John "Lackland" Plantagenet King of England ¹

  General Notes:

John (24 December 1166 \endash 19 October 1216) was King of England from 1199 until his death in 1216. He was the third king of the House of Plantagenet. He lost the Duchy of Normandy and most of his other French lands to King Philip II of France, resulting in the collapse of the Angevin Empire and contributing to the subsequent growth in power of the French Capetian dynasty during the 13th century. The baronial revolt at the end of John's reign led to the sealing of Magna Carta, a document sometimes considered an early step in the evolution of the constitution of the United Kingdom.

John was the youngest of the four surviving sons of King Henry II of England and Duchess Eleanor of Aquitaine. He was nicknamed John Lackland because he was not expected to inherit significant lands.[1] He became Henry's favourite child following the failed revolt of 1173\endash 74 by his brothers Henry the Young King, Richard, and Geoffrey against the King. John was appointed the Lord of Ireland in 1177 and given lands in England and on the continent. The war between Henry II and his eldest sons ended with the deaths of Henry the Young King and Geoffrey. John unsuccessfully attempted a rebellion against the royal administrators of his brother, King Richard, whilst Richard was participating in the Third Crusade, but he was proclaimed king after Richard died in 1199. He came to an agreement with Philip II of France to recognise John's possession of the continental Angevin lands at the peace treaty of Le Goulet in 1200.

When war with France broke out again in 1202, John achieved early victories, but shortages of military resources and his treatment of Norman, Breton, and Anjou nobles resulted in the collapse of his empire in northern France in 1204. He spent much of the next decade attempting to regain these lands, raising huge revenues, reforming his armed forces and rebuilding continental alliances. His judicial reforms had a lasting effect on the English common law system, as well as providing an additional source of revenue. An argument with Pope Innocent III led to John's excommunication in 1209, a dispute he finally settled in 1213. John's attempt to defeat Philip in 1214 failed due to the French victory over John's allies at the battle of Bouvines. When he returned to England, John faced a rebellion by many of his barons, who were unhappy with his fiscal policies and his treatment of many of England's most powerful nobles. Although both John and the barons agreed to the Magna Carta peace treaty in 1215, neither side complied with its conditions. Civil war broke out shortly afterwards, with the barons aided by Louis VIII of France. It soon descended into a stalemate. John died of dysentery contracted whilst on campaign in eastern England during late 1216; supporters of his son Henry III went on to achieve victory over Louis and the rebel barons the following year.

Contemporary chroniclers were mostly critical of John's performance as king, and his reign has since been the subject of significant debate and periodic revision by historians from the 16th century onwards. Historian Jim Bradbury has summarised the current historical opinion of John's positive qualities, observing that John is today usually considered a "hard-working administrator, an able man, an able general".[2] Nonetheless, modern historians agree that he also had many faults as king, including what historian Ralph Turner describes as "distasteful, even dangerous personality traits", such as pettiness, spitefulness, and cruelty.[3] These negative qualities provided extensive material for fiction writers in the Victorian era, and John remains a recurring character within Western popular culture, primarily as a villain in films and stories depicting the Robin Hood legends. ²

John married Agatha de Ferrers Mistress of King John "Lackland", daughter of Sir William de Ferrers 1 Knight Templar Wakefield Malchelline, Third Earl of Derby and Godeheut de Toeni. (Agatha de Ferrers Mistress of King John "Lackland" was born in 1168 in Staffordshire, England and died on 19 Oct 1216 in Aberconwy, Arllechwedd, Isaf, Caemarnvonshire, Wales.)

John next had a relationship with Matilda "Maud" Giffard Mistress of King John Lackland, daughter of Elias "The Boy" Giffard Lord of Brimpsfield and Bertha FitzRichard. (Matilda "Maud" Giffard Mistress of King John Lackland was born about 1128 in Brimpsfield, Cirencester, Gloucestershire, England and died on 12 Jun 1227 in Brimpsfield, Cirencester, Gloucestershire, England.)

John next married Isabel FitzRobert Countess of Gloucester, daughter of William FitzRobert Second Earl of Gloucester and Hawise de Beaumont, on 28 Sep 1176. (Isabel FitzRobert Countess of Gloucester was born about 1173 and died on 14 Oct 1217.)

John next married Adela de Warenne Mistress of King John "Lackland", daughter of Hamelin de Warenne Earl of Surrey and Unknown, in 1190. (Adela de Warenne Mistress of King John "Lackland" was born in 1170 in Surrey, England and died on 19 Oct 1216 in Newark Castle, Nottinghamshire, England.)

John next married Isabella de Angouleme de Taillifer Queen Consort of England, daughter of William "Audemar" de Taillefer Count Angouleme De Valence and Alix Alice Joigny Capet Countess Courtenay Princess of Constantinople Comtessa D'Angouleme, on 24 Aug 1200 in Bordeaux, Gironde, Aquitaine, France. (Isabella de Angouleme de Taillifer Queen Consort of England was born on 19 Feb 1188 in Angoulême, Aquitaine, Charente, Poitou-Charentes, France and died on 31 May 1246 in Fontevrault, Maine-et-Loire, Pays de la Loire, France.)