King John and Magna Carter

John was the youngest son of Henry II and Eleanor of Aquitaine. He was born in 1167, and quickly gained a reputation for misconduct. He was sent back from Ireland in the 1180s for such actions. While his elder brother, King Richard the Lionheart was imprisoned in Austria, John tried to seize the crown. On his deathbed, not only did Richard pardon John’s actions, but he also named him as successor to the throne.

John faced much opposition, particularly in his French areas of occupation. He fought a series of long drawn out wars in France. In Brittany, of Brittany was captured and never seen again, thought to have been murdered on John’s orders. By 1205, John had lost territory in Normandy, Brittany, Anjou and Maine through his battles with Barons and Lords that refused to accept John’s authority. These lengthy wars were costly, and John introduced new taxes in England to fund the battles. These taxes were not popular.

Having long since lost the respect and support of his people, John then lost the support of Pope Innocent III, when John refused to appoint Stephen Langton as the next Archbishop of Canterbury. John was forced to back down due to lack of support, and he accepted the Pope as his overlord.

In 1215, John tried to regain his lost territories in France. Being defeated, again, John was forced to pay £40,000 for a truce. Being unable to pay the ransom, John tried to introduce another tax to solve his problem. This anger the English Barons greatly, and many decided to rebel violently against the King. John was left with very few loyal Barons, and was forced to concede to the rebels. On 15^th June 1215, at Runnymede in Surry, John was forced to sign a charter that outlined the peace terms of his opponents. This charter was known as Magna Carta, and outlined some very important feudal and taxation changes, some of which still exist today.

The main clauses of Magna Carta stated that

·         No new taxes could be introduced without the support of the Barons.

·         There was to be a reduction in the power held by the King’s sheriffs.

·         All men had the right to be held a fair and just trial.

Other clauses outlined the procedure for how inheritance was to be passed down to heirs, and how the estate of heirs who were not of age were to be handled, as well as how widows were to live, and how widows could avoid remarrying if they so wished.