John I of England King of England, 3rd Earl of Gloucester ^{6 7 8 9 10 11}

   Another name for John was John (Jean) "Lackland" "sans Terre" Plantagenet of England.

  General Notes:

JOHN, son of HENRY II King of England & his wife Eléonore Dss d'Aquitaine (Beaumont Palace, Oxford 24 Dec 1166 or 1167-Newark Castle, Lincolnshire 18/19 Oct 1216, bur Worcester Cathedral). The primary sources are contradictory regarding John´s year of birth. Robert of Torigny records the birth "1167…in vigilia Natalis Domini" of "Johannis filius regis Anglorum". Ralph de Diceto´s Abbreviationes Chronicorum record in 1166 that "Alienor regina" gave birth to "filium...Johannem". Matthew Paris records that "Alienor Anglorum regina" gave birth to "filium…Johannes",stating neither the place nor the precise date but the passage is located in the middle of text which records events in 1166. The Annals of Burton record the birth of "Regina…Johannem filium suum"in 1166. The Annals of Dunstable record the birth of "Alienor…filium Johannem" at the end of the paragraph dealing with events in 1165 and immediately before the start of the paragraph for 1167, although it is likely that 1166 was intended as the text includes no separate entry for that year. John was designated King of Ireland in 1177. Created Comte de Mortain 1189. His lands were placed under interdict by Baldwin Archbishop of Canterbury because of his first marriage. He succeeded his brother Richard I in 1199 as JOHN King of England, crowned London 27 May 1199 and again 8 Oct 1200 with his second wife at Westminster Abbey. The Continuator of Florence of Worcester records the coronation "VI Kal Jul" at Westminster Abbey in [1199] of "Johannesdominus Hiberniæ". The Continuator of Florence of Worcester records the death "XV Kal Nov" [1216] of King John and his burial "Wignorniæ". The Annals of Tewkesbury record the death "apud Newerk in crastino Sanctæ Luciæ virginis" in 1216 of "Johannes rex Angliæ".

Betrothed (Auvergne 1173 before 2 Feb) to ALIX de Maurienne, daughter of HUMBERT III Comte de Maurienne & his third wife Klementia von Zähringen ([1166]-1174). The marriage contract between "Johanni filio Henrici…regis Angliæ" and "Humbertus comes Mauriensis et marchio Italiæ…filia…primogenita…Aalis" is dated 1173. Ralph de Diceto´s Ymagines Historiarum record in 1173 the betrothal of "Henricus rex Angliæ, Johanni filio suo cognomento sine terra" and "septenni filiam primogenitam Humberti comitis de Moriana...ex relicta Henrici Saxonis ducis". Her parentage is specified by Matthew Paris when he records this betrothal. Although he does not give her first name, he calls her "filia primogenita". Benedict of Peterborough records the betrothal of "Humbertus comes de Mauriana…Aalis filiam suam majoram" and "rex…Johannis filii sui iunioris" at "Alvernium…Montem Ferratum" in 1173 before 2 Feb, and the agreement whereby John would inherit the county of Maurienne if Humbert had no sons by his wife.

