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John's reign has been traditionally characterized as one of the most disastrous in English history: it began with defeats—he lost Normandy to Philippe Auguste of France in his first five years on the throne—and ended with England torn by civil war and himself on the verge of being forced out of power. In 1213, he made England a papal fief to resolve a conflict with the Church, and his rebellious barons forced him to sign Magna Carta1215 placed certain checks on the absolute power of the monarchy. Magna Carta ( Latin: Great Charter , written in 1215, is an English charter which limited the power of English Kings, specifically King John, from absolute rule. In effect, Magna Carta requ in 1215Events June 15 King John of England forced to put his seal to Magna Carta, outlining the rights of landowning men (nobles and knights) and restricts the king's power. August King John rejects Magna Carta leading to English civil war in the First Barons' W, the act for which he is best remembered. Some have argued, however, that John ruled no better or worse than his immediate predecessor or his successor.
Born at OxfordThis is about the city of Oxford in England. See also other meanings, including other cities. Oxford is a city and local government district in Oxfordshire, England, with a population of 134,248 ( 2001 census). Its latitude and longitude are 51°45'07" N a, John was the fifth son of King Henry II of EnglandHenry II ( March 25, 1133 July 6, 1189), ruled as Duke of Anjou and as King of England ( 1154 1189) and, at various times, controlled parts of Wales, Scotland, eastern Ireland, and western France. His sobriquets include "Curt Mantle" (because of the pract and Eleanor of AquitaineEleanor of Aquitaine (about 1122 April 1, 1204) was one of the most powerful people of the Middle Ages and the richest and most powerful woman in Europe during her lifetime. She was married first to the French King Louis VII and then to the English King H, and was always his father's favourite son, though as the youngest, he could expect no inheritance (hence his nickname, "Lackland"). In 1189Events January 21 Philip II of France and Richard I of England begin to assemble troops to wage the Third Crusade September 3- Richard I of England is crowned as king of England. This year was fixed as the start of time immemorial in English law in 1276. he married Avisa, daughter and heiress of the Earl of GloucesterThis is about Gloucester, England for other uses see Gloucester (disambiguation Gloucester (pronounced 'Gloster') is a city in south-west England, close to the Welsh border. In 1991 it had a population of 106,526. Traditionally Gloucester has been the cou. (She is given several alternative names by history, including Isabella, Hawise, Joan, and Eleanor.) They had no children, and John had their marriage annulled on the grounds of consanguinity, some time before or shortly after his accession to the throne, which took place on April 6, 1199, and she was never acknowledged as queen. (She then married Geoffrey de Mandeville as her second husband and Hubert de Burgh as her third).
Before his accession, John had already acquired a reputation for treachery, having conspired sometimes with and sometimes against his elder brothers, Henry, Geoffrey and Richard. In 1184, John and Richard both claimed that they were the rightful heir to the Aquitaine, one of many unfriendly encounters between the two. In 1185 though, John became the ruler of Ireland, whose people grew to despise him, causing John to leave after only eight months (see: John's first expedition to Ireland).
During Richard's absence on crusade from 1190 to 1194, John attempted to overthrow his designated regent, despite having been forbidden by his brother to leave France. This was one reason the older legend of Hereward the Wake was updated to King Richard's reign, with "Prince John" as the ultimate villain and with the hero now called " Robin Hood". However, on his return to England in 1194, Richard forgave John and named him as his heir.
On Richard's death, John did not gain immediate universal recognition as king. Some regarded his young nephew, Arthur of Brittany, the posthumous son of John's brother Geoffrey, as the rightful heir. He and John contested for the throne, but John captured Arthur and his sister Eleanor around 1203. Arthur died, allegedly murdered, about this time and Eleanor remained a prisoner the rest of her life (which ended in 1241); through deeds such as these, John acquired a reputation for ruthlessness.
In the meantime, John had remarried, on August 24, 1200, Isabella of Angoulême, who was twenty years his junior. She was the daughter of Aimer Taillfer, Count of Angouleme. Isabella eventually produced five children, including two sons ( Henry and Richard) and Eleanor of England. Around this time John also married off his illegitimate daughter, Joan, to the Welsh prince Llywelyn the Great, building an alliance in the hope of keeping peace within England and Wales so that he could recover his French lands. The French king had declared most of these forfeit in 1204, leaving John only Gascony in the southwest.
As far as the administration of his kingdom went, John functioned as quite a just and enlightened ruler, but he won the disapproval of the barons by taxing them. The tax known as scutage, a penalty for those who failed to supply military resources, became particularly unpopular. He also fell out with the Pope by rejecting Stephen Langton, the official candidate for the position of Archbishop of Canterbury. This resulted in John's excommunication. He had much the same kind of dispute with the church as his father had had before him. Unfortunately, his excommunication encouraged his political rivals to rise against him. Having successfully put down the Welsh Uprising of 1211 , he turned his attentions back to his overseas interests and regained the approval of Pope Innocent III.
John of England signs Magna Carta – fanciful illustration from Cassell's History of England (1902)
The European wars culminated in defeat at the Battle of Bouvines, which forced the king to accept an unfavourable peace with France. This finally turned the barons against him, and he met their leaders at Runnymede, near London, on June 15, 1215, to sign the Great Charter called, in Latin, Magna Carta. Because he had signed under duress, however, John felt entitled to break his word as soon as hostilities had ceased, provoking the First Barons' War.
In the following year, John, retreating from an invasion by Prince Louis of France (whom the majority of the English barons had invited to replace John on the throne), crossed the marshy area known as The Wash in East Anglia and lost his most valuable treasures, including the Crown Jewels as a result of the unexpected incoming tide. This dealt him a terrible blow, which affected his health and state of mind, and he succumbed to dysentery, dying on October 18 or October 19, 1216, at Newark in Lincolnshire*. Numerous, if fictitious, accounts circulated soon after his death that he had been killed by poisoned ale or poisoned plums. He lies buried in Worcester Cathedral in the city of Worcester. His nine-year-old son succeeded him and became King Henry III of England, and although Louis continued to claim the English throne, the barons switched their allegiance to the new king, forcing Louis to give up his claim and sign the Treaty of Lambeth in 1217.