John 'Lackland'

Depiction in Historia Anglorum (1234)

Regnal name: King John of England 'Lackland'

Birth name: Jean Beaumont Plantagenest d'Angevin

Born: 24 December 1166, Beaumont, Oxfordshire, Kingdom of England

Father: King Henry II of England 'Curtmantle'

Mother: Eleanor, Duchess of Aquitaine

House: Plantagenet

Nationality: Angevin

Religion: Catholicism

Claim: Child of Henry II 'Curtmantle' and Chosen by Richard I 'The Lionheart'

Reign: 27 May 1199 - 19 October 1216 (17 years)

Coronation: 27 May 1199

Predecessor: Richard I 'The Lionheart'

Successor: Henry III

Contender: Arthur and Louis 'The Lion' 

Died: 19 October 1216 (aged 49), Newark, Nottinghamshire, Kingdom of England

Cause: Dysentery

Burial: Worcester Cathedral

Motto: N/A 

Spouse(s):

• Isabella, Countess of Gloucester (m. 1189 - 1200)
• Isabella, Countess of Angoulême (m. 1200 - 1216)

Children:

• With Lady Adela of Warenne
• Richard FitzRoy (1190 - 1246) 

• With Clemence
• Joan, Lady of Wales (c. 1191 - 1237)  

• With Hawise FitzWarin
• Oliver FitzRegis (c. 1199 - c. 1219) 

• With Isabella, Countess of Angoulême
• King Henry III of England (1207 - 1272)
• Richard, King of the Romans (1209 - 1272)
• Joan, Queen of Scotland (1210 - 1238)
• Isabella, Holy Roman Empress (1214 - 1241)
• Princess Eleanor, Countess of Pembroke (1215 - 1275) 

• With Unknown Women
• John (???? - ????)
• Geoffrey (???? - ????)
• Osbert Giffard (???? - ????)    

Appearance:

He was described as being barrel-chested, and strong in build. He was also quite short, standing at a height of around 165cm (5'5''). 

 

He was also known for his dark red hair. 

 

John would often be seen in opulent clothing and heavily decorated in jewels.

 

Character:

Throughout his life, John was reported to have been quite witty, as well as generous and well known for his hospitality skills. However, he was also prone to jealousy, fits of rage, and could also be oversensitive. He was noted to bite and gnaw on his nails and fingers, especially when he was angry. 

 

He possessed a love of reading and collected many books, which was quite unusual for a man at the time. John also enjoyed gambling, playing backgammon, and hunting. He collected jewels, and was known for his expensive and lavish tastes. 

 

John was also likely an alcoholic and loved to drink wine. 

 

He often displayed more manipulative personality traits, repeatedly betraying his brother and other family members, and easily discarded his first wife. He also displayed arrogance, such as when he married his second wife while she was engaged to someone else, and refused to take accountability for his actions. However, it's argued that his relationship with his second wife was more loving, despite claims at the time that John was effectively a sex addict (the truth of this claim is not certain). 

 

He was also openly racist towards Irish people, to the point where they chased him from their land. 

 

It's possible that John may have been agnostic, or an atheist, as he was documented to have commented and joked about how implausible it was for Jesus to have risen from the dead.

 

Biography:

John was born in 1166 in the Kingdom of England during the height of the Angevin Empire. His father was King Henry II of England, and his mother was Eleanor, Duchess of Aquitaine, both powerful rulers in their own right. He was their youngest child and it appeared unlikely he would ever inherit the throne, or any titles or land, which resulted in his nickname 'Lackland.' 
 
John initially grew up in the care of his wet nurse, alongside his older sister, Princess Joan, and had little to do with his parents. His care then transferred over to the household of his older brother, Henry the Young King, where he received a formal education consisting of hunting and military training. However, Henry would eventually grow resentful towards John, worried that he might be given more lands and castles at his own expense. 

 

During this time, John's brothers also began rebelling against their father, which was fuelled and encouraged by their mother. However, John would loyally remain by his father's side and began to frequently travel with him, which endeared him to Henry II, and would go on to become his father's favourite. 
 
In 1176, John was betrothed to the wealthy Isabella, Countess of Gloucester, and he was appointed the Lord of Ireland. His older brother, Henry, would die in 1183, which bumped John up in the line of royal succession. John would then fight with his brother, Richard, over the Duchy of Aquitaine. His father also attempted to have John proclaimed the King of Ireland, but the Pope refused such an action. John was also not popular in Ireland, as he would often make fun of their customs and culture, and was eventually forced to return to England. John's loyalty to his father would also end once it became apparent that Richard would win in his rebellion against him, so John switched sides. 
 
