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The Reign of King John 1199-1216 - Coggle Diagram
The Reign of King John 1199-1216
Before he became King
3 brother dies, leaving John as heir to the throne.
1185, sent to rule Ireland- ends in disaster and sent home after 6 months.
When Henry dies, John is left nothing. Nickname 'lackland'
1192- John tries, unsuccessfully, to steal the crown from his brother Richard I. He was forgiven.
Born in 1167- the fifth son of Henry II
Reputation for violent rages
The Angevin Empire
Phillip II and some nobles wanted Arthur (John's nephew) as King. So John had him imprisoned.
1200-John marries Isabella, who was promised to Hugh Lusignan. This led Philip to attack John's French lands.
1202- Arthur goes missing and people blame John. This led to a rebellion in Brittany.
He inherits England and the huge Angevin Empire, which he will lose in his short reign
1204- Normandy and Brittany taken by Philip. John is forced to retreat and gains the reputation of a weak military leader. 'John Softsword'.
1199- Richard is killed on crusade and John becomes King!
To pay for losing the war he greatly increases taxes, adding to his unpopularity.
1204- John’s mother Eleanor of Aquitaine dies. Following this many nobles refused to support him.
The Church/Pope
Pope Innocent III chooses Stephen Langton. John refuses.
The Pope excommunicates John in 1209 and places England under interdict
1205- The Archbishop of Canterbury dies
This upset the English people. They believed they could no longer go to heaven
John believed that he should have total control over the church in England rather than the Pope
The Pope then encourages Philip II to invade England. He loses more of the Angevin Empire
1213- John gives in and accepts Langton. He also swears fealty to the Pope.
The Magna Carta 1215
They meet at Runnymede and present John with their list of demands, known as the Magna Carta
There were 63 demands trying to restrict the king's power
The nobles decide to rebel. They form an army against John and march to London
Some demands
The King could not interfere with the Church
The King could only raise taxes with the nobles permission
People were entitled to a fair trial
Punishment must fit the crime
He then signs a peace treaty with Philip II, much to the dismay of his nobles.
Civil war
John signed the MC, but had no intention of keeping his promises
He then responded by raising his own army, so he could fight the nobles.
The civil war did not last long, as John caught dysentery and died in Oct 1216.
John loses the Battle of Bouvines and the last of the Angevin Empire.
CE Essay Questions
b) What do you judge to be the most important reason why John failed to hold onto the Angevin Empire? (8)
c) 'King John was a failure as a king'. How far do you agree with this statement? (14)
a) Describe two important events in King John's life before he became king. (8)