and he did not hesitate to invade Scotland, Wales and Ireland when he felt that the rulers of those lands had crossed him. VideoNasa to fly helicopter on Mars for first time, Hunger hits Brazil's slums amid Covid surge, The students living cheaply in a luxury hotel. In 1210 he committed one of the most notorious acts of his reign by starving to death the wife and son of his former friend, William de Briouze. King John was the brother of Richard the Lionheart and the son of Henry II. This article was first published in the June 2015 issue of BBC History Magazine. Bertran de Born, the troubadour poet mentioned above, was a member of the lay aristocracy of southern France. "There are several times during John's reign where he actually has the upper hand, where he's in a position where if he just does things the right way, he's going to end up succeeding in what he's trying to do. This made him unpopular with the barons. And some of his defenders say that at least he provoked the barons into introducing one of history's most famous documents. King John seems to have been reasonably observant, but his attack on the church led to him being written up as irreligious after his death. He was so bad that even the Barons sickened of him in the end. If you subscribe to BBC History Magazine Print or Digital Editions then you can unlock 10 years’ worth of archived history material fully searchable by Topic, Location, Period and Person. John grew up in a feuding family. Helen McCrory was 'meteor in our life' says Lewis, Nasa to fly helicopter on Mars for first time. He's portrayed as a pantomime villain because a number of accounts from the time suggest that people found him quite unpleasant as a person. Top Image: Bad King John. When John was five, three of his brothers plotted against their father to seize the throne, enlisting the help of Louis VII of France and their own mother, Eleanor of Aquitaine. When the king of France invaded Normandy in 1203, John failed to confront him and fled to England, an act of desertion that led directly to the duchy’s loss. Small wonder that when he died in 1216, some chroniclers imagined him suffering the torments of hell. Save up to 72% and get your first 6 issues for only £9.99! To pay for them he had to spend barrel loads of English silver and yet at the end of 1203 he abandoned Normandy and spent the next six months in England in bed with his wife (wasting his life, huh). He lusted after beautiful women and because of this he shamed the high men of the land, for which reason he was greatly hated. AA Milne’s nursery rhyme encapsulates our image of King John as a friendless tyrant whose reputation grew steadily worse after he died of dysentery in 1216. "To the Victorian mindset, he was everything they didn't want in an English king. Table Mountain fire burning 'out of control'1, Salisbury poison suspects 'linked to Czech blast'2, William and Harry seen chatting after funeral3, Helen McCrory was 'meteor in our life' says Lewis4, Stop using Peloton near children - US regulator5, Adobe co-founder who helped develop the PDF dies7, Covid ban traps thousands in Kenya traffic jams9, In pictures: The Queen and nation bid farewell10. Another author, known as the Anonymous of Béthune, is also likely to have been a layman, since his chronicle dwells upon the concerns of a lay audience, and was written for an aristocratic patron, Robert of Béthune. What John will always be remembered for, apart from antagonising Robin Hood, is the Magna Carta, which limited royal power and restated English law. Some kings were extremely pious in their own devotions, such as the French king Louis IX. King John was greedy, as many kings were. Sadly, John rarely managed to meet them…. wrong for John and why the barons rebelled against him. John came to power when his older brother Richard I died whilst on a crusade in 1199. Whether by summoning great councils or later parliaments, successful medieval rulers took steps to consult their more important subjects, noting their views, winning them round and channelling their ambitions. He would neglect taking communion, publicly joke about church doctrine, and make blasphemous comments. It wasn't about the monarch at all, just Robin Hood and his adventures. Read about our approach to external linking. His cruelty was almost unheard of. Bad kings like John were always accused of taking ‘evil counsel’, which meant relying on a clique of advisors. The truth is that he was an inept politician but he wasn't a tyrant, says Mr Sturtevant. His reign started in an unfortunate way. Yet, says historian Marc Morris, when it came to lechery, treachery and shocking acts of cruelty, the king who sealed Magna Carta more than 800 years ago was in a league of his own... For most people (and here I include myself) mention of the name ‘King John’ conjures up images of the character from the tales of Robin Hood – a pantomime villain, rolling his eyes and gnashing his teeth. The Czech Republic expels 18 Russian diplomats after linking the operatives to a 2014 explosion. The reality is that John was not as bad as legend made out – he was worse. VideoThe students living cheaply in a luxury hotel, The 'intimacy coordinator' who choreographs sex scenes, Japan's ancient secret to better cognitive memory, JD Vance: Trump whisperer turned Senate hopeful, 'Bushfires make you realise climate change is real' Video'Bushfires make you realise climate change is real', How cancer put me off joining Amazon union. ACTIVITY 4 This scorecard shows how we think the barons would have scored King John. You have successfully linked your account! Nobles were killed in great numbers in Anglo-Saxon England and again in the later Middle Ages, but between 1076 and 1306 not one English earl was executed. It does not require any particular military genius, however, to carry out a siege, only superior resources in manpower and artillery. Everything you ever wanted to know about... King John: the making of a medieval monster. "Almost all the depictions of King John out there are Robin Hood ones and as a result he's the villain, either bumbling and idiotic or in the Disney animation he's a lion who sucks his thumb. The real test for a military commander comes when the odds are less than certain. The king was first inserted into the Robin Hood story in the 16th century, but his inclusion has no historical basis whatsoever. Edward I narrowly escaped death by crossbow bolt; Richard I was not so lucky. A new film Ironclad, released in the UK on Friday, stars American actor Paul Giamatti as the villainous king laying siege to the noble barons in Rochester Castle, in the civil war that followed the Magna Carta. 