King John of England

Better known as John the Landless(English) John Lackland; franc. Jean sans Terre), also Count of Mortain, King John was the fifth son Henry II And Eleanor of Aquitaine, and younger brother Richard I the Lionheart. During his reign he was forced to accept Magna Carta (Magna Carta) and lost most of the English possessions in France.

John was the favorite son of Henry II, although Henry could not grant him the lands in France that he hoped for; This is where John's nickname comes from "Landless". However, he was granted possession of Ireland and the inheritance of the earldom of Gloucester. In 1185, John spent several months in Ireland, where he earned a bad reputation for his recklessness and irresponsibility, which seemed to do nothing to lessen his father's affections.

In June 1189 Richard rebelled against his father Henry II (motivated in part, no doubt, by Henry's favoritism towards John). For reasons that remain unclear, John joined Richard's rebellion. A month later, Richard became king. John was made Earl of Mortain, confirmed as Lord of Ireland, and married Isabella, heir to the earldom of Gloucester. All this in exchange for a promise to stay out of England while Richard went on crusade.

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John didn't keep his promise. When Richard declared their nephew Arthur of Brittany (the son of their late brother Geoffrey) as his heir, John returned to England. And when news reached him that Richard had been captured by Emperor Henry VI, John teamed up with the French king Philip II Augustus and tried to take control of England. After Richard's return in 1194, John was exiled and all his lands were taken from him. In May of that year he was reconciled with his brother and received back some of his lands. However, it was only after Arthur fell into Philip's hands and Richard was forced to recognize John as his heir that John regained all of his estates.

Soon after Richard's death, John became Duke of Normandy, and in May he was crowned King of England. However, Arthur, with the support of Philip, was recognized as Richard's heir in Anjou and the County of Maine. A year later, John signed the treaty of Le Goulet, and, in exchange for some funds and the cession of some territories to Philip, John was recognized as the legal heir to all of Richard's French possessions.

In 1199, John's marriage to Isabella was dissolved on the grounds of consanguinity. Then, after interfering in the politics of the county of Poitou and attempting to settle problems between the rival families of Lusignan and Angoulême, he married another Isabella, heiress of the county of Angoulême, who had until that point been betrothed to Hugh X de Lusignan. The following year the Lusignans, very likely provoked by John's marriage, became indignant and turned to Philip. King Philip II Augustus ordered John, as his vassal regarding the French possessions, to appear before him, but John refused and war ensued. John achieved success at the castle of Mirabeau and captured his nephew Arthur, but lost Normandy, Anjou, Maine and part of Poitou to the French king.

Since virtually all of his French possessions were lost, John was forced to remain in England, where his authority declined due to the loss of lands. In an attempt to compensate for the decline in revenue, he took drastic measures regarding finances, income taxation, taxation of Jews, conducted investigations into royal forests and fiefs, and in doing so exercised his prerogatives, which would later serve as the basis for charges of tyranny brought against him.

The death of Hubert Walter, chancellor and archbishop of Canterbury, opened the door for John to promote his candidates to important positions. This also accelerated the development of the problem with the Church. Pope Innocent III rejected John's candidates for the position of archbishop, and chose Stephen Langton instead. John refused to accept Langton. Then Innocent excommunicated him from the church and imposed an interdict on England - a temporary ban on worship and church rites.

The conflict with the church continued for five years. During this time, John accumulated more than £100,000 from the income from awarded ecclesiastical positions. But, although the break was profitable in monetary terms, it threatened John's plans to regain his lands in Europe, and also damaged his prestige in his own country. In November 1212 John agreed to accept Langton and all the Pope's terms. He renounced his kingdom in favor of the papal nuncio and received it back as a vassal of the Pope, agreeing to pay an annual tribute of 1000 marks. In the summer of 1213, Langton lifted John's excommunication and in 1214 the interdict on England was lifted.

John's reconciliation with Innocent provided John with an ally in the Pope in his conflict with Philip II Augustus, but his infringement of the church outraged the monastic chroniclers, who in their writings accused him of sacrilege, as well as tyranny and cruelty. His planned invasion of France did not result in any decisive victories, and John was forced to accept a truce, which lasted until his death.

