Each of the kings of England became famous for valor, wisdom, decency and nobility. But there were annoying exceptions. King of England John Landless turned out to be just such a ruler. During his reign, he almost destroyed the country. After such a ruler, even the name "John" became edifying, they began to consider him unhappy and ceased to call children like that.
Meet John!
John Landless, aka King of England John, was born on 12.24.1167 in Oxford. Since 1199, he ruled England, was the Duke of Aquitaine from the Plantagenet dynasty and the youngest (or rather, the fifth) son of Henry the Second.
The reign of John the Landless is considered the most catastrophic for the entire existence of England. It began with the fact that Normandy was conquered by the French king. And it ended in a riot, which almost removed King John of England from the throne.
Why did the reign of the new king not please people? First, in 1213, he agreed that England would become the vassal lands of the Pope. Secondly, in 1215, the English barons revolted against him and forced John Landless to sign the Magna Carta. Thirdly, due to exorbitant taxes and constant (and most importantly, inconclusive) aggression against France, John's reputation was so poor that none of the subsequent kings called him the name of his child. The only thing that remembered the reign of I. Landless is the signing of the Liberty Charter.
Dubious reputation
The future ruler of England was named in honor of the Apostle John the Theologian, because it was on his day that he was born. Already in 1171, John 1 of the Landless was engaged to the daughter of Count of Savoy.
John was the most beloved son of Henry II, but, unlike his brothers, he did not receive land holdings in France from his father. For this he was awarded the nickname "Landless."
Although he got significant territories in England, Ireland was also gifted.
In his youth, John had already earned a reputation as a traitor. He always took part in conspiracies and rebellions against his father Heinrich. There was no exception and the rebellion of the brothers, in which the future king of England John took the side of Richard the Lionheart, who took the throne in 1189. John confirmed his ownership of English and Irish lands and promised not to appear on the territory of the country until Richard returned from the Crusade. After some time, he marries the heiress of Count Gloucester. True, they broke up after the coronation of John due to consanguinity, so she can not be considered the queen of England.
In 1190, Richard announced that his successor would be Arthur, the son of his deceased younger brother, Jeffrey. Hearing this news, John broke his oath and invaded the lands of England, in protest, he wanted to overthrow regent Richard.
Around the same time, Richard returned from the campaign and fell into captivity in Germany. John asks Henry VI (Emperor of Germany) to keep Richard in his house for as long as possible. While the current ruler of England was in captivity, John makes an alliance with the king of France, Philip II Augustus, and tries to seize control of England.
In 1193, he was forced to sign a truce. Richard, who came out of captivity, expelled his brother from the country and confiscated all his lands. Only in 1195, John the Landless was partially forgiven and returned to his former possessions, and after some time he was called the future ruler.
Reign
John of the Land became King of England in 1199, when Richard died. Of course, Arthur had more legitimate applications for the throne, moreover, the Norman aristocrats completely refused to assist John. But at the same time, Arthur grew up and was brought up on the continent, so the local population wanted to see as his king, though he was not a good-natured and unloved, but his native John.
The English barons understood that they were in a very disadvantageous and weak position, and therefore turned to the king of France, Philip II Augustus, for support, because it was John who was his vassal on his French lands. In 1200, the King of England, John, abandons his rightful wife and immediately marries Isabella of Angouleme, whom he took from under the crown of his vassal. The abandoned groom immediately began to write complaints about John Philip II.
There were a lot of various complaints about the new king in the first two years of his reign, Philip II, so in 1202, John Bezemmelny received an order to appear at court. However, the obstinate and masterful ruler refused to carry it out. The king of France could not forgive such behavior, so he invaded Normandy and gave Arthur all the French possessions of John.
War
During the war between England and France, Arthur left his grandmother Eleanor of Aquitaine in the castle of Mirabeau. If the 78-year-old woman had not organized the defense, the castle would have fallen easily, and so the defenders held out until July 31, 1202, when the King of England John came to the castle moor. He captured his nephew Arthur and imprisoned him in the castle of Falez. Historians say that a little later John gave the order to gouge out Arthur's eyes, but Hubert de Burg (overseer) could not fulfill it. In 1203, Arthur was transferred to the castle of Rouen under the responsibility of William de Braoz. From this moment, nothing is known about his future fate, although they say that it was John who was responsible for his death.
