1. EQ: What can Disney’s ‘Robin Hood’ tell us about King John?
How fair is this interpretation?

2. So, according to Disney, was John a ‘good’ or ‘bad’ king?
Let’s think back to last lesson.
With the person sitting next to you, try to recall AS MANY words we came up with that describe how King John was interpreted by Disney.
Which words did you come up with?
So, according to Disney, was John a ‘good’ or ‘bad’ king?

3. Eh? So why do we have two different interpretations of King John?
Negative
Positive
Read what these two people have had to say about King John:
What do you notice?
“It is now recognised that King John took a thoroughly intelligent and immensely energetic interest in the running of the country… The total achievement was enormous, and fit to stand alongside the achievements of Henry II & Edward I. Together with these two, John represents a standard of success which was never equalled in the medieval period.” – Person B
“The character was cowardly, cruel, greedy and incompetent. That is reasonably close to reality. John was a villain… Disney was right.” – Person A

4. “The character was cowardly, cruel, greedy and incompetent
“The character was cowardly, cruel, greedy and incompetent. That is reasonably close to reality. John was a villain… Disney was right.” – M. Morris
This quote came from the Oxford-educated historian Marc Morris in March of this year (2015). As well as being a presenter on various history documentaries, Morris is a well-respected author, and has written many history books – including King John: Treachery, Tyranny and the Road to Magna Carta.

5. “It is now recognised that King John took a thoroughly intelligent and immensely energetic interest in the running of the country… The total achievement was enormous, and fit to stand alongside the achievements of Henry II & Edward I. Together with these two, John represents a standard of success which was never equalled in the medieval period.” – J. Holt
This quote came from the Cambridge professor of medieval history James C. Holt in his book King John (1963). Holt was (he died in 2014) an expert on the Magna Carta (‘Great Charter’, created by King John), as well as a Fellow of the British Academy and the Master of Fitzwilliam College, Cambridge for 7 years.

6. “… Disney was right.” – M. Morris
Clearly, these are two intelligent and knowledgeable historians… so why do they disagree on how King John has been portrayed?
“… Disney was right.” – M. Morris
And, was, as historian Morris claims, ‘Disney right’ to portray John as a bad medieval king?

7. Whilst King John has been portrayed as a weak and greedy lion in Disney’s ‘Robin Hood’, he was in fact a real king who ruled England between 1199 and 1216.
He was the youngest son to Henry II of England and Eleanor of Aquitaine (whose name you might remember), and the brother to King Richard I (the Lionheart).

8. But first, lets think about what makes a successful medieval king.
What then did John do during his reign to earn himself the title ‘Bad King John’?
To answer this we need to think about what makes a failing medieval king.
But first, lets think about what makes a successful medieval king.

9. What do you think medieval people thought made a successful king?
In your books come up with a list of as many qualities a successful medieval king would need to have or be.
Edward III at the Battle of Crécy

10. What did you write down?
Strong leader?
Keeps his people on his side?
Gains more land than when he started?
Good in battle?
Religious?
So, if these are the qualities of a successful king, what do you think a failing (bad) king looked like according to medieval people?
Which of these do you think medieval people felt was the most important?

11. Is this what a failing king looks like?
How much of a ‘failure’ (or success) was King John?

12. Plot John’s journey during his time as king of England
Complete
success
First draw the two lines; 1 horizontal and 1 vertical.
Along the Y Axis (vertical line) you want to write the scale of success, from complete success to complete failure.
Along the X Axis (horizontal line) you want to write the years that John was in power: use a scale of
Your task is to plot the successes and failures of King John’s reign (time in charge).
First, you will need to draw the following graph in your book.
This was a great success for King John because…
Quite good
1160
1170
1180
1190
1200
1210
1220
Once you have drawn this graph in your book you will need to read ‘John’s Journey’.
As you read highlight / underline parts of ‘John’s Journey’ which appear to show him having success or failure.
And once you have completed that, you can begin to plot your graph, just like this…
Quite bad
This was a great failure for King John because…
Complete
failure
Extension: Explain why you have plotted each point.
Connect the lines, and you have plotted John’s journey.

13. Your task is to:
First – Read through ‘John’s Journey’ and highlight / underline any points where King John has success or failure.
Secondly – Plot each point on your John’s Journey Graph. Connect the points to create John’s journey during his time as King of England.*
*Extension: When you are finished, add explanations which explain why you have either plotted a point as being a success or a failure. Below is an example:
“King John was successful in 1206 because he won back Gascony, a part of France that was once owned by England, and therefore increased the amount of land he controlled.”