Following this second unfavorable result in France, John's return to England was not a happy one. The barons, who had never particularly liked John, expressed even greater dissatisfaction, and civil war broke out in 1215. When London sided with the rebels, John was forced to negotiate. On 15 June 1215, at Runnymede Meadow on the banks of the Thames near Windsor Castle, he accepted the terms set out in a document known as the Barons' Articles. This document was revised over the next few days until both John and the barons accepted the provisions contained in it. The document later became known as Magna Carta (Magna Carta or The Great Charter).

John almost immediately appealed the chariya to the Pope, who sided with the king, and another civil war ensued. John captured Rochester Castle and devastated the northern counties and lands on the Scottish border. But at the request of the barons, the French prince Louis (later Louis VIII) invaded England. John fought until his death in October 1216. His death paved the way for peace; the rebels were restored to their rights, John's son Henry was recognized as heir, and Louis withdrew his troops.

Grade

John's reputation was never good, even (and perhaps especially) during his lifetime. His suspicious nature hampered his diplomatic abilities; his vindictiveness made eliminating the numerous problems with his barons difficult and even impossible. At a time when human integrity was extremely important, his contemporaries clearly saw him as untrustworthy. John is suspected of murdering his nephew Arthur, and there is no doubt that he starved the wife of the rebellious Baron Marcher (William de Braose) along with her son in the royal prison.

On the other hand, John was literate, cultured, widely traveled, and knew more about England than any Norman king before him (and some after him). He took a close interest in the judicial and financial affairs of the state, and made important improvements in military organization, taxation, the granting of preferential privileges to cities, and the administration of justice. He had keen political judgment, and many barons fought on his side during the Civil War.

But in the end, John's best qualities (recognized by sympathetic 16th-century Protestant historians as well as by more modern scholars) cannot outweigh his treachery in the eyes of many, and his reputation as a bad king still remains with him.

His reign is considered one of the most disastrous in the history of England - it began with the conquest of Normandy by the French king Philip II Augustus and ended with a civil war that almost overthrew him from the throne (for his defeats he received another nickname, "Soft Sword", Softsword). In 1213, he recognized England as a vassal of the Pope to end the discord with the Catholic Church, and in 1215, rebel barons forced him to sign the Magna Carta, for which John became best known. Some historians believe that John's reign was no better or worse than the reigns of Richard I and Henry III. However, John's reputation is such that many English monarchs did not name their heirs by this name.

Youth

It is sometimes stated that John was born in 1167, however his parents Henry and Eleanor were in different places nine months before December 1167, as opposed to March 1166. In addition, they spent Christmas 1167 in Normandy. As the canon of Laon wrote a hundred years later, John was named in honor of John the Theologian, on whose day (December 27) he was born. In 1171, John was engaged to the daughter of Humbert III, Count of Savoy.

Unlike his older brothers, John, although he was Henry’s favorite son, did not receive from his father any of the vast land holdings in France, for which he was nicknamed “Landless.” However, John received significant possessions in England and was granted possession of Ireland (1177). He went to Ireland in 1185, strengthening the English administration there and founding several castles, but returned to England a few months later, fearing a clash with Hugo de Lacy and not having enough money.

After the rebellion of his older brothers against his father at the end of his reign and the subsequent struggle, he supported his brother, Richard the Lionheart, who ascended to the throne in 1189. John received confirmation of his lands, which yielded £6,000 a year, and married Isabella, heir to the earldom of Gloucester. They had no children, and shortly before or shortly after his coronation their marriage was annulled on the grounds of consanguinity, so she is not considered queen.

In response to Richard's announcement in 1190 of the son of his deceased brother Geoffrey as his successor, John broke his promise not to enter England while Richard was on crusade and attempted to overthrow Richard's regent William Longchamp. This gave rise to his inclusion as a villain in the ancient legend of Hereward the Wake, which became the legend of Robin Hood.