At this stage of the reign of John Landless, the British did not receive any advantages in the war. The king of England was in dire financial trouble. The way he behaved with Arthur and other captives did not add to his popularity and supporters, moreover, Philip did not back down, but continued to counterattack. In 1204, France took Rouen and Chateau Gaillard. In just two years (from 1202 to 1204), the English king John Bezemzelny lost a significant part of state property. Normandy, Maine, Anjou, part of Poitou were literally taken from under his nose, and, according to the agreement of 1206, Turen also left Philip II.
Theology Issues
In 1207, Pope Innocent III appointed a new Archbishop of Canterbury. King John Landless was so eager to strengthen his influence that he refused to recognize Stephen Langton (new archbishop). After such disrespect, the pope imposed an interdict on the whole country, that is, a ban on holding various kinds of services.
This didn’t scare John much, since he began to confiscate church lands. In 1209, by decree of the Pope, King John the Landless was excommunicated, and in 1212 all the English were exempted from the oath to the king. Simply put, the pope contributed to the fact that John theoretically resigned. John could not lose his position. And while Philip II agreed with the pope on the invasion of England, her king had already stopped fighting, accepted all the conditions and agreed to pay a fine of 1000 marks annually. The interdict was removed from England in 1214, and in the same year England again came into conflict with France. This time, John reached an understanding with Emperor Otton IV and the Earl of Flanders, however, this did not help him much - on July 27, 1214, the allies were defeated in the battle of Bouvin.
General discontent
After the King of England, John the Landless, lost the battle at Bouvin and lost all possessions on the continent, he returned to his country. Immediately after his return, he ordered the collection of taxes from barons who did not participate in the military campaign. Each baron for one knightly linen had to pay 40 silver shillings. New requisitions (taxes) laid the foundation for mass discontent and active resistance of the nobility.
The northern barons were the first to give a signal to speak, they flatly refused to pay such exorbitant requisitions. Barons from the east joined the northern counties.
On November 4, 1214, a meeting of the current monarch of England and the barons took place at Edmondsbury Abbey. True, this did not produce any results; the king left the abbey with nothing. The barons were in no hurry to leave, citing the fact that they wanted to pray. On November 20, they held a secret meeting at which they announced the "certain charter of Henry I."
All those present solemnly swore that if the king refuses to revive the laws of Edward the Confessor and the rights recorded in the Charter, they will all at the same time go against John the Landless War and do not retreat until he signs the Charter and assures them of the royal seal.
Law restoration
By December 25, 1214, each of the barons had to prepare infantry and armed horse troops, take care of food and equipment, so that after the Christmas holidays he would go to the king to make demands. As soon as the Christmas holidays ended, the barons sent their messengers to the king. He accepted them on 6/01/1215, and the envoys immediately demanded that the king confirm some of the rights and laws of his predecessor, King Edward, and all the provisions recorded in the Charter of King Henry I. Naturally, John was informed of what consequences would be expected if he he will refuse to sign such a document. He asked for a truce and promised that on Easter he would restore all the laws of Edward.
Frankly, John Landless Charter of Liberties of Henry I did not want to restore. It was too unprofitable. After receiving a respite, John issued a Charter on free church elections, a decree on taking the oath to the king, and took a vow of the crusader, suggesting that then the Roman church would patronize him.
But this was not at all what the barons demanded. In Stamford, they had already managed to collect two thousand knights and after Easter went to Brackley.
According to the chronicler
Matvey of Paris in his annals spoke of this event in this way. As soon as John found out that the army gathered by the barons was sent to him, he sent the archbishop, Marshal William, Earl of Pembroke and a few smart people to him to find out exactly what laws and liberties were in question.
