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King John
John was the worst king ever to have sat on the English throne. After the Lion Heart's death, Philip was gaining strength and confidence. He continued the war against John. Out of all the French lands ruled by his father and brother, John was left with just Poitou and Gascony, part of the duchy of Aquitaine.

The Great Seal of King John. The legend reads: "John by the grace of God king of England and lord of Ireland."

Famous Quotes about King John:
"John, nature's enemy."
"He plundered his own people."
"Cruel towards all men."
"Hell itself is fouled by the ... Presence of John."
"No man may every trust him."

Feudal Payments
As feudal lords of England, a king was entitled to certain payments from his tenants - a relief take over his father's estate, larger reliefs than previous kings had done. The same happened with "scutage," the payment kings could claim instead of military service. In all John collected as many scutages (eleven) as Henry II and Richard I put together, and in less than half the time. There were no laws fixing limits to feudal payments, but each king was expected to follow the practice of previous rulers.

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Pope Innocent III
Innocent III, refused to accept John's choice of a new archbishop of Canterbury. No English king since the Conquest had failed to get an archbishop he wanted. Innocent would not give way. In 1208, he put England under an "Interdict," which meant all churches were locked and no services held except baptism of infants and confession for the dying.

Pope Innocent III

John reopened some monasteries and sent the clergy packing. Innocent's reply was to excommunicate the King (expel him from the Church). Not until 1213 did John give in and accept Langton. But monks, who wrote most of the chronicles, believed that a king who was excommunicated must be an evil monster.

A powerful group of barons had been plotting against John for some time. They had been forced to pay vast sums, and had been denied proper justice in his court. Hoping to prevent bloodshed, Archbishop Stephen Langton got the rebels to draw up a list of grievances and present them to the King.

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John Was Furious!
John could not prevent the rebels from occupying London. He fled to Windsor Castle and asked for peace, knowing it was useless to resist any longer. On June 15, the two sides met in a meadow called Runnymede, beside the River Thames, between Staines and Windsor.

King John is shown accompanied by his dogs, taking pleasure in hunting deer in the forest. John had a passion for the hunt,which he pursued even at times of political crisis.