Having learned that Richard, upon returning from the campaign, was captured in Germany by Emperor Henry VI, John asked Henry not to release Richard as long as possible, entered into an alliance with the French king Philip II Augustus and tried to seize control of England.

In 1193 he was forced to conclude a truce, but did not interrupt relations with Philip and was preparing a rebellion. Richard's response was to expel John and confiscate his lands. Only in 1195 John was partially forgiven and received back part of his possessions, and even later was declared heir.

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John ascended to the throne after Richard's death in 1199. Arthur, the son of John's elder brother Geoffrey, had a more legitimate claim to the throne, and many Norman aristocrats in France refused to support John. However, Arthur grew up on the continent, so the population of the island wanted to see the king, although unloved, but dear John. The barons, realizing their weak position, turned for help to the French king Philip II Augustus (whose vassal John was in his French possessions). In addition, in 1200, John divorced and this time married Isabella of Angoulême, taking her away from his vassal Hugo IX of Lusignan. He also began to complain to Philip.

In 1202, Philip summoned John to appear at court and, when he refused, invaded Normandy and granted Arthur almost all of John's possessions in France. During the war, Arthur besieged his grandmother Eleanor of Aquitaine at the castle of Mirabeau. The castle would have easily fallen if 80-year-old Eleanor had not organized its defense, so the defenders held out for several days until July 31, 1202, when John and his troops approached the castle and took Arthur prisoner. Arthur was first imprisoned in the castle of Falaise under the supervision of [[Hubert de Bourg|Hubert de Bourg]], and John allegedly gave orders to gouge out his eyes, which was not carried out by Hubert. In 1203, Arthur was transferred to Rouen under the supervision of William de Braose, and his further fate is unknown, although John is, of course, suspected of his death.

Subsequently, the war was unsuccessful for the British. John was in financial trouble, his treatment of Arthur and the captives did not win him any supporters, and Philip counterattacked. In 1203, the castle of Gaillard was taken. It was planned by Richard to be completely impregnable, but John ordered minor modifications during construction, and it was because of these that the castle was taken. Rouen fell in 1204. As a result of the military actions of 1202-1204, John lost a significant part of the English possessions on the continent: (Normandy, Maine, Anjou, part of Poitou, then Touraine - treaty of 1206 with Philip II).

In 1207, Pope Innocent III appointed the new Archbishop of Canterbury, Stephen Langton. Trying to strengthen his power, John refused to recognize him, after which the pope imposed an interdict on England (1208), and John began to confiscate church lands. In 1209, the pope excommunicated John from the church, and in 1212 he freed the English from their oath to the king, that is, theoretically deposed him. In 1213, Philip II agreed with the pope to invade England with the aim of overthrowing John and had already assembled a fleet, but William Longespe defeated it at the Battle of Damme. However, by this time John had already decided to end his fight under pressure from the papal legate Pandulf. The king submitted to the pope and recognized himself as his vassal, pledging to pay 1000 marks annually. Only in 1214 the interdict was lifted.

In 1211, John suppressed a Welsh uprising.

Seal of John the Landless

In 1214, the English again came into conflict with the French, allied with Emperor Otto IV and Count Ferran of Flanders. The Allies suffered a crushing defeat at the Battle of Bouvines (27 July).

Magna Carta

Unsuccessful foreign and domestic policies, John's fiscal and political pressure on large feudal lords, often accompanied by outright arbitrariness, caused a revolt of the barons in 1215, which was supported by the clergy, knights and townspeople. Under pressure from the rebels, John the Landless signed the Magna Carta on June 15, 1215. Not intending to fulfill the promises contained in it, John soon attracted mercenaries from the continent and began to attack the barons with renewed vigor. The pope supported his vassal John, canceled the charter and threatened to excommunicate the rebel barons. The spiritual inspirer of the uprising, Archbishop Stephen Langton, refused to read the papal instructions and was summoned to Rome for the Fourth Lateran Council.

John attacked the rebel barons' castles one by one, and in Langton's absence the barons were unable to mount a coordinated response. Out of impotence, they called the French crown prince Louis VIII to the throne, who soon landed in Kent and was proclaimed king in London (although not crowned).

