King John & Magna Carta Flashcards
What problems did King John face?
1- Richard I had left England in great deal of debt due to wars with France & Third Crusade.
2- Richard I had been great warrior while John was regarded as weak. Nicknamed “John soft sword”
3- John faced attacks from Scotland
4- During most of reign England was at war with France
5- King John lost most of England’s territories in France
6- Problems with the church- Pope and his Archbishop
7- Problems with Barons
Why did King John have problems with the Church?
1- Stephen Langton new Archbishop (by the Pope)
2- King John disliked him- wanted his own choice of archbishop
3- In 1205 Pope stopped all religious ceremonies in England like marriage and burials- lasted 7 years
4- King John in return took money from the Church and kicked monks out of England.
5- In 1209 Pope excommunicated King John (kicked him out of the church)
6- The argument weakened John’s position as King.
Why did King John have problems with his Barons?
1- Barons were the most powerful people in England
2- Owned most of the land and provided most of King John’s away
3- Expected their King to be a good warrior and to involve them in running the country but King John was a poor warrior who tried to rule on his own.
4- Gave top jobs to foreigners rather than Barons.
5- John’s wars were costly and he expected barons to pay extra taxes to fund them.
Was King John a bad King?
1- Most historians would say yes he was a bad king and weaker than his predecessor Richard.
2- He was in conflict with two most important sets of people- barons and church.
3- Maybe not as bad as people made out. He was a very good organiser and manager.
4- He Was very intelligent and good at planning military tactics.
What was the Magna Carta and when was it signed?
- Was a charter signed in 1215. Was an agreement between King John and Barons.
- It limited the powers of the English King and protected the rights of the barons.
- Gave Englishmen important civil rights such as trial by jury.
- One of most important documents ion English history.
- Helped lead to the creation of the national parliament we have today.
- Magna Carta stated King would not interfere with the Church
What did the Magna Carta state?
o When a baron inherited land he should not pay more than £100 to the King
o King could not raise any new taxes without permission of bishops and barons.
o Free men could not be put in prison without a jury trial
o King’s Judges has to be fair to everyone
o Everyone was free to enter or leave England
Why did King John sign the Magna Carta?
- Had fought wars with France, Wales, Ireland and Scotland and lost territory in France.
- For 5 years churches were closed on the order of the Pope- people worried they would go to hell.
- In 1214 King John fought with Barons, demanded extra taxes, Barons rebelled.
- In May 2015 the barons captured London.
- In June, the barons forced King John to sign the agreement. King hoped signing it would stop the rebellion.
Why was the Magna Carta important?
- First time an English King had agreed to protect the rights of Englishmen in writing
- Important because the King no longer ruled without the support of the barons and the church
- Gave freemen important rights
- Protected rights of rich and powerful barons and church.
BUT Most Englishmen were not freemen but villeins, so were unaffected by Magna Carta.
How were the Houses of Parliament formed after the Magna Carta?
- If King wanted to raise taxes he had to consult his Great Council- made up of Barons and Bishops
- Under John’s son King Henry III, England’s first parliament was called in 1265 by Simon de Montfort.
- Contained barons, bishops, two knights from each county and town representatives.
- Barons and Bishops formed House of Lords
- Knights and townspeople formed the House of Commons- elected. These changes laid foundations of HOP we have today.