m firstly (Betrothed 1176, Marlborough Castle 29 Aug 1189, divorced before 30 Aug 1199) as her first husband, ISABEL [Avise] Countess of Gloucester, daughter of WILLIAM FitzRobert Earl of Gloucester & his wife Havise de Beaumont ([before 1176]-14 Oct or [18 Nov] 1217, bur Canterbury Cathedral Church). An anonymous continuation of the Chronicle of Robert of Mont-Saint-Michel records (in order) "Comitissa Ebroicensis…uxor Guillelmi Comitis de Clara, tertia…in manu Dei et domini Regis" as the three daughters left by "Guillelmus Comes Glocestriæ" when he died. The Chronica de Fundatoribus et Fundatione of Tewkesbury Abbey names "Mabiliam comiti de Evereis in Normannia nuptam…Amiciam…Isabellam" as the three daughters of "comes Willielmus" and his wife, adding that Isabel married"Henricus rex…Johanni filio suo". Benedict of Peterborough records the betrothal in 1176 of "Johannem filium regis minimum" and "Willelmus filius Roberti filii regis Henrici primi comes Gloucestriæ…filiam ipsius comitis" and the agreement whereby John would inherit the county of Gloucester. Her marriage is recorded by Matthew Paris, who specifies that it took place despite the prohibition of Baldwin Archbishop of Canterbury on the grounds of consanguinity, although he does not name her. Benedict of Peterborough records the marriage in 1189 of "Johannes frater ducis [Normanniæ]" and "filiam comitis Gloucestriæ" at "Marlebegam IV Kal Sep". The Chronicle of Ralph of Coggeshall records that "comes Johannes frater eius [rege Ricardo]" married "filiam comitis Glocestriæ". The primary source which confirms her name as Isabelle has not yet been identified. She was recognised as Ctss of Gloucester in her own right from her marriage in [1189]. Matthew Paris records that the king divorced "uxorem suam Hawisam comitis Gloverniæ filiæ" [in 1200 from the context] because "affines erant in tertio gradu consanguinitatis". The Annales Londonienses record the divorce in 1200 of King John and "Hawysiam filiam comitis Gloverniæ", stating that they were "in tertio gradu consanguinitatis". King John appears to have kept her as a state prisoner after their divorce, but retained her title even after her nephew Amaury de Montfort was installed as Earl of Gloucester in 1199. The Chronica de Fundatoribus et Fundatione of Tewkesbury Abbey records the second marriage of "Isabellam" and "Galfrido de Mandevile comiti Essexiæ", and her third marriage to "Huberto de Burgo justiciario Angliæ". Her lands and title were confiscated on the death of her second husband, who died a rebel. She married secondly ([16/26] Jan 1214) as his second wife, Geoffrey de Mandeville Earl of Essex, and thirdly ([Sep] 1217) as his second wife, Hubert de Burgh , who was created Earl of Kent in 1227. The Annals of Waverley record the death in 1217 of "Isabel comitissa Gloucestriæ". The Annals of Dunstable record that "Johannam comitissam Gloucestriæ" died "paucos dies" after her marriage to "Hubertus de Burgo justiciarius Angliæ" and was buried "apud Cantuarium".

Betrothed (early 1193) to ALIX de France , daughter of LOUIS VII King of France & his second wife Infanta doña Constanza de Castilla ([4 Oct] 1160-after 1200). Kerrebrouck states that Richard I King of England arranged the betrothal of Alix, to whom he had earlier been betrothed himself, to his younger brother John in early 1193, but the primary source which confirms this information has not been identified. She returned to France in Aug 1195.

m secondly (Bordeaux Cathedral 24 Aug 1200) as her first husband, ISABELLE d'Angoulême , daughter of AYMAR "Taillefer" Comte d'Angoulême & his wife Alix de Courtenay ([1187]-Fontevrault Abbey 31 May 1246, bur Fontevrault Abbey). The Continuator of Florence of Worcester records the marriage "IX Kal Sep" [1200] of King John and "Isabellam filiam Engolisimi comitis" and their coronation together "VIII Id Oct" in London. Matthew Paris records that the king "consilio regis Francorum" married "Isabel filiam comitis Engolismi...Hugo cognomento Brunus comes Marchiæ" in 1200 and her consecration as queen "dominica proxima ante festum Sancti Dionisii apud Westmonasterium" [8 Oct], in a later passage specifying that King John arrived at Dover from France "VIII Id Oct"before their joint coronation at Westminster. She succeeded her father in 1202 as Ctss d'Angoulême, but was not formally recognised as such until Nov 1206. She married secondly (10 Mar/22 May 1220) Hugues [XI] de Lusignan Comte de la Marche . Her origin is confirmed in the charter dated 1224 under which "Ugo de Leziniaco comes Marchiæ et Engolismæ et Ysabella uxor eius…regina Angliæ" confirmed rights granted by "bonæ memoriæ Ademaro comite Engolismæ patre eiusdem dominæ Ysabellæ" to Vindelle. Matthew Paris records her death, when he specifies that she was the wife of Hugues Comte de la Marche.

Mistress (1): --- de Warenne , daughter of HAMELIN d´Anjou Earl of Surrey & his [second] wife Isabel de Warenne of Surrey (-[killed 1200]). According to Given-Wilson & Curteis, one of the mistresses of King John was the "sister of William de Warenne" but the authors do not specify which sister she was. The Chronicle of Robert of Gloucester names "Sir Richard fiz le rei…Ion" and "the erles daughter of Wareine" his mother. The Annales Cestrienses record in 1200 that "W. de Waren meunch fil Regis" was killed. Christie suggests that one possibility is that "meunch" in this source may represent a contraction of "mater Richardi", another possibility being that it represents "avunculus" and that the entry refers to the death of William de Warenne (although if that is correct, the date makes little sense).

Mistress (2): CLEMENTIA, daughter of ---. The Annals of Tewkesbury names "reginæ Clemenciæ" as the mother of "domina Johanna Walliæ, uxor Lewelini, filia regis Johannis" when recording her daughter´s death. Weir names "Henry Pinel" as Clementia´s husband. The primary source which confirms this information has not been identified. The suspicion is that it relates to a possible identification of Clementia herself as"Clementia wife of Henry Pinel" but that there is no basis for saying definitively that the husband of King John´s mistress was Henry Pinel.