John, retreating, crossed the Wash Bay in eastern England with his baggage train and, caught by an unexpected tide, lost all his gold and jewelry. He could not bear the blow and died on 18 or 19 October in Newark, Lincolnshire from dysentery. (It was subsequently rumored that he had been poisoned.) John is buried in Worcester Cathedral in the city of Worcester.

John's heir was his nine-year-old son Henry, with the Duke of Pembroke as regent. The barons recognized him, and Louis' claims to the English throne came to nothing.

August nicknames

King John had two nicknames, both quite offensive. Judge for yourself: Richard, his brother and predecessor on the throne, was dubbed the “Lionheart”, while John was called the “Landless” and the “Soft Sword”. Of course, even in his youth, the brothers’ father, Henry II, was known only as “Short Cloak,” but this was not as offensive as a nickname signaling military failures.

Children of King Henry II. John the Landless - far right

If everything is clear with the “Soft Sword,” then how did the first nickname appear? John was the youngest son in the family, and also the fifth in a row. Therefore, he received absolutely nothing from his father’s possessions in France: all the lands were divided without his participation. It was then that John became Landless.

Brother to brother wolf

After John the Landless, no English king bore his name.

John the Lackland's relationship with Richard the Lionheart was, to put it mildly, strained. At first, John supported his brother in the struggle for the throne with other heirs that unfolded after the death of his father, but then he himself wanted to become king. When Richard was with the Holy Roman Emperor Henry VI, John urged Henry to keep Richard imprisoned as long as possible. The kind brother himself at this time became an ally of the King of France, Philip II Augustus, and tried to carry out a coup in England. However, luck was not on John’s side, and the confrontation between the brothers ended with Richard expelling John from the state and depriving his already “landless” brother of his English possessions.


Portrait of Richard the Lionheart

After Richard's death, John finally achieved his goal and became king. This required a lot of effort: this time the enemy was his nephew Arthur I, the son of John’s elder brother Geoffrey.

Magna Carta

- one of the fundamental documents of English statehood - was signed by John the Landless in 1215. It cannot be said that the monarch granted it to his subjects from the royal shoulder: the ruler simply had no choice. The barons were outraged by the exorbitant taxes that John imposed on them, and they forced the king to sign a charter that did not allow royal arbitrariness and lawlessness. By the way, his subjects especially did not like the fact that John declared himself a vassal of Pope Innocent III, whose support he needed in the fight against France.


One of the official copies of the Magna Carta

So the charter was approved. However, John's reluctance to follow the letter of the law led to unrest and civil war, in which the English barons fought with Norwegian and Danish mercenaries brought in by John.

Death of a King

John the Landless met his death without resolving the difficult situation in the country. According to the widespread version, the king died of dysentery, but for a long time there were rumors that the unloved ruler could have been poisoned.


John the Landless

It is also known that shortly before his death, John lost all his gold and jewelry - he was crossing Wash Bay with a baggage train at low tide, but the water suddenly began to rise and took all his wealth with it. It is likely that the king’s feelings about this were so strong that it prevented him from resisting the illness that had arrived.

The severity with which Henry II ruled England created discontent against him in the country. At all the power of the English kings was quite significant, and opposition had already begun against Henry II at the end of his reign. Eldest son of Henry II, Richard the Lionheart, reigned for a very short time. Having ascended the throne, he set off on the Third Crusade, on the return journey from which he was captured by Emperor Henry VI. This knight and poet was succeeded on the royal throne by his brother John the Landless(1199–1216), whose reign was especially important for England. A completely reckless and extremely despotic man, through murder he removed his nephew (Arthur), who had much more rights to occupy the throne, from the throne, but with all his behavior he armed several enemies against himself at once - and the French king Philip II Augustus whose vassal was over the lands on the mainland, and the pope Innocent III, raised the significance of his rank to an unattainable height, and the main classes of the population in England itself. The King of France called him to the court of peers for the murder of his own nephew and, when John did not appear at the trial, he took it away from him. Normandy(with Brittany) and most of Aquitaine (Battle of Bouvine in 1214). The king incurred the wrath of Pope Innocent III by the unauthorized appointment of the Archbishop of Canterbury, when the pope gave this place to another - a certain Stefan Langton. John the Landless seized the archbishop's estates, but the pope put England under interdict, that is, he announced the cessation of worship in it, which aroused terrible displeasure in the country against the king, who brought it to such a measure with his resistance to the pope. At the same time, John personally was declared excommunicated and removed from the throne, Moreover, the pope gave his kingdom to the French king.

