John 'Lackland' King England

b 24 Dec 1166, Kings Manorhouse, Oxford, Oxfordshire, England
d 19 Oct 1216, , Newark, Nottinghamshire, England
bur Worcester, Worcester, Worcestershire, England Foulques IV, Count Anjou >
61 28 May 1937, !& Foulques V 'le_jeune' Anjou, [King] Bertrade De Montfort, [Queen of France >
Geoffrey V (The_Handsome) Plantagenet, Count of Anjou b 1092 Elias (Helie), Count Maine >
| b 24 Aug 1113 Ermengarde (Ermentrude) Du Maine, [Countess] Matilde De Chateau_Du_Loire, [Countess] >
Henry II King England, 'Plantagenet'  d 07 Sep 1151 b 1096 William I 'The_Conqueror' England, [Duke] >
|b 05 Mar 1133 | Henry I 'Beauclerc' England, [King] Matilda Countess Of Flanders, [Queen] >
|d 06 Jul 1189 Matilda (Maud) Princess England, Empress b 1070 Malcolm III, King Scotland >
|  b 05 Aug 1102 Matilda 'Atheling' Princess Scotland Margaret 'Atheling', Princess England, [Queen] >
John 'Lackland' King England  d 10 Sep 1169 b ABT 1079 1080 Guillaume VI Aquitaine, Duke >
|-2 + Guillaume VII (IX), Aquitaine Hildegarde France, [Princess of] >
|m 29 Aug 1189 Guillaume X Duke Aquitaine b 22 Oct 1071 Guillaume IV Count Toulouse >
|Marlborough, Salisbury, Wiltshire, England |b 1099 Philippa (Mathilde) (Maude) Toulouse, [Countess] Emma De De_Mortaigne >
Eleanore Princess Of Aquitaine, [queen Of Englan  d 19 Apr 1137 b 1073 Boson II Viscount Chatellerault >
 b 1121 | Aimeri I Viscount Chatellerault Aleanor De Thouars >
 d 31 Mar 1204 Eleanor De Chatellerault b 1075 Barthelemy De L' Isle_Bouchard >
 b 1103 Dangereuse D' Isle_Bouchard Gerberge
 d Mar1130 b 1079

Children

1 Henry Fitzroy

Notes

John 'Lackland' King Of England was known as one of England's worst kings. His barons forced him to grant the famous charter of liberties, Magna Carta, in 1215. He was often cruel, but he showed both administrative and military ability.

John succeeded his brother Richard the Lion-Hearted as king of England and duke of Normandy in 1199. His rule began badly. By inept politics and the murder of his nephew Arthur, he lost the allegiance of many of his French barons. King Philip Augustus of France then declared war. In 1205 John was beaten, and lost all the English holdings in France except Aquitaine.

John persued a policy in England that brought him into conflict with Pope Innocent III. In 1208 the pope placed England under an interdict, which banned church services. The following year John was excommunicated.

The king then showed his capacity for strong rule. He forced Scotland into a subordinate position, kept the Welsh princes in check, and held a firm grip on Ireland. But his foreign favorites, professional troops, and autocratic financial policy stirred up discontent among the English barons. When John failed to reconquer the lost French territories in 1214, most of the barons and many of the clergy revolted. On June 15, 1215, the king was forced to approve the Magna Carta at Runnymede meadow beside the River Thames.

A few months later, John fought the barons. They were aided by Prince Louis of France, heir to Philip Augustus, and appeared certain to win. But John penned his enemies in London and the adjacent counties. He died suddenly in 1216, but his throne was saved for his son, Henry III.

Buried in Worcester Cathedral Concubine at Kings Manor House, Oxford, Oxfordshire, England Divorced Isabel Fitzrobert 29 August 1189.

Source: 'The World Book Encyclopedia', 1968, p J110. 'Royalty for Commoners', Roderick W. Stuart, 1993, p 38.


Index Previous Next
© Copyright 1995, 1996 David L. Beckwith