Mistress (3): HAWISE, daughter of ---. Given-Wilson & Curteis name "Hawise" as the mother of King John´s son Oliver, adding that "she had some claim to land in Kent and it is possible that she was a Tracy". The primary source which confirms this information has not been identified.

Mistress (4): SUSANNA, daughter of ---. Given-Wilson & Curteis record that she was given a "tunic and super-tunic" in 1213. The primary source which confirms her name and relationship with King John has not yet been identified.

Mistresses (5) - (12):---. The names of the other mistresses of King John are not known.

King John & his second wife had five children: Henry, Richard, Joan, Isabella and Eleanor.

King John had one illegitimate son by Mistress (1): Richard.

King John had one illegitimate daughter by Mistress (2): Joan.

King John had one illegitimate son by Mistress (3): Oliver.

King John had [eleven] illegitimate children by unknown mistresses.

[FMG/Medieval Lands]

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Matthew Paris wrote, 'Foul as it is, hell itself is defiled by the presence of King John', and this pretty well sums up John's reputation--until 1944, that is. For in that year Professor Galbraith demonstrated in a lecture to an astonished world that the chief chronicle source for the reign of John was utterly unreliable. Since then bad King John has been getting better and better, until now he is nearly well again, and a leading scholar in the field has seriously warned us that the twentieth century could well create it own John myth.

A man who can create so many myths, or rather have them created about him, is clearly outstanding in some way, but the myths hide the truth. Plainly the chroniclers who invented stories about him after his death can tell us little, and we should not take too much notice of people who condemned John for carrying out his father's (and his brother's officials'] policies and administratrive routines, nor indeed those who condemned him because of the bitter troubles that happened in the succeeding reign, troubles which were in no means entirely of John's making. Recent historians have turned to the administrative records of his reign, and found there a very different picture; but still the lingering doubts remain--were these records the result of John's skill and application or of those of his able staff?

John was a paunchy little man, five feet five inches tall, with erect head, staring eyes, flaring nostrils and thick lips set in a cruel pout, as his splendid monument at Worcester shows. He had the tempestous nature of all his family, and a driving demoniac energy: Professor Barlow says that 'he prowled around his kingdom,' which is an evocative phrase, but it would be truer to say that he raced around it. He was fastidious about his person--taking more baths than several other medieval kings put together, and owning the ultimate in luxury, for that time, a dressing-gown. He loved good food and drink, and gambled a great deal, though he usually lost--the results of his typical impatience and carelessness are recorded on his expense rolls; above all things he loved women. Some say his 'elopment' was the cause of his loss of Normandy. He was generous to the poor (for instance, he remitted to them the penalties of the forest law), and to his servants; at the least he went through the motions of being a Christian king. He was extortionate, though if one considers the terrific increase in his outgoings (a mercenary soldier cost him 200 per cent more in wages than he would have in Henry II's day) one can understand some of his actions in the field. He was deeply concerned about justice, took care to attend to court business, and listened to supplicants with sympathy; he had also an urgent desire for peace in the land, saying that his peace was to be observed 'even if we have granted it to a dog.' But for all that, he had two totally unredeeming vices; he was suspicious, and enjoyed a cloak-and-dagger atmosphere--simply he did not inspire trust in his subjects. Dr. Warren says of him with some justice that if he had lived in the twentieth centure he would have adored to run a secret police.

He was born at Oxford on Christmas Eve 1167. He was oblated for a monk at the abbey of Fontevrault at the age of one year, but was back at court by the time he was six--plainly he had no vocation, but he probably picked up at this early stage his fastidiousness and his passion for books: his library followed him wherever he went. He was his father's favourite, but he turned against the old man when his chance came, as he did against Richard (who had been very generous to his brother) when the latter was in captivity in 1193. The episode was a miserable failure, but it possibly sowed the seeds of distrust for John in England, where they began to sprout luxuriantly in 1199 when Richard died and John came to the throne.

Immeditaely the challenge came: Philip Augustus, the wily King of France, was backing John's nephew, Prince Arthur of Brittany (son of John's elder brother Geoffrey) as a contender for the throne, and England's French possessions fell prey to civil war. John found grave difficultly in dealing with the situation for a number of reasons, but in 1202 he made the remarkable coup of capturing Arthur by force-marching his troups eighty miles in forty-eight hours; but then his prosecution of the war became listless, and he lost much sympathy by his brutal murder of Arthur whilst in a drunken rage. By 1204 Normandy was lost.

