Shantell Aiken
Middle English News
NORMANDY – King John “Lackland” is at his womanizing again. Within a year of having his marriage to Countess Isabel of Gloucester annulled, he announced his marriage to the 12 year old Isabella of Angouleme on the 24th of August in the year 1200 (Lewis).
King John is said to have both Isabels living within his castle, and some citizens speculate that this is so he does not lose control of Countess Isabel’s lands (Discovery).
When John was asked if he understood the consequences of this union, he laughed and appeared unaffected.
Isabella had been betrothed to: Hugh IX le Brun, Count of Lusignan, and King Philip II of France did not seem impressed with this violation of medieval bureaucracy on King John’s behalf. This resulted in King Philip II requesting that John meet with him to see what can be done for the betterment of both countries.
Shortly after this meeting England was at war with France, and by 1204 King John had lost Normandy and all the revenue that came from it. From 1202 to 1204 John was obsessed with holding onto Normandy, and from 1204 to 1214 he became obsessed with getting Normandy back.
Ol’ “Softsword” (Chadwick) had placed England in a small financial crisis, and he showed no signs of stopping his travel. The fighting between France and England showed no signs of letting up.
King John needed money and he quickly became known as “Bad King John” (Discovery) by both the Barons and citizens of England.
John lived up to this reputation in his marriage to Countess Isabella (her father died in 1202, making her Countess). It is rumored that they both possessed bad tempers and frequently entered into physically violent behaviors aimed at each other. Neither was faithful to the other; they are both said to have committed adultery several times.
This was an acceptable action for King John, but when Isabella got caught her lover was hanged above her bed as a reminder of her infidelities. Although, it is said that King John had a taste for other noblemen’s wives, from whom he created two illegitimate children with prior to his marriage with the Queen Isabella (Chadwick).
In the duration of their marriage Isabella and John had five children: (King) Henry III, (Earl of Cornwall) Richard, Joan, Isabella, and Eleanor (Lewis).
Isabella, either being a strong spirited woman, or very smart one, stayed with John until his death on the 19th of October in the year 1216. Being a conniving woman declared her and John’s son Henry III the Reigning King of England. Keeping her invested interest in England through her son Isabella returned to her homeland to merry Hugh X of Lusingnan (Lewis).
King John losing Normandy to the French forced the citizens to choose whether to follow the French tradition, or to follow the English tradition. During this period the English language was becoming a truly recognized, independent, and important language. Because citizens were forced to choose it made it easier for the English language to have a strong force of establishment. Bringing the English language to the forefront of important historical events.
Extortion Of The People Through Taxes
Shantell Aiken
Middle English News
LONDON – Through “Election of the Nation” (Chadwick), John was crowned King of England On the 27th of May in the year 1199. This was the day that John realized how expensive maintaining all of his father and brother's castles really was. When John lost Normandy in 1204 he also lost all revenue generated from those lands and Countess Isabel’s lands didn’t equal out to much revenue.
King John also was a notorious traveler and did not do this lightly. He spent the first years as king, traveling from one country or area to another. Sometimes traveling miles out of his way out of fear that one of his enemies would try to steal the Crown Jewels (Chadwick). Because of all this traveling, loosing of land, maintaining castles, and battle after battle John found his country in financial trouble.
He found himself desperate to find money, and discovered his answer through the extortion of England Baron’s and citizens.
· “The county farm, a fixed sum paid by the sheriff for the privilege of farming the revenue of the royal domain and the fines of the local courts.”
· “Amercements (fines) imposed by the king’s justices for violation of the law.”
· The firma burgi, a lump sum by certain towns for the privilege of farming the town revenue.”
· “Income from feudal incidences.”
· “Fines or obligations – payments to the king for permission to marry a certain person, the custody of lands for minors, and bringing cases in the king’s court.”
· “Income from royal forest.”
· “The aid on the knight’s fee, scutage or shield money.”
· “Carucage, levied on a unit of plough land called a carucate.”
· “Tallage, levied on the towns and domain lands of the crown.”
· “Dona or auxilla, taken from money lenders, Jewish, Prelates, and Religious houses.”
· And “tax on movables.”
So as you can see King John was searching for money anywhere he could get it, and extorting the Baron’s and citizens of England was how he found that money.
The extreme taxation by King John really upset the Barons who were the people suffering most from John's extortion, and they vowed to do something about it. In the year of 1215 the Barons found in a reverse manner a way to extort John through control, with a Great Charter.
Shantell Aiken
Middle English News
RUNNYMEDE ISLAND – Magna Carta (Greek for the Great Charter) was signed reluctantly by King John Lanckland on the 15th of June in the year of 1215. This document contains not only the kings signature but also his royal seal.
This seal is intended to show the citizens of England that the Magna Carta has the royal support of King John; and that he agrees to abide by the terms listed within the document.
The intent of this charter was simply to limit the extortions and excess taxes that King John kept placing on the Barons and Citizens of England. As stated by J. Holt and John Trueman, the “Magna Carta was not just a reaction to John's obsession with taxes to fund his continental imperialism. It occurred because the Angevins, Henry II, and Richard I (father and brother of John) had pressed their wealthy little land too hard at the very time when medieval society was becoming more prone to question authority. Thus "the origins of the rebellion of 1215 were much older than John's reign and lay much deeper than the shallows of his character."
Some speculate that the Magna Carta is a “reactionary document,” (Holt) that is meant to secure the assets and privileges of the barons and the noble class. This idea doesn’t seem too far of a stretch. In 1208 King John managed to anger Pope Innocent III enough that he locked the doors to all churches in England. The only exception to this religious service ban was for the confession for the dying and the baptism of infants (Chadwick).
King John seemed to be making peaceful life for all the developing classes of England impossible. Now there was no religion and England was being taxed to death.
This takes us back to the intent of this document. A part of the Magna Carta was dealing with the simple principle of “the importance of public consent to taxation” (Hughes). This document also got rid of crazy rules like getting permission to marry, and right dealing with widows land, and also limited the say the king can have over his barons. One unknown source says that it was intended to govern the king under the Old English laws, the good ol’ ways.
This single document is said to be the leading document utilized in the making of our United States Constitution. Making the fact that King John was forced to sign this all the more relevant. In fact King John was so unhappy about this document that he started a war against his barons. He lost this battle against the barons, became removed, grumbled to himself regularly and became paranoid.
King John died on the 19th of October in the year of 1216. Some say he died of eating bad peaches, but either way King John, be he good or bad, truly molded the English history and languages in way he could have never imagined.
Good . . . Bad King John
Shantell Aiken
Middle English News
WESSEX – On the 19th of October in the year of 1216 King John died and was placed to rest in Worcester Cathedral. This is now the time for judgment. Where you are the expert and decide if you think King John was a good king or a bad king.
¨ First Norman king to fluently speak the English language
¨ First king to keep proper governmental records
¨ Made barons obey the law
¨ Started the first income tax
¨ Improved law firms
¨ His actions set the future standards for human rights and democracy
BAD . . .
ª Loss of Normandy in 1204
ª Got England locked out of religion in 1208
ª Annulled one barren woman, he kept in his castle to control her lands
ª Married a child promised to some other man in 1200
ª Held prisoner and starved to death William de Braose's wife and son
ª May have been responsible for the death of his nephew Arthur