Having met with the royal ambassadors, the barons presented them with a scripture, which consisted of the ancient laws and customs of the kingdom. They also said that if the king does not agree to these conditions and does not confirm his intentions with a royal seal, they will seize all his castles and possessions. Then he will still have to pass these laws, but already by force.
The archbishop brought this message to the king and read to him chapter by chapter all the demands. As soon as the king heard the contents of these articles, he laughed viciously, saying that their demands were not based on any right. The king also added that he would never agree to make the concessions that a slave would make of him. Stefan Langton and William Marshall tried to persuade the king, but everything was in vain: John Landless refused to sign the Magna Carta.
The barons immediately renounced vassal allegiance to the king as soon as they received an answer from him. They elected Robert Fitz-Walter as their leader and advanced to Northampton, and then to Bedford. The rebellion received the support of London. Envoys “undercover” invited the barons to speak in London, guaranteeing that the capital would be on their side.
May 15, 1215 the rebellion of the barons began in London. From the capital to all the English counties were sent messengers, with a call to join the rebellion. Almost all the nobility of the country and most of the knights responded to the messages. On the side of the king there was only a small retinue.
King of England John and the Liberty Charter
In this situation, John was completely powerless, so he had to enter into negotiations with the rebel barons. On June 15, 1215, representatives of both sides met on the banks of the Thames. The archbishops of Canterbury and Dublin, as well as the legates of Pope Pandulf, were invited to the role of mediators. The king had, albeit reluctantly, but to stamp the petitions of the barons, where all the requirements were listed. In historical annals, this document is called the Baron articles.
Starting from June 15-19, on the basis of the Baron articles, the Magna Carta was written, which the king also had to sign. If the Baron articles were similar in nature to the agreement between the baron and the king, then the Charter resembled a royal award. This document regulated the rights and freedoms of not only the nobility, but also ordinary royal subjects. The Charter described the nuances of the work of officials and taxation. For example, not a single citizen of the country could be executed without trial. The amount of taxes was determined on the general advice of the king with the barons. A special council of 25 barons was also created, which was to monitor how the king would comply with the terms of the agreement. If the monarch does not follow the Charter and the Baron articles, then the nobility will again raise a rebellion.
A rematch
But the king did not think to fulfill the conditions that were imposed on him. John attracted mercenaries from the continent and began to attack the barons.
The king wanted to eliminate the restrictions of power established by the Charter by any means. Therefore, he complained to Pope Innocent III. He was annoyed that this issue was resolved by an armed uprising. He issued a special bull (August 24, 1215), where he announced that the Charter had no power, and the king was freed from the oath. He called the document itself an unlawful, unjust and shameful treaty.
Archbishop Langton, who was the ideological and spiritual inspirer of the coup, did not want to read out papal instructions; as a result, he was summoned to Rome for IV Lateran Cathedral. While Langton was absent, and the barons could not coordinate their actions to give the king a worthy rebuff, John continued to attack the rebel castles one by one. As a result, the latter called on the French crown prince to take the throne. In London, he was proclaimed king, although not crowned.
last years of life
King John in the fall of 1216 launched a new offensive. His army left Cotswold Hills, imitating attempts to liberate Windsor Castle, but it struck London in the direction of Cambridge. His goal was to undermine the power of the barons in Lincolnshire and the east of the country. The actions of the monarch were very ambiguous: at first he led his troops north, but then returned east to Lynn (possibly for additional supplies). In Lynn, John Landless picks up dysentery.
At this very time, Alexander II attacked England, he concluded an agreement with the Crown Prince of France, Louis and now collected fees for him from the English possessions. John could not intercept Alexander, but, on the other hand, the barons had more and more disagreements with Louis, and some of them again began to support John.
Shortly before his death, John crossed the Wash Bay during a retreat, but he was caught by an unexpected tide that could aggravate the disease. King John died on October 19, 1216 in Newark from dysentery. However, rumors were still circulating that he had been poisoned. With his approach to government, this would not be surprising. The king was buried in the city of Worcester.
The ninth son of John Henry became the new ruler, all barons recognized him as the ruler, and Louis’s claims to the English throne remained so.