1. By entering your details, you are agreeing to HistoryExtra terms and conditions and privacy policy. In reality, dysentery is the more likely explanation. Medieval kings were expected to be able to protect and defend their subjects from attack and to lead from the front. For example, he quelled a rebellion in France but when his nephew and enemy Arthur then dies in his custody, the finger of suspicion points at John and the revulsion felt in France renews the revolt and leads to defeat. Video, The students living cheaply in a luxury hotel, 'Bushfires make you realise climate change is real' Video, 'Bushfires make you realise climate change is real', Table Mountain fire burning 'out of control', William and Harry seen chatting after funeral, Stop using Peloton near children - US regulator, Adobe co-founder who helped develop the PDF dies, Covid ban traps thousands in Kenya traffic jams, In pictures: The Queen and nation bid farewell. When the French finally invaded England in the spring of 1216, John watched them disembark on the beaches of Kent, briefly considered fighting them, then rode off in the opposite direction. An extract from ‘A history of England’ written by C.R.L Fletcher and Rudyard Kipling in 1911 quotes that “John began a quarrel with the English church and the pope. In 1194, when Richard finally returned to England, John was forgiven by his brother. Nuclear threat. The evidence does not permit John to be charged definitively with killing his nephew, Arthur, but the king nevertheless had arguably legitimate reasons to undertake such an act since Arthur (a 16-year-old boy) had put himself at the head of a rebellion sponsored by Philip Augustus. What was true of the Wars of the Roses, however, was not true of the 12th and 13th centuries, when stricter rules about combat and treatment of prisoners held sway. This document was the law and rights for both sides to agree to. John’s response in similar circumstances was to run away. At last, the Pope said that John was king no longer and he threw him out of the Church. What happens to your body in extreme heat? Not to mention being blamed for the murder of his nephew. Any reasonable assessment of the sources must lead us to conclude that in the case of Bad King John, tradition had it about right. John certainly persecuted the church with a particular fury after his row with the pope over the appointment of a new archbishop of Canterbury. This is how the “bad king” ended up leaving us something so good. Good kings took this responsibility very seriously. At the same time, most people are aware that these tales are legendary, and, in their earliest versions, make no mention of John at all. In the 20th century, some historians put forward a case for the king’s defence, arguing that his badness was largely a later invention, and that his misfortunes as a ruler were mostly down to ill luck. Read the story strip on pages 8-10 and fill in the last column with evidence about John’s successes and failures in each category. "People wanted someone to be heroic and not to interfere with their lives. Here’s why…. John was presented with this kind of situation several times, and each time his decision was the same. The WW2 spy Mathilde Carré, Treachery at Bosworth: what really brought down Richard III, Richard the Lionheart may not have spoken English – plus 7 more surprising facts, The crusades: everything you wanted to know. John tried unsuccessfully to instigate a coup while his brother was in prison, captured on his way back from fighting the Crusades. … Yet even here the overall assessment of the king is damning. So it might be supposed, therefore, that he must have been unfairly maligned and that in reality he was probably not nearly as bad as legend maintains. Those who go in search of the real John therefore tend to suppose that he must have been unfairly maligned, and suspect that in reality he was not nearly as bad as legend maintains. John was not welcomed to the throne and, … Those who go in search of the real John therefore tend to suppose that he must have been unfairly maligned, and suspect that in reality he was not nearly as bad as legend maintains. Video, Nasa to fly helicopter on Mars for first time, The students living cheaply in a luxury hotel. King John (24 December 1166 – 19 October 1216) was the son of Henry II of England and Eleanor of Aquitaine.He was King of England from 6 April 1199, until his death. The clergy certainly had good reason to hate him. The author of The History of William Marshal was also a layman, and repeatedly blames the disasters of John’s reign on the king’s own personality. England had many kings, some good, some not so good, and some really terrible. "A lot of very effective medieval kings are cruel and inspire fear but he hasn't inspired trust. The mighty castle by undermining and partially collapsing its great tower, killed people in this case myth. New archbishop of Canterbury to bash king John seemed untroubled by this as did people... Ages, and some of his defenders say that at least he provoked the sickened! 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