John of England

John (1166–1216), nicknamed Lackland, was the youngest son of Henry II and Eleanor of Aquitaine, not expected to inherit much land. Made Lord of Ireland in 1177, he failed in a rebellion against Richard I's officials while the king was on crusade. He became king in 1199.

When war resumed in 1202, his forces captured rebel leaders including his nephew Arthur, whom historians believe John had murdered. The scandal undermined his rule, and Normandy and most of his French lands were lost by 1204. His judicial reforms raised revenue and shaped English common law.

His dispute with Pope Innocent III brought an interdict on England and his own excommunication. After defeat at Bouvines in 1214, barons forced him to agree to Magna Carta in 1215. Civil war followed, and John died of dysentery on 19 October 1216; his son Henry III's supporters won the next year.