King John, Robin Hood and Magna Carta


King John

After the divine right of kings set forth by William the conqueror. There was 133 years before the reign of King John. All that time the king had maintained a balance between the nobles and the peasantry. However, King John was hugely unpopular and upset many of his subjects.

Reign of King John- 1199

In the times of the legend of Robin Hood,  the Archbishop of Canterbury died there was a crisis. The Pope usually chose the successor however, whoever he chose always had the Pope's interests in mind instead of the king's. So King John insisted that one of his friends be appointed to the position of power. The disagreement escalated to the point that the Pope order English churches to be closed for 6 years, excommunication of the King and invited foreign princes to overthrow King John. King John prepared for foreign invasion by heavily taxing his nobility. This upset many. Anyone was heard criticizing him where thrown straight in jail.

Robin Hood is believed to be an invented character that made the common people feel optimism. The idea that one of them became an outlaw standing up to their tyrants was hugely infectious. People loved hearing stories of a hero stealing from the rich and giving to the poor. People held their hope in Richard the Lionheart. Many believed if he returned and ruled over them then their lives would vastly improve. As history would show, Richard felt no urgency in returning home and was more concerned with crusades and spending time in France.

When it looked like France might be preparing an invasion and his own nobles might rebel, all with approval from the Pope. King John gave in. He appointed the bishop the Pope requested and returned all the land back to the church.

1215- Magna Carta

Pretty soon his own barons rose up against him and the Pope was calling for war against England. So King John, who it was believed had absolute power over the people of England, was forced to negotiate.

Magna Carta is a royal charter of rights agreed to by King. First drafted by Archbishop of Canterbury Stephen Langton to make peace between the unpopular king and a group of rebel barons, it promised the protection for the barons from illegal imprisonment, access to swift justice, and limitations on feudal payments to the Crown, to be implemented through a council of 25 barons.

It was the first in western history that a king had recognized the rights of the ruled. Saying that, the rights were only extended to nobles, landowners and barons. Neither side stood behind their commitments, and after making up with the Pope, the Magna Carta was annulled by Pope Innocent III, leading to the First Barons' War of 1215.

https://youtu.be/VayrvCkjANM

https://youtu.be/7xo4tUMdAMw

When King John died he was buried in Worcester cathedral. That's 800 years ago and you can still go to Worcester Cathedral and visit his grave today. Funny thing, in the 1990s a renoun author was buried in that same cathedral. His name was Robin Wood. 

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