14. So, how much of a ‘failure’ (or success) was King John?
In your books write: Successful medieval kings were brave in battle, always gaining land and had the support of their people (most of time). Based on the evidence I believe that King John was a (complete / partial) (failure / success) because…
He failed to… which medieval people would have considered weak.
He succeeded in… which medieval people would have considered a sign of strength.

15. Resources

16. John was born on Christmas Eve, 1167
John was born on Christmas Eve, In 1185, King Henry sent John to rule Ireland. But this plan failed: John and his young friends insulted important Irish barons (lords) by giggling at their long beards, and the Irish barons soon rebelled (fought) against him. With no land to rule John was nicknamed ‘Lackland’.
In 1189, John secretly joined Richard and King Philip II of France in a rebellion against his father. When Henry was shown a list of the rebels he was shocked to find John’s name on it. He never recovered from John’s betrayal, and died soon afterwards of a broken heart.
John’s Journey
Richard was crowned king in He gave John land and money, but that did not stop John plotting against him. John and King Philip II of France tried to take control of Richard’s land while he was away on Crusade (fighting a war). When Richard was captured on his way home from the Holy Land, John did nothing to help.
Task: Read John’s Journey and remember to highlight / underline successes and failures.
In 1194, Richard was released from prison on payment of a huge ransom (money). He regained the land that King Philip II of France had taken from him, and John was forced to ask for his brother’s forgiveness. Richard did not punish John. In 1199, Richard was fatally wounded fighting in France, and named John as his heir (successor).
After Richard’s death, John’s claim to the throne was supported by the barons of England and Normandy. However, the barons in the rest of the empire chose John’s 12 year old nephew, Arthur of Brittany, as their ruler. In 1202, John captured Arthur and put him in prison. Arthur was never seen again. Many people believed that Arthur was murdered. One source claims that, in a drunken rage, John killed Arthur, tied him to a heavy stone and threw him in the River Seine.
In 1200, John divorced his wife and married a rich French girl called Isabella, who was only 12 years old. This caused problems because Isabelle had been promised to the French baron Hugh of Lusignan. Hugh complained to King Philip II of France, so Philip invaded John’s land in France. Most of John’s French barons happily welcomed Philip. By 1205, John had lost most of his land in France. These defeats earned John the new nickname… ‘Soft-sword’.
John was determined to regain the land he had lost in France, and in 1206 he successfully won back Gascony, having lost it 2 years earlier. He made the English people pay huge taxes to fund (pay for) a strong army. He fined people heavily and put them in prison when they could not pay their debts. John used his courts to help his friends, and to punish anyone he did not like. He was a cruel king, who liked nothing better than to see prisoners tortured in dirty dungeons.
In 1205 John quarrelled (had an argument) with the Pope. They disagreed over who should be the new Archbishop of Canterbury. John refused to let Stephen Langton, the Pope’s choice, enter the country. In 1208, the Pope punished John by passing an interdict (ban) over England and Wales. This meant that church services stopped and no marriages or burials could take place. John retaliated by taking away all the Church’s property and punishing many monks. In 1209, the Pope excommunicated (kicked out of the church) John. This meant that he would go to hell when he died. Eventually, in 1213, John gave in to the Pope.

17. Fold your sheet in half and stick it into your book.
John’s Journey
Fold your sheet in half and stick it into your book.
In 1214, John attacked France. His army was crushed by King Philip II of France at the battle of Bouvines. John’s hopes of regaining his land in France were destroyed. All his money and all those taxes had been wasted.
John’s defeat in France angered many barons. If he had won, they might have forgiven him for the way he ruled England, but now they rebelled. In May 1215 the rebel barons captured London and forced John to agree to a set of rules about how to govern (rule) the country. These rules were written down in a charter, known as Magna Carta (‘The Great Charter’).
By the end of his reign, John had lost much of his father’s empire.
Now that you know John’s journey during his time as king, go back to your graph and start plotting points where:
King John had success;
King John had failure.
John did not change his ways after Magna Carta. He broke the agreement, so the barons invited Prince Louis of France to take over as king. During the war against Louis, John lost many of his crown jewels when his baggage train sank in quicksands on the Wash. Shortly afterwards, in 1216, he died at Newark. It is thought that John died from dysentery (fever with serious diarrhoea) after eating too many peaches and drinking too much beer!