In 1189, John's father died, and his brother became King Richard I of England. John also finally married Isabella of Gloucester around this time. 

 

Richard did not spend much time in England, and was often away on crusade, and effectively banned John from entering the kingdom while he was away, in fear that his brother would seize power. However, after intervention from their mother, John was eventually allowed to return to England. 

 

After his return, John began manipulating the situation to make himself regent, as well as Richard's heir, and perhaps even as a better alternative to his brother. When Richard continued to not return from the crusade, John fuelled rumours that his brother was dead, when in actuality, he had been captured and held for ransom by Holy Roman Emperor, Henry VI. In an attempt to stay in power, John purposefully enlisted the help of the French king to outbid his mother's attempts to pay Richard's ransom, keeping Richard the Emperor's prisoner for much longer. Richard was eventually released after their mother finally raised enough money, much to John's chagrin. 
 
In order to further create an alliance with France, John considered annulling his marriage to Isabella of Gloucester, and instead, hoped to marry the King of France's sister, Princess Alys. War nearly broke out between Richard and John, especially due to John's behaviour regarding his kidnapping, but they eventually made peace with each other in 1194. However, John still had most of his lands confiscated as punishment. 

 

John would then loyally serve his brother for the rest of his reign, and Richard even restored John's previously lost titles and lands as reward for doing so. 
 
Richard was killed in 1199, and though John's nephew, Arthur, son of his older brother Geoffrey, was technically next in line for the throne, John's claim received more support, especially because Arthur was still only a child at the time. However, Arthur also had powerful supporters, particularly from the King of France, who wanted to seize English lands on the continent. As he grew older, Arthur would become part of frequent campaigns against his uncle, until John finally defeated him in battle and imprisoned him in 1203. Arthur would then vanish shortly afterwards, and it is largely suspected that he was murdered on John's orders. There were even rumours at the time that John had carried out the murder personally after he had gotten drunk one night. 

 

In 1200, John married Isabella, Countess of Angoulême, a decision that seems completely random. It's possible he may have fallen in love with her, or was at least very attracted to her due to her reported great beauty, but it could also have been strategic as their marriage would link routes within the Angevin Empire at the time. However, Isabella was already engaged to the Lord of Lusignan, which provoked uprisings within the area. It was viewed as a slight against the nobleman, and the French king also objected due to it further solidifying England's power within Aquitaine. 

 

Despite the objection to their marriage, they would go on to have five children together, with John also fathering at least six other illegitimate children with various mistresses. Although it's likely that John did not commit adultery during his marriage to her, he was reported by some to have treated her horribly, and did little to provide for her, while others claim that their marriage was quite loving.

 

Meanwhile, John would continue to be quite cruel towards his former wife, keeping her under his control and refusing to relinquish her titles back to her. She remained trapped in his care, and was even forced to stay with John's new wife for a period of time. In order to maintain control of Gloucester, John would marry her off to his closest allies, one of which would ultimately turn against him. Isabella of Gloucester would even join in on this rebellion, fed up of John's treatment of her, and of the country.

 

These rebellions would also be fuelled by John's continued failures to co-operate with other feudal lords. He provoked noblemen, as well as other European rulers, to a point where France declared war on England. King Louis VIII of France even declared himself to be the new King of England, due to his wife, Princess Blanche of Castile, being King Henry II of England's grand-daughter. This would be recognised by a few barons within England, and the subsequent war and power struggle with France caused the Angevin Empire to collapse, as Louis reconquered the majority of English territory within France. Many within England also believed that John was abusing his power and position, and joined in the fights against him. To counteract these wars and rebellions, John raised taxes to extortionate levels, which only served to further decrease his popularity. 

 

All of this tension within England resulted in John being forced to sign the Magna Carta, which placed the first restrictions on royal power within the kingdom. For John, this was a complete embarrassment, especially since it granted more power to the barons, many of which were John's enemies. 

 

Despite this, the barons still continued to rebel, especially in the north of England. In 1216 John planned to travel north to confront them, however, on this fateful trip, he contracted dysentery, and died rather suddenly. 

 

Rule:

During the majority of his reign, John largely remained unpopular, especially among the barons within the country. 