Then John humbled himself and solemnly recognized England as a papal fief, and himself a vassal of the pope, as a sign of which he laid the crown at the feet of the papal legate and undertook to pay an annual tribute to the Roman high priest. John's barons were terribly annoyed by all this. Many of them had lands in France and were interested in retaining Normandy and other provinces for England. They gave John a lot of money to wage war with Philip Augustus, but the frivolous king conducted the war very badly, and squandered the money without any benefit. In addition, the barons were burdened arbitrariness, with whom John, as a feudal overlord, collected duties during the transfer of fiefs by inheritance, took care of his young vassals, forced the heiresses of the feuds to marry whomever he pleased, etc. The next year after the defeat of John by Philip Augustus English barons rebelled against him with arms in hand, and joined them London, capital of the kingdom. Then John the Landless made concessions and 1215 in a meadow near Windsor signed the letter by which all these concessions were approved.

181. Magna Carta

This charter is known as Magna Carta and is of the utmost importance in the history of England, since it laid the foundation the beginning of the development of English political freedom. The main content of the charter is purely feudal. It determined most of all the mutual relations between the king and his vassals in view of the king’s previous abuses of his suzerain rights. But the charter also included articles that were important not only for royal vassals, since the barons were supported by both the clergy and the townspeople. The Charter therefore confirmed the old church rights And liberties of urban communities(civitates). Defending their rights, the barons, i.e., royal vassals, extended the benefits received to their own vassals, i.e. knights and reprimanded well-known provisions not only free people but even serfs(villans). The various liberties listed in the charter concerned, in addition to feudal relations, bureaucratic administration, court, imposition of fines, entry and exit abroad, etc., but articles that ensured personal integrity and participation of the nation in the establishment of taxes. No free man could be subjected to imprisonment, confiscation of property, exile, etc., except by the decision of his peers (equals) and by the law of the land. To assign taxes (votes of subsidies), except for cases of payment of feudal dues, the king was finally obliged to convene a general congress of prelates and barons. Knowing John's treachery, the barons included another article in the great charter, by virtue of which a council of 25 barons was supposed to oversee the execution of the treaty, and if the king violated it, start a rebellion against him.

Copy of Magna Carta from the British Library

The Magna Carta of 1215 in the history of the Middle Ages was not the only charter that approved the agreement between the king and his subjects, but none had such historical significance as this one. Because of her, however, the English barons had to endure another struggle. John the Landless received permission from the pope to break this promise and began a war with the barons, but just at that time he died, and the guardian of his young son, Henry III, had to confirm the charter. In the 13th century it was confirmed, moreover, several more times.

John the Landless

John I. Drawing from Cassel's History of England, 1902 edition.
Reproduction from the site http://monarchy.nm.ru/

