1. Interpretations of King John

2. Interpretations of King John
L.O.
Understand that there are different interpretations of King John
Be able to explain an interpretation of King John
Decide how reliable sources of evidence are and their interpretation of King John
Make a judgement on how useful sources of evidence are for our investigation into whether King John was a good king

3. What’s the answer? Heads Tails King John was the youngest son of
King John was born in
King John’s brother was
John was not given any land by his father so was nicknamed
While John’s brother was away on the Crusades, he
John became king in
John was the first king to be accused of
John raised taxes to pay for
King John did not trust his
In 1215 King John was forced to sign the
 ‘Lackland’
1167
1199
Barons
His armies to try and win back lost land in France
King Henry II
King Richard the Lionheart
Magna Carta. But when he didn’t obey the rules civil war ensued
Murder. He is said to have murdered his 12 year old nephew and rival Arthur in a drunken rage
Plotted with King Philip of France against Richard

4. What’s the answer? Heads Tails King John was the youngest son of
King John was born in
King John’s brother was
John was not given any land by his father so was nicknamed
While John’s brother was away on the Crusades, he
John became king in
John was the first king to be accused of
John raised taxes to pay for
King John did not trust his
In 1215 King John was forced to sign the
King Henry II
1167
King Richard the Lionheart
‘Lackland’
Plotted with King Philip of France against Richard
1199
Murder. He is said to have murdered his 12 year old nephew and rival Arthur in a drunken rage
His armies to try and win back lost land in France
Barons
Magna Carta. But when he didn’t obey the rules civil war ensued

5. What is an interpretation?

6. King John’s actions are the same, but some historians interpret them differently.
We are going to look at some different interpretations of King John, and then examine source evidence to decide if they are accurate.

7. Task 1
Watch the two video clips, and try and answer the questions for each clip in your books
How does King John treat other people?
What is important to King John?
Is King John shown to be a good or bad person?

8. avarice (greedy for money)
Interpretation 1
heartless
Robin Hood, Disney (1973) [8:34]
vein
incompetent
treacherous
Disrespectful, dishonest, nasty, uncaring, heartless, callous, rude, self-important
Power, Sycophantic, vein, pomp and ceremony
Amoral, scheming, treacherous, evil, phoney, incompetent, irresponsible
avarice (greedy for money)

9. Interpretation 2 Robin Hood, BBC (2009) [5:25] manipulative
Self-deluded
murderous
callous
Manipulative, controlling, power hungry
Condescending, arrogant, needy for love, murderous, callous, vicious, susceptible to flattery (vanity), greedy, self-deluded
Power hungry

10. Task 2
Look at the notes you have made about the interpretations of King John.
Now use your notes and our discussion to complete the first two sections in your planning table.
Consider:
What are the problems with these two clips?
Are they really useful in telling us about King John?
Were they made to educate or entertain? Explain your answer.

11. What have you learnt?
Understand that there are different interpretations of King John
Be able to explain an interpretation of King John
Decide how reliable sources of evidence are and their interpretation of King John
Make a judgement on how useful sources of evidence are for our investigation into whether King John was a good king

12. Source 3 Watch the clip 1, clip2.
It is from a television called: “The Most Evil Men and Women in History”. It was produced in Could this be a problem?
It includes interpretations from historians. Do they support their interpretations by factual details?
What do you learn about King John?
Do you trust this source? Why?
Complete source 3 on your table.

13. Was King John a good King? Sources 4 and 5
Do you trust these sources? Are they more useful than the cartoon and t.v. programmes – why?
Was King John a good King? Sources 4 and 5
“John was organised and he had the abilities of a good ruler but never got the chance to prove his skills. From the moment he started his rule, rivals and traitors tried to cheat him out of his inheritance.”
-WL Warren (1961) A historian.
“You must look after all the Jews living in your city; if anyone attempts to harm them always protect and assist them”
John’s orders to an English City Jews were often very badly treated in this period of history.
What do we learn from these sources about King John?
Are these the qualities of a good king?

14. Was King John a good King? Source 6
What do we learn from this source about King John?
Are these the qualities of a good king?
Complete your table for sources 4,5 & 6.

15. Create a biased portrait
Draw a portrait of King John that clearly shows your interpretation!

16. Planning for the Assessment
Which source do you consider to be the most useful and reliable? Put a  by this source on the table.
Which source do you find to be the least useful and reliable? Put a  by this/these sources.
Highlight quotes in the written sources that you might use in your assessment to support the points you make.
Highlight facts from my class notes that you can use to support the points you make.

17. Look at the Level Descriptors sheet
What do you have to do to achieve the level you want?
How should we structure our written piece?
Consider each source, what is it’s interpretation? Is it reliable – EXPLAIN WHY YOU THINK AS YOU DO?
Bring in facts and quotes to support the points you make.
Explain which source you regard as the most reliable and what you consider to be the true interpretation of King John. Relate back to the question.

18. Was King John a good king?
You are going to use your notes from all the interpretations and sources to evaluate whether King John was a good king. Which sources do you trust and why?
Consider:
Which source you found the most useful and reliable and why. (On your table rank the sources for usefulness)
Why is it better than the other sources: what was wrong with them and why?
Have you extracted information from the sources to support the points you make?
Have you structured your answer clearly, with correct spellings?
Have you written a well explained conclusion?

19. Level 6 Answer
“You select information from sources which will help you to investigate John and you begin to suggest why sources may give different opinions about John. You don’t accept sources at face value, but use them critically, having thought about whether we can trust them. You reach a well-explained conclusion about King John.”

20. Your Magna Carta
Create your own Magna Carta for Beaconsfield High School.
List at least 5 changes you would like to see.
Remember, these rules must apply to everyone, students and staff, and they must improve the school or your education.
Explain your reasons for each rule!