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King john the first reign
Life and death of King John act IV
The life and the death of king john
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John I was born on December 24, 1167 as the youngest son of Henry II and his wife, Eleanor of Aquitaine. For most of John’s early life, his brothers, Henry, Richard and Geoffrey, and even his mother were all embroiled in some type of rebellion with Henry II. Perhaps this is one of the reasons why according to several historic records, John was the favored child of Henry and as such enjoyed several perks. He was the first son married and to an Italian heiress named Isabella no less. As Henry II’s favorite son, John’s brothers were afraid that John was also to be given more than his fair share of lands. Henry’s holdings and lands were vast and his titles included that of King of the English, Duke of Normandy, Duke of Aquitaine, Count of Anjou, and Count of Maine. Henry II also had been encouraged by the Pope to become Lord of Ireland and take command of that land. He even sent John to Ireland in 1185 to rule. John’s rule was so disastrous that it only lasted six months before he was sent back home. He ended up earning the embarrassing nickname “John Lacklands” as a result of the debacle. Just before the death of Henry II, his oldest son, Richard I or Richard the Lionhearted, began yet another rebellion in 1189 to take control of the throne and more importantly, the significant lands that Henry still held. Henry II soon died, and Richard I inherited the throne. Richard I is remembered as a fierce warrior because of his role in the crusades, but honestly it was Richard’s disinterest in England that helped John I cause so much destruction. When Richard was away on the third crusades, John tried to overthrow the advisors that Richard had set in place to rule during his absences. John did not succeed in his attempts, but Richard died ... ... middle of paper ... ... above it. John had no plans to honor the agreement, and three months after it was signed, John went back on his work and his signature. As a result, his barons went to war. John did not survive the war though, and he died in 1216 most likely contracted dysentery. John I may not have been quite the evil villain that society knows from the tales of Robin Hood, but he certainly was a terrible King. In conclusion, there are brilliant capable leaders and there are unscrupulous and unprincipled leaders. There are monarchs who understand how to gain the love of their people, and there are monarchs who abuse the trust and confidence that their people have in them. The monarchs of England are no exception to this idea. This is why Elizabeth I has gone down in history as one of the greatest rulers that the country has ever had while John I has gone down as one of the worst.
...The foreign support that Henry received was pivotal in starting Henry Tudor’s second attempt at invading England as otherwise he would never have been able to land and gather troops and support from domestic sources. However, once in England the support that Henry gained from welsh and English nobles and Barons meant that he was able to face Richard and defeat him at the Battle of Bosworth. Whilst support is vastly important in explaining Richard’s defeat, other factors such as Richard’s mistakes like policies that drained the Treasury (e.g. the war against Scotland) are to blame. This particular mistake prevented Richard from being able to stop Tudor from crossing the channel, and so it was left up to nobles Richard believed to be loyal to resist the invasion, this belief also backfired when Rhys ap Thomas joined Henry when he was promised the Lieutenancy of Wales.
Another cause for his unpopularity was the question of benevolences. When he was crowned Richard promised to stop the use of benevolences as this was particularly disliked by the nobles. However because of the war with Scotland , the threat of Henry and rebellions Richard had to later ask for benevolences once again. This made him even more
Machiavelli wrote that a ruler should be both like “a lion and a fox” (The Prince, Chapter XVIII). By this Machiavelli means that a ruler should be like a lion to keep away the wolves that can get to the fox who finds the traps that the lion could get into. Essentially, a ruler should be cunning and powerful. Elizabeth I of England and Louis XIV of France fit these characteristics. Louis XIV acted as a lion in such ways as the Edict of Fontainebleau which took away the power of the Huguenots. Elizabeth I of England was like a lion because she married her country, not a man, therefore keeping all power to herself and frightening away the “wolves.” Louis XIV acted as a fox by getting away from the “traps” of the nobility by heavily taxing them because he did not want to relive the Fronde, a civil war where he was humiliated by nobles (Tom Richey, Louis XIV Rap 0:27-0:31). Elizabeth acted as a fox because she was religiously tolerant and kept England away from “traps” that could lead to wars.
Great leaders come once in a generation. Two tremendous examples of historical leadership come in the form of Beowulf and The Rule of Saint Benedict. Beowulf and The Rule of Saint Benedict provide clear depictions of ideal leaders and subjects.
