Existing comment:
King John in History and Memory
History has not been kind to King John of England (reigned 1199–1216). Interpretations of his character have ranged from the cruel Prince John of the Robin Hood tradition to the complex but weak-willed sovereign in Shakespeare's Life and Death of King John. Depictions have rarely been flattering. During his own time, King John's reputation was no better.
King John presided over the loss of the extensive realm that his father King Henry II (reigned 1154–1189) had ruled across the English Channel. His prolonged failure to reconquer that territory, the unprecedented level of taxation he demanded, and conflicts that he unnecessarily caused with Pope Innocent III all served to erode his political support at home. Many barons claimed that King John governed England with disregard for their traditional privileges.
Leaders of a failed 1212 baronial revolt returned to England by 1214, after King John's defeat at the Battle of Bouvines, and found common cause with English bishops who resented John for weakening the independence of the English Church. Meanwhile, a coalition of northern barons emerged who refused to pay for King John's wars and were ready to renounce their loyalty to his crown. |