The loss of Normandy seemed to wake John up, and he now deployed his every energy in building up the coastal defences of Britain, now faced with an enemy the other side of the Channel, instead of just more of her own territory. The navy was built up, and the army, and John poured a quarter of his annual revenue into defence. But he could not persuade the baronage to support him in a counterstroke to regain Normandy: the barons of the north country had never owned land in Normandy and did not see why they should pay to regain southerners's castles for them. These 'Northerners' as they called themselves, were a hive of discontent, and more was to be heard from them. Meanwhile, John sailed angrily about in the Channel, cursing ineffectually.

Other troubles were to come first, however. In 1205 the Archbishop of Canterbury, Hubert Walker, died, and John assumed that he would have the choice of the new archbishop. However, Pope Innocent III was no man to support secular control over church appointments, and supported the right of the monks of Canterbury to select their own archbishop. For two years the storms blew betwen England and Rome, then Stephen Langton was appointed. Meanwhile John had driven the monks into exile and appropriated the revenues of the archdiocese. He had fallen out also with his half-brother, Geoffrey Archbishop or York, over tax-collection, and he too fled abroad while John collected his revenues. Four bishops joined in his fight--tension was growing to the snapping point. In 1208 the Pope put an Interdict on England, which in effect meant the clergy went on stike, or, in certain cases and areas, worked to rule. John began negotiations with Innocent, but, finding that he demanded unconditional surrender, stopped them and took over all ecclesiastical properties and incomes. He did leave the clergy sufficient to live, though barely; but he still gained a large increment to his usual finances. In November 1209 the Pope took the final step of excommjunicating the King, which, in that it made him an outlaw in Christendom, did far more damage than the Interdict.

John used his enlarged treasury to restore order in Scotland, Ireland and Wales, and to rebuild the old alliance with Otto IV of Germany and the Count of Flanders against Philip Augustus. He planned a two-pronged attack on France, to take place in 1212. But that year turned out an unlucky one for John, for the barons again refused to serve abroad, and the army he had was needed to put down a revolt in Wales; the Pope was threatening to demote him, and Philip Augustus was planning a massive invasion of England. John had to give in in one direction, for the prssure was much too great: he chose the Pope, and wisely so. He agreed to return to the status quo in the matter of church property and establishment, and to pay compensation; he further resigned his kingdom into the hands of the Pope, to receive it back in return for his homage and an annual tribute of 1,000 marks (a mark being two-thirds of a pound].

He had won a notable ally in Innocent III, who supported him faithfully throughout his troubles. Then his fleet, his own creation, had the good luck to find the French fleet at anchor and unprotected, destroyed it, and so made a French invasion impossible. On the crest of a wave, John determined to put his two-pronged invasion plan into action, but once more the northern barons refused to play, and he set off to punish them. Stephen Langton had arrived on the scene by now and managed to persuade John not to provoke the barons further.








In 1214 he finally managed to put his long cherished plan into action, but the two attacks were not properly coordinated; Otto was defeated at Bouvines, and John was deserted by his Poitevin knights.

In 1215 John faced a baronage in turmoil: they could point to the failure of his expensive schemes, he ascribed his failure to their total lack of support. The situation could not be more tense. John's nervousness can be seen in his taking of the cross, a blatant attempt to reinforce his alliance with the papacy. In April the Northerners met at Stamford; they were by now a mixture of northerners and southerners--the name was now merely a nickname--but by and large they were the younger element in the kingdom, roughnecks out for a spree. They moved south and were let into London by a faction, and received the expected encouragement from Philip Augustus in the form of siege engines brought over by one Eustace, a renegade monk turned pirate.

John offered arbitration, but the barons turned it down, and while he put his faith in an appeal to Rome, Stephen Langton, in cooperation with William Marshal and other more stable and sensible barons, were working on the Northerners' demands to incorporate them into a general charter, which would not only govern feudal relationships, but would also lay down a more general pattern of legality in government. On 15 June John fixed his seal to the draft of Magna Carta, and on 19 June attested copies were sent to all parts of the kingdom.

The King did his part thoroughly, though for how long he would have continued is another matter, but the barons continued to distrust him. They remained in arms, organising tournaments as their excuse, saying that the prize would be 'a bear a certain lady would send.' This was civil war, and John took to it with a fiendish glee. He reduced the north and the east, and was about to mop up the remainder of the opposition in London when Philip Augustus' son Louis landed in force to help the barons (May 1216). John had been riding hard for months, and was sick with dysentery after a bout of over-eating; whilst crossing the Wash, the whole of his baggage-train was lost. At Neward Castle on 18 October, he died, desiring to be buried near his patron saint Wulfstan in Worcester Cathedral.