...historical background set forth in the film, with the broad details of the attempted rebellion propelled by Queen Eleanor and led by Richard and Geoffrey are accurate, as is the attempt by Philip of France to undermine the Angevin Empire to regain the provinces acquired by Henry through his marriage to Eleanor. As depicted in the film, the indecision, faced by Henry II in attempting to determine which son to name as successor resulted from his desire to have the empire that he had created remain intact, rather than dividing the empire between his sons and this, in turn, led to the fracturing of both family and political cohesion, leaving the empire vulnerable to outside forces. Both Richard and John eventually ruled the empire, supported and influenced by their mother, Eleanor of Aquitaine, who was released from her Salisbury prison upon the death of King Henry II.
It has been shown again and again throughout history and literature that if there is a perfect human he is not also the perfect ruler. Those traits which we hold as good, such as the following of some sort of moral code, interfere with the necessity of detachment in a ruler. In both Henry IV and Richard II, Shakespeare explores what properties must be present in a good ruler. Those who are imperfect morally, who take into account only self-interest and not honor or what is appropriate, rise to rule, and stay in power.
There have many King and Queens throughout the centuries of the world. Some even still remain today, like Queen Elizabeth of England. Rulers, as some people would call them were seen as a public figure as in some cases even as gods. Some even were considered cruel beyond all belief, one ruler was even nicknamed Bloody Mary because of how cruel she was. The Ruler I’m going to talk about is cousins to that ruler but her name is Queen Mary of the Scotts
William the Conqueror was a very commendable leader, and he used his
Every empire, dynasty, government, regime etc. has consisted of both good and bad leadership. This directly affects the society in which they oversee and/or control. The infamous Roman Empire experienced its share of triumphs and depression through its leader’s actions. Run as a monarchy, the kings of Rome had various ways of implementing their authority. Many of them chose to rule based on their interests and desires while others catered to the welfare of Rome’s booming population.
.... Henry VI elevated Richard as Baron Rivers of Grafton in 1448. He remained loyal to Lancaster until his daughter Elizabeth married Edward IV of York in 1464, when Richard Woodville switched loyalty to York. Edward IV advanced his father-in-law Richard Woodville to the rank of Earl Rivers of Grafton in 1466. His rise in social status was a small part of resentment in the nobility for Queen Elizabeth Woodville’s endless efforts to gain noble titles for her large family.
Monarchies have shifted to less political importance over the years in favor to parliament and a democratically elected prime minister. The film The Queen is a great example of the limited power of Queen Elizabeth II in present-day and shows the ceremonial purposes of her role. The main reasons that this role shift has happened is because monarchs abused their unlimited power repeatedly. Oliver Cromwell was one man who did not like the way his King, Charles I, was controlling the country and decided to do something about it. What some find startling is that Charles I reign ended by being sentenced to death, and by being beheaded under the weight of an axe.
the Catholic Church, King John 's behavior towards the barons and lastly, England 's legal
“A leader or a man of action in a crisis almost always acts subconsciously and then thinks of the reasons for his action.” (Jawaharlal Nehru) Leaders throughout history have been idolized as the magnificent humans with the ability to sway the heart of man with both silent and thunderous footsteps. One such man being Shakespeare’s Hamlet. Shakespeare dictates that a leader is cunning, sharp minded, and a caring person who is prepared to dedicate their life to a goal and to the people they care for; the reason be “right” or “wrong”.
In this essay I will be discussing about King John and the Magna Carta. King John also known as John Lackland ruled England for seventeen years in the Middle Ages. He was born in 24 December 1166 Beaumont Palace, Oxford to Henry II and Eleanor of Aquitaine, John was the youngest of 12 and the favourite son of Henry II. John was an unpopular King for number of reasons like unsuccessful battles, demanding higher taxes, this gave many haters. John was forced to sign the Magna Carta, because of his poor decisions he made towards England.
Monarchs and royalty have ruled over us common people for millennia -excluding the past few centuries- and while there have been some great royals like Qin Shi Huang, Julius Caesar, and the current Queen Elizabeth II, there have certainly been some bad ones too. Caligula, a crazed Roman emperor that raped and killed his sister, and Queen Mary I, a devout Catholic that burned three hundred protestants at the stake and lost the last territories England had on the European continent, are both examples of royals that never should’ve been trusted with the throne. Just because someone is born in the line of succession doesn’t mean that they should be given power. Despite Hamlet’s cunning, intelligence, and support from the people, he would’ve made