 

The main disaster for him during his reign, was the Magna Carta. This was a charter that began to limit royal power within England, particularly regarding matters of taxation, justice, and church rights. A council would be appointed to monitor his rule. Throughout his reign, John had heavily believed in the notion of the divine right of kings, so the signing of the Magna Carta was a major blow to his ego, power, and political influence. 

 

However, he was the first king since before the Normans to spend the majority of his time within England, rather than ruling from abroad. 

 

Internationally, John also faced many failures. His campaigns on the continent and wars with France resulted in the almost complete breakdown of the Angevin Empire during this period. His marriage to his second wife also provoked further tension due to her prior engagement to another European lord, resulting in uprisings, rebellions, and John creating more enemies for himself. 

 

John did dedicate a lot of focus to the legal system and legal reforms, allowing greater power towards free men (those who were not nobility, but also not serfs either). Though this was a positive aspect to his reign for the average Englishman, it also further increased tensions with the barons. Due to his constant wars with said barons, as well as the French, and the uprisings within the Angevin Empire, taxation during his reign was very heavy, making John even more unpopular, as people began to view him as extortionate. The economy became unstable, which was further not helped by frequent bad harvests. 

 

His royal court was also notorious for nepotism, but John's suspicious, oversensitive, and jealous behaviour meant that it was dangerous to fall out of his favour; he would sometimes have his most loyal members' families imprisoned in retaliation for even the slightest offences. 

 

His reign is often argued to be one of the most major turning points in English history, and arguably, one of the most disastrous. 

 

Trivia:

• While travelling through The Wash, John accidentally dropped the English crown jewels into quicksand. 
• The legendary tales of Robin Hood take place during his reign.
• John also received the nickname of 'Softsword', to compare him to his brother, who was viewed as braver, and more militarily astute than he was.

 

Quotes:

 

N/A

 

 

Timeline of Reign:

| 1200: Creation of new towns - Building of new towns rapidly increased in England.

| 1200: Economic depression - Bad harvests cause inflation and economic depression. 

| 1200: Annulment - John annuls his marriage to Isabella of Gloucester.

| 1200: Lusignan Uprising - Lusignan rebels against John's marriage to Isabella of Angoulême. 

| 1203: Disappearance of Arthur of Brittany - John's nephew, and rightful king of England, vanishes.

| 1203: Loss of Normandy - England loses control of the Duchy of Normandy.

| 1204: Anglo-French War begins - War breaks out over territory disputes. 

| 1204: Angevin Empire begins to collapse - John loses more and more territory to France.

| 1206: Invasion of Gascony - Gascony invasion by King Alfonso VIII of Castile defeated.

| 1209: Treaty of Norham - John is recognised as the overlord of Scotland

| 1209: Excommunicated - Pope excommunicates John over his choice of Archbishop of Canterbury.

| 1210: Taxation of the Jews - In exchange for protection, John majorly increases taxation of Jews. 

| 1210: Irish rebellion - Irish rebellion defeated.

| 1211: Welsh Uprising - John defeats son-in-law, Prince Llywelyn's, uprising against English control.

| 1213: Reconciliation with Rome - John reconciles with the Pope and is no longer excommunicated. 

| 1214: Battle of Bouvines - John's army defeated by King Philip II of France.

| 1215: First Barons' War begins - Barons begin rebelling against John.

| 1215: Magna Carta signed - John is forced to sign the Magna Carta, limiting royal power.

| 1216: Louis the Lion claims to be king - Prince Louis of France declares himself King of England.

| 1216: Loss of the Crown Jewels - John accidentally drops the crown jewels into quicksand. 

  

 

Sources & Further Reading:

Holt, J. (2018). John | Facts, Reign, Legacy, & Magna Carta. In Encyclopædia Britannica. https://www.britannica.com/biography/John-king-of-England 

John of England (John Lackland).jpg - Wikimedia Commons. (2022). Wikimedia.org. https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:John_of_England_(John_Lackland).jpg

King John of England Timeline. (n.d.). World History Encyclopedia. https://www.worldhistory.org/timeline/King_John_of_England/ 

Masson, V. (n.d.). Why has there only been one King John? Historic UK. https://www.historic-uk.com/HistoryUK/HistoryofEngland/Why-Only-One-King-John/

pixeltocode.uk, P. (n.d.). John. Westminster Abbey. https://www.westminster-abbey.org/abbey-commemorations/royals/john

Stewart, P. (2022) King John | EBSCO. EBSCO Information Services, Inc. | www.ebsco.com. https://www.ebsco.com/research-starters/literature-and-writing/king-john