John Lackland (24.XII.1167 - 19.X.1216) - English king (from 1199) from the Plantagenet dynasty. The youngest son of Henry II (the nickname "Lackland" - English Lackland, French Sans Terre - received because his father, even before the birth of John the Landless, distributed all his land holdings in France into a domain to his eldest sons). Like his father, he pursued a policy of fiscal and political pressure on large feudal lords - barons, while allowing outright arbitrariness: he arrested the barons, deprived them of their land and executed them without trial; being their immediate lord, he violated feudal customs towards them. He sharply increased state taxes, which caused indignation among those social strata that had previously supported the English kings in their struggle with the barons - the knighthood, townspeople, and the top of the free peasantry. As a result of the unsuccessful war with France of 1202-1204, he lost Normandy, Anjou, Maine, Touraine and part of Poitou. Attempts to return these lands only led to the complete defeat of John the Landless and his allies in 1214. battles of Buvin and Laroche-aux-Moines. In 1207 he entered into open conflict with the Pope Innocent III, refusing to recognize Stephen Langton as Archbishop of Canterbury. After Innocent III imposed an interdict on England for this (1208), and then deposed John the Landless (1209) and transferred his rights to the throne to the French king Philip II Augustus, John the Landless in 1213 completely submitted to the pope, recognized himself as a vassal of the pope, pledging pay him 1000 marks in silver annually. The growth of extortions and unsuccessful foreign policy caused a baronial uprising against John the Landless in 1215, which was supported by the church, knighthood and townspeople. John the Landless was forced to sign the Magna Carta. When, with the support of the pope, he then refused to comply with the charter, the barons began a war against him (1216), during which John the Landless died.

E. V. Gutnova. Moscow.

Soviet historical encyclopedia. In 16 volumes. - M.: Soviet Encyclopedia. 1973-1982. Volume 6. INDRA - CARACAS. 1965.

John I
John the Landless
John the Lackland
Years of life: December 24, 1166 - October 18/19, 1216
Years of reign: 1199 - 1216
Father: Henry II
Mother: Eleanor of Aquitaine
Wives:
1) Avisa (Isabella) of Gloucester
2) Isabella of Angoulême
Sons: Henry , Richard
Daughters: Joanna, Isabella, Eleanor

John was the fifth and most beloved son of Henry II. However, as the youngest son, he was not supposed to get any of his father’s possessions, which is why he received the nickname “landless.” True, towards the end of his life, Henry, angry with Richard, made John Duke of Aquitaine, which provoked a war with the king of France. And in 1185, John became the ruler of Ireland, although in 8 months he managed to turn people against himself so much that he was forced to leave the country.

Even during Henry's lifetime, John acquired a reputation as a traitor when he took part in the feuds of his father and older brothers. His evil inclinations fully manifested themselves during the reign of Richard I. During his absence, John constantly tried to overthrow the regents appointed by Richard and seize power. Upon returning from the Crusade in 1194, Richard severely reprimanded his brother, but soon forgave him and appointed him as his heir.

John's reign began with a war against France. Philip II did not recognize John's rights to the throne and transferred all of his French possessions to John's nephew Arthur of Brittany. John transferred troops to the continent, but soon chose to make peace, according to which he received Normandy back in exchange for 2,000 pounds sterling and a niece given as a wife to the French prince Louis.

In 1199, John obtained from the pope the right to divorce his childless wife Isabella of Gloucester and soon married Isabella Taillefer. The new wife was 12 years younger than her husband. John is with her fiancé Hugo of Marsh. Hugo, offended, complained to his overlord Philip II. He summoned John, who was his vassal, to court. John, naturally, refused to appear, and Philip immediately took advantage of the formal reason to again deprive John of all his French possessions in favor of Arthur of Brittany. John attacked Arthur at Rouen Castle, stabbed him to death with a sword, and drowned his body in the Seine. Philip led troops into Normandy and began to capture one city after another, but John preferred fun with his young wife to battles. Only in 1206 did he gather an army, land at La Rochelle and enter into negotiations. However, by this time almost nothing remained of his possessions in France.

In 1205 John came into conflict with Pope Innocent III over the appointment of a new Archbishop of Canterbury. The ambassadors sent by John to Rome agreed to the autocratic approval of the candidacy of Stephen Langton, without taking into account the opinions of the rest of the English priests. An angry John forbade the ambassadors to return to England. The Pope responded by imposing an interdict on England, banning all religious services in the country. The priests, outraged by John's tyranny, observed the ban with all severity. The king responded by imprisoning disobedient priests and taking away church estates.

Fearing excommunication from the church and the release of his subjects from the oath, John tried in every possible way to protect himself by hiring foreign soldiers to serve, imposed a heavy tribute on his vassals, took their wives and children hostage, and he often raped the noble girls who were his hostages. .

