King John (AQA GCSE History)

Summary: What was the Cause of John’s Troubles?

As king, John faced several challenges to his authority. He was not successful on the battlefield, he had serious arguments with the Pope and he made ever-greater demands for money from the population. This meant the barons who were supposed to serve and protect King John were soon plotting against him. His reign is an example of the limits of the power of a Medieval monarch.

Who was King John?

• John became King of England in 1199 following the death of his brother Richard I or ‘the Lionheart’

• Their father, Henry II had died in 1189

• Both Henry II and Richard I had been successful and popular kings

• In contrast, John has gone down in history as ‘Bad King John’

Contrast between King Richard and King John

Why were the barons so unhappy with King John?

There were four main reasons the barons were so unhappy with King John, these were:

• Defeats in war

• King John’s attitude

• Demands for money

• His conflict with the Pope

War

• Military defeats against the French king meant John lost his lands in Normandy in 1204

  • He spent the next decade trying to win them back but kept losing 

• The barons increasingly blamed John’s leadership for their defeats on the battlefield

  • He was given the nicknames ‘Softsword’ and ‘Lackland’

Attitude

• John’s treatment of many barons and their families caused anger and resentment 

  • When he arrested the baron William de Briouze’s wife and son, they both died while in his custody 

• He also failed to take the advice of the barons

  • Unlike his father and brother, John ignored the wishes of most barons

  • King John relied on a small group of advisors

Money

• John’s constant demands for money greatly frustrated the barons 

  • John struggled to reclaim his lands in Normandy 

  • He required soldiers and knights for his armies

• Rather than fight, barons could pay a tax called scutage

  • Between 1199 and 1214, John had demanded scutage 11 times 

  • He also imposed large fines on his barons which many saw as unfair and unjustified 

Pope

The First Barons’ War 

• John’s failure to win back Normandy in 1214 was the final humiliation for many of the barons

  • They began to plot against John

• Records state that 39 rebel barons raised an army and took control of Norfolk, Suffolk, Lincoln and London

• By 1215, England was in a state of civil war