"Lackland" refered to John's status as the youngest son, resulting in nosignificant inherited fiefs from his Father. His titles included King ofIreland 1177, Count of Mortain 1189, Earl of Gloucester. John succeededhis brother Richard I as King in 1199. In 1215 he put his seal on theMagna Carta (Great Charter). The Magna Carta is the foundation of EnglishConstitutional law and liberties and placed the King, like the subjectshe ruled, subject to the rule of law. He is Interred in WorcesterCathedral. "The Encyclopedia of the Middle Ages" Norman F. Cantor,General Editor.
This is King John of the Magna Charta.
The Magna Charta is recognized today as one of the most important documents in
the history of human freedom. Coming near the end of the Dark Ages, it
challenged the "divine right" of kings to rule arbitrarily.
King John of England was a tyrant who seized the throne in 1199 by imprisoning
and probably murdering young Prince Arthur, the rightful heir. King John threw
people into prison at the drop of a hat, confiscated their property by heavy
taxes and unjust decrees, and despoiled the wives and daughters of his Nobles.
His quarrels with the pope caused the pope to excommunicate all England for a
period of six years. The King had a tiresome habit of forcing th e peasants to
buildbridges over streams he might wish to cross while hunting, and at one time
he made the whole of England his own private game preserve, so that none of the
starving peasantry could kill even a rabbit for supper.
The King's Nobles finally refused to fight for him abroad, and as a result he
was utterl y defeated at the Battle of Bouvines during the summer of 1214. The
King then turned in fury on his Barons at home, but he underestimated the
powers arrayed against him. The Barons, as sembled in conference by the
Archbishop of Canterbury, each took a solemn oath on the altar that they would
stand united and not relinquish their efforts until they had either compelle d
the King to confirm their liberties or had waged war against him to the death.
During the winter of 1214-15, the Barons prepared and presented to King John a
list of their demands. When the King saw the Articles, heis supposed to have
sworn by "God's teeth" , his favorite oath, that hewould never agree to such
demands or any part of them. But the Barons were not to be denied. They
raised an army and launched a "holy crusade"against the King to recover their
rightful liberties. The King was finally forced to surrender at Runn emede on
June 15, 1215. After four days of negotiations, the King's seal was affixed to
all copies of the historic Magna Charta.
The Magna Charta is recognized today as a foundation stone of free government
and has been referred to as "The Mother of Constitutions." It was an important
forerunner of the United States Constitution. Sections39 anbd 40 of the Charter
state: "No free man shall be taken , orimprisoned, or dispossessed, or
outlawed, or banished, or in any waydestroyed...excep t by the legal judgment
of his peers or by the law ofthe land. To no one will we sell, to n o one will
we deny, or delay,right of justice." The Barons offered to their sub-tenants
the same concessions that they were demanding from the King.
Section 61 authorized the election of 25 Surety Barons to see that the
provisions of th e Charter were enforced. These Sureties were given the right
to distress and harass the King by any means in their power if he did not keep
his pledges. Several of these Sureties are included inthis royal line
pedigree: Hugh Bigod, Robert De Vere, Roger Bigod, Alan Galloway, [ Lord]
Gilbert De Clare, William De Albini, Richard De Clare[Sir] William Marshal
(Marshall) John De Lacy William De Warren Sahar DeQuincy William [Earl Of
Salisbury] etc...
King John was given a interdict by Pope Innocent III. King John did notrespond
as agreed upon so his excommunication was soon to follow. WhenKing John still
would not agree to live up to his agreements, (such asthe will of the dead King
Richard) the Pope in 1212 absolved all subjectsof John from their oaths of
allegiance, coupling with this declarationthat the ban of excommunication would
thenceforth apply to anyone whocontinued to serve him, who lived in his
household, who sat or served athis table, who held the stirrup when he set orth
to ride or who everspoke a word to him in public or private.
Signer of the Magna Charta.aka: John of England
Frederick Lewis Weis, "Ancestral Roots of Certain American Colonists",
7th ed.
John was the youngest of the 4 sons of King Henry. He first claimed
the crown in 1193 when news broke that his brother, King Richard (theLion
Hearted), was held prisoner "somewhere in Germany." In April 1193Richard was
offered for ransom by the Holy Roman Emperor. (See WinstonChurchill's detailed
account of this episode in Vol. 1 of "A History ofthe English Speaking
Peoples - The Birth of Britain" at pgs.236-237) Richard reclaimed thecrown in
1194 after his release. Richard was killed by a crossbow in asmall skirmish in
1199. He died on April 6, 1199 from the wound, and John had been declared his
heir before Richard died.
Much is written about King John in Chapter 15 of Churchill's book
(above) because it was he who was king at the signing of the Magna Carta on
June 15, 1215. He died the following summer.
Our Noble & Gentle Families of Royal Descent Together with Their Paternal
Ancestry by Joseph Foster p 178 1884 Edition: Crowned at Westminster 27May
1199; signed Magna Charta 15 Jun 1215;
Pedigrees of some Emperor Charlemagne's Descendants - Langston-Buck
The Oxford Illustrated History of the British Monarchy by Cannon andGriffith.
Our Noble & Gentle Families of Royal Descent Together with Their Paternal
Ancestry by Joseph Foster p 178 1884 Edition: Crowned at Westminster 27May
1199; signed Magna Charta 15 Jun 1215;
[daddy5.FTW]
[daddy3.FTW]
[daddy2.FTW]
King of England, 1199-1216
King of England, 1199-1216
[daddy5.FTW]
[daddy3.FTW]
[daddy2.FTW]
King of England, 1199-1216
[daddy5.FTW]
[daddy3.FTW]
[daddy2.FTW]
King of England, 1199-1216
[daddy5.FTW]
[daddy3.FTW]
[daddy2.FTW]
King of England, 1199-1216