Outraged by John's despotism, the barons turned to the king of France for help, and in 1212 the pope finally excommunicated John from the church and declared him dethroned. Philip II, with the blessing of the pope, began to prepare for a crusade against England. John also gathered a large army, but he had great doubts about the loyalty of his soldiers; he preferred to go to peace with the pope. John recognized Stephen Langton as Archbishop of Canterbury, returned to the church all previously taken away estates and recognized England as a papal fief, promising to pay an annual tribute of 1,000 marks in silver, and promised to restore the laws of the times of the Saxon kings to the barons.

In 1213, a large meeting of barons took place in London, at which Stephen Langton read out an old charter from the time of Henry I that he allegedly accidentally found, which gave certain freedoms to the barons. A year later, John and his army of mercenaries were defeated in France, losing the remnants of his possessions in France. Returning home, he demanded monetary compensation from the barons for refusing to participate in the campaign. The barons responded by reminding him of the promise to restore the old laws and of the found charter of Henry I. John took time to think, but realizing that power was not on his side, on March 15, 1215, he signed the famous “Magna Carta,” also known as “ Magna Carta". This document limited the autocratic power of the king and gave protection to citizens: from now on no one could be arrested or punished except by a court verdict. The king pledged to restore the old legal procedures. Taxes were also streamlined. To protect the Charter, a committee of 25 barons was created, who were supposed to call the people to revolt if it was violated. John, not wanting to recognize the Charter, complained about the barons to the pope, who, after reconciliation, became his close ally. Innocent excommunicated the rebels and helped John with money for the mercenaries. The barons called for help from the French prince Louis, who was promised the English throne. Henry .

Civil war broke out. However, Innocent soon died, and John had nowhere else to wait for support. In addition, he lost all his treasures, including the royal crown, drowned during the sea tide. Soon after this, he fell ill and died on the night of October 18-19, 1216. He was succeeded by his young son

Material used from the site http://monarchy.nm.ru/ John the Landless, King of England Plantagenets

, reigned 1199-1216. Son of Henry II and Eleanor of Aquitaine.

1) from 1189 Isabella, daughter of Earl William of Gloucester (+ 1217);

John was 32 years old when he ascended the throne. None of his contemporary chroniclers found kind words about him. The king was a lazy man and filled with base feelings. He had neither the creative energy of Henry II nor the brilliant qualities of Richard I. He resembled them only in his vices. Devoid of moral and religious principles, he was cunning and cruel; he was a bad man who became a bad king. His turbulent reign is filled with three major clashes: the fight with the French king Philip Augustus, the fight with the church and, finally, the fight with his own barons.

The war with France began immediately after Richard's death, since Philip II did not recognize John's rights to the throne and transferred all continental possessions - Brittany, Anjou, Maine, Touraine and Poitou - to John's nephew Arthur (the son of his older brother Godfrey). John crossed to France, and clashes took place in Le Mans and Angers. However, both kings wanted to make peace quickly and entered into negotiations. In March 1200, a treaty was signed in Goulay, according to which John ceded the county of Evreux to Philip, gave his niece Blanca of Castile to Louis of France and gave her fiefs in Berry and Normandy as a dowry. He also agreed to pay Philip £2,000. On these terms, John was recognized as King of England and Duke of Normandy with supreme rights to Brittany.
A short time later, John obtained from the pope the destruction of the marriage he had concluded 11 years earlier and remained childless with his cousin Isabella of Gloucester. When the French appeared near Rouen, the king sailed to England. Left without support and help, Normandy, Touraine, Anjou and Poitou with their cities and castles, with the exception of La Rochelle, Thouars and Nières, went over to Philip's side. Only in 1206, John with a large army landed in La Rochelle and captured Montauban and Angers. But at the first appearance of the French, he retreated to La Rochelle and began negotiations from here. A truce was concluded for two years. By this time, almost nothing remained of the Plantagenet possessions on the continent.

Almost at the same time, John began to quarrel with Pope Innocent III. In 1205 there was great controversy over the election of a new Archbishop of Canterbury.