He was by no means a good man, and his energies could well have been put to a better use, but in a different situation he might well have made a great king. His constant failure was discipline, over himself first, and others second. John reminds me of nothing so much as the type of person who is brilliant in many ways, and has many gifts, but leaves after two terms 'not suited to teaching in this type of school.' [Who's Who in the Middle Ages, John Fines, Barnes & Noble Books, New York, 1995]
Signed Magna Carta in 1215 at Runnymede. His reign saw renewal of war with Phillip II Augustus of France to whom he has lost several continental possesions including Normandy by 1205. He came into conflict with his Barons and was forced to Sign the Magna Carta. His later repudiation of the charter led to the first barons war 1215-17 during which John died. Burke says he was born in 1160. King of Ireland 1177, Count of Mortain 1189, Earl of Gloucester

He married Isabella of Gloucester and then divorced her and married Isabella of Angouleme. John imposed crippling taxes and tightened the already severe forest laws, all to raise revenue for his war against the French. This war cost him Normandy and led to high inflation resulting in widespread poverty. He antagonised the Church bringing on an interdict from the Pope, and John himself was excommunicated. He captured and murdered his nephew Arthur of Brittany. The whole population, high and low alike, were in a state of near rebellion. The barons drew up a document which they were intent upon John signing. This document was not a formal constitution but a practical statement that the King must respect institutional customs and law. On Monday 15th June 1215 King John signed and sealed the document on the island of Runnymeade in the Thames. This was one of the most memorable events in English history, the document was Magna Carta. Afterwards John reverted to his bad old ways and Louis, son of the French King, was invited to replace him. Louis entered London unopposed in May 1216 and civil war began to flame. Fortunately for England, John died on Wednesday 19th October 1216 at Newark. During John's reign, in 1212, London Bridge caught fire and and over 3,000 were killed by the flames or drowning. ¹⁵

  Death Notes:

or 19 Oct 1216

  Events

• Ruled: 1199-1216.

• Bullet: SIGNED THE MAGNA CHARTA, 1215.

• Occupation: 3rd Earl of Gloucester; King of England (27 Mar 1199-1216); Duke of Normandy (1199-1214); Lord of Ireland (1199-1216). ^{7 16 17}

John married Isabel FitzRobert 3rd Countess of Gloucester, daughter of William FitzRobert 2nd Earl of Gloucester and Hawise de Beaumont, on 24 Aug 1200 in Cathédrale Saint-André de Bordeaux, Bordeaux, Gironde, Aquitaine, FR.^{1 2 3} (Isabel FitzRobert 3rd Countess of Gloucester was born before 1176, died on 14 Oct 1217 ^{2 18} and was buried in Canterbury Cathedral, The Precincts, Canterbury, Kent, CT1 2EH, GB.)

• Divorce: Divorce, 1199.

  Marriage Notes:

Betrothed 1176, Marlborough 29 Aug 1189, divorced before 30 Aug 1199 ¹⁹

John next married Isabelle d'Angoulême Comtesse d’Angoulême, daughter of Aymar Taillefer d'Angoulême Comte d'Angoulême and Alice de Courtenay, on 24 Aug 1200 in Cathédrale Saint-André de Bordeaux, Bordeaux, Gironde, Aquitaine, FR.^{4 5 6} (Isabelle d'Angoulême Comtesse d’Angoulême was born about 1187,²⁰ died on 31 May 1246 in Abbaye Notre-Dame de Fontevraud, Fontevraud-L'Abbaye, Maine-et-Loire, Pays de la Loire, 49590, FR ²⁰ and was buried in Abbaye Notre-Dame de Fontevraud, Fontevraud-L'Abbaye, Maine-et-Loire, Pays de la Loire, 49590, FR.)

John next married de Warenne, daughter of Hamelin d'Anjou 5th Earl of Surrey and Isabelle de Warenne Countess of Surrey, on 24 Aug 1200 in Cathédrale Saint-André de Bordeaux, Bordeaux, Gironde, Aquitaine, FR.

John next married Clémence on 24 Aug 1200 in Cathédrale Saint-André de Bordeaux, Bordeaux, Gironde, Aquitaine, FR.

John next married Hawise on 24 Aug 1200 in Cathédrale Saint-André de Bordeaux, Bordeaux, Gironde, Aquitaine, FR.

John next married Susanna on 24 Aug 1200 in Cathédrale Saint-André de Bordeaux, Bordeaux, Gironde, Aquitaine, FR.