Book Review – King John: Treachery, Tyranny and the Road to Magna Carta
By Marc Morris – Published 7th January 2015
Most of us have heard of King John, the familiar villain from the stories of Robin Hood. Known as a tyrant who had no regard for his subjects, he was cruel, greedy, and selfish. Marc Morris tells the tale of the man behind the legend.
John was the youngest son of King Henry II and Eleanor of Aquitaine. He had three older brothers, so with John being the youngest and the least likely to inherit anything, especially the throne of England, he was quite often ignored. When Henry II died, only John and his brother Richard (the Lionheart) remained alive. Richard eventually took the throne, but while he was away on a crusade John attempted to usurp it, failing in the process. His brother forgave him regardless, and upon the death of Richard I in 1199, John seized the throne. Even though he was the ruler of a vast dominion in Europe, by the end of his reign he had lost it all. The Magna Carta, the document that is perhaps the beginning of real democracy, was signed by John in 1215, but he failed to uphold its values, resulting in more civil unrest.
Regardless of John’s flaws and incompetence, Morris writes a wonderfully readable account of the medieval king’s life and is often very neutral when it comes to John’s failings. He makes the point that the French were constantly provoking a fight, with a French king determined to wipe the English from the face of the earth, as well as pointing out that England was fast running out of money due to its constant military engagements in France.
Overall, highly readable and written beautifully, this is perfect for anyone with an interest in medieval history, Morris has relied on surviving archives and medieval chroniclers to bring this piece of work to life. A little hard to follow at the beginning, as Morris decided to start the book when John was already king rather than from the beginning of his life. Apart from the chronological confusion at times, this book results in a classic medieval biography with exactly what you would expect.
Buy it here: https://www.amazon.co.uk/King-John-Treachery-Tyranny-Magna/dp/0099591820/ref=tmm_pap_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&sr=8-1