Since the pope threatened excommunication and permission for his subjects to take the oath, John tried to take measures to be able to resist. He surrounded himself with mercenaries, took children hostage from vassals, imposed onerous taxes, and extended his despotism to the extent that he persecuted and punished all resistance, regardless of law and right. He made this promise with a light heart, not suspecting what great significance it would have for himself and for his descendants.

With the consent of John, a deputation of 14 monks was sent to Rome, who, not paying attention to the voting rights of their brothers, allowed the pope to autocratically install the Englishman Stephen Langton, who lived in Rome, as Archbishop of Canterbury (1207). Upon learning of this, John became terribly angry. Without recognizing the elections held in Rome, he forbade the deputies to return to England.

Meanwhile, John in February 1214 sailed to La Rochelle with part of the fleet and an army, the majority of which were mercenaries. His brother William was supposed to sail with the rest of the army to the Netherlands. At first the war went well: the British won victories in Anjou and Brittany, and forced Angers to surrender. But soon happiness changed for John. French troops gathered in Chinon, Philip's son Louis led them against the English king, and in the first half of July John was forced to retreat to La Rochelle with heavy losses. Soon after this, he heard about Otgon's defeat at Buvin. This destroyed all his hopes. John abandoned all thoughts of conquest, hastily made peace with the French king and, according to a treaty signed on September 18 in Chinon, recognized him as the sovereign of all possessions in France that had previously belonged to the Plantagenets.

Embittered by the failure, John returned to England in October. Before the outbreak of war, many barons of the northern counties refused to accompany the king to France. John now demanded a monetary reward from them for not participating in the campaign. In response, the barons met in Bury St. Edmonds for a meeting about means that could end the king's autocracy and restore the old laws. Having agreed among themselves on the method of action, they swore to remain unanimous. At Christmas, the nobles, fully armed, arrived in London, appeared to the king, who was then living in Temple Gose, and, on the basis of an old letter found by the archbishop, demanded that John renounce autocracy: not force the nobles to participate in foreign wars, abolish burdensome taxes, expelled foreign mercenaries from the kingdom, did not distribute fiefs to foreigners, and confirmed the laws of Edward, which he himself swore to observe in Winchester. John did not dare to answer with a decisive refusal and said that he must consider their demands and give an answer at Easter.

But both sides understood that their dispute could not be ended peacefully, and therefore they were preparing for war. The king placed detachments of mercenaries throughout the fortresses and enlisted the support of the pope. To do this, in January 1215 he gave the clergy a charter, which granted him freedom of election to church positions, and the next month he accepted the cross from the hands of the Bishop of London in order to come under the protection of the church. Innocent really took an ardent part in John's fate and tried with all his might to support him. But he was far away, and the barons were nearby. In addition, most of the English clergy, including the Archbishop of Canterbury himself, was on the side of the barons.

At Easter the nobles of northern England and many barons from other parts of the kingdom gathered at Brackley. With them were about 2 thousand knights and a very large number of warriors. In regular formation, with banners unfurled, they waged war against the castles occupied by the king's mercenaries. In May they approached the walls of Northampton. Then ambassadors from London arrived in their camp and announced that the townspeople were taking their side. On May 24, the barons occupied London.

The barons had every reason to be afraid. Very little time passed, and the Magna Carta was already under threat of repeal. John returned to Windsor embittered and humiliated. He sat silent in his castle, alienated from people, and thought about revenge. Instead of sending away the mercenaries, he secretly tried to increase their numbers by recruiting soldiers in France and Brabant. But most of all he hoped for dad. Soon, Innocent actually sent the barons a formidable bull, in which he sharply condemned the Charter and, under pain of excommunication, forbade its acceptance for execution. The barons took this threat as a declaration of war. They gathered near Oxford and turned to the French king asking for help against John and his mercenary troops. They announced that they were ready to recognize Philip's son Louis, married to John's niece Blanca of Castile, as king. Meanwhile, John had quietly moved from Windsor to the Isle of Wight. Three months later, considering that he already had enough strength, the king landed at Dover and besieged Rochester. After a stubborn defense, the castle fell.