John ended up being the youngest and favourite son of Henry II, but he’d perhaps maybe not been entrusted with any lands and ended up being mockingly nicknamed John Lackland. He attempted unsuccessfully to seize energy while their sibling Richard I became away on crusade and ended up being delivered into exile upon Richard’s return.

On their accession John had his very own nephew Arthur murdered, fearing Arthur might pursue his or her own, far better, claim towards the throne, and then he embarked for a war that is disastrous King Philippe-Auguste of France by which he destroyed the complete of Normandy. This single work of incompetence deprived the barons of a significant part of these energy base, in which he alienated them further with arbitrary needs for the money and also by forcing himself on the wives.

In exasperation they forced him to simply accept Magna Carta; no sooner had he sealed it, but, than then he returned on their term and plunged the nation right into a maelstrom of war and French invasion. Some tyrants have already been rehabilitated by history – not John.

King Richard II (1377–99)

Unlike Richard III, Richard II has valid reason to feel grateful towards Shakespeare, whom portrayed this startlingly incompetent monarch as a tragic figure;

A target of circumstances and of other people’ machinations rather as compared to vain, self-regarding composer of his or her own downfall he really had been.

Learning absolutely nothing through the precedent that is disastrous of II, Richard II alienated the nobility by collecting a number of cronies around him after which finished up in conflict with parliament over their demands for cash.

Their reign descended into a casino game of governmental manoeuvre between himself along with his far more able and impressive uncle, John of Gaunt, before degenerating in to a gory grudge match between Richard while the five Lords Appellant, who he either had killed or forced into exile. (more…)