Family History 2.23

Bugelow History: pre-1630

King John

John was the youngest of Henry II's sons, but because the older sons all took part in rebellions against their father, John became the favourite. By the time of Henry's death, only Richard and John were left alive. 

His brother Richard became king when Henry died. Richard (Lionheart), famous, like John, from the Robin Hood legends, spent a lot of time overseas on crusades. 

In 1899 Richard also died, and John became King. The family problems involved a continuing battle with the French King for supremacy in the north of France. John attempted to regain the territories that had been lost in these wars, but only succeeded in permanently losing the whole of what had been the Angevin Empire in western France, which had been the inheritance of John's family for many generations. 

John had constant problems with his barons; by 1215 they were in open revolt against him, especially the northern ones including the King of Scotland. In 1215 they forced him to agree to a charter which would limit the powers of the king and guarantee the barons, and by implication other free men as well, certain rights. The Pope, who after a long battle with John had now become an ally, cancelled the charter, but it was re-asserted by the King's supporters after John's death, and his successors, Henry III and Edward I, both re-asserted the charter.

The charter John signed, in its later versions, became known as Magna Carta (the smaller one was called the Forest Charter and dealt with different rules governing the forests) and is still regarded as one of the founding documents of the British Constitution, although all but three clauses have been repealed by Acts of Parliament in the last two centuries.

What is left says, in essence, that the King must govern according to law, and that people have to be treated fairly by due legal process.

John is now considered to have been a better king than the legends paint him. He modernised the courts and spent a great deal of time attending to the royal administration of the kingdom. But he is reported to have been vindictive and cruel, and for a long time was thought to be irreligious, quite a fault in those days. 

John died in 1216, and was succeeded by his 9-year-old son, Henry III.

Next year, 15 June will be the 800th anniversary of Magna Carta.