Why Did King John I Found England In 1209-1214

In 1199, King John I ascended to the throne of England after his brother, Richard I, was killed on one of his crusades. During his reign, Richard I spent all of the money in the treasury on these religious wars. In addition, his absence allowed the barons of England to become very powerful. As a result of his brothers rule, John I found England in a very difficult place when he became king. John attempted to fix the problems caused by his brother’s reign by raising the taxes and exerting his power over the church in order to modernize the country. His actions caused an uproar within his domain. The taxes upset wealthy people and commoners alike. Subjects in Ireland, Wales, and Scotland were all upset with the king. In addition, the barons and knights were angered by John and sought an alliance with France. John’s attempt to assert power over the church caused him to be excommunicated from 1209-1214.

This growing difficult situation caused John to be concerned about his image. Ten years later, in 1214, the king invaded Normandy and tried to take back his land. He was defeated at the battle of Bouvines. At this point, King John’s authority was compromised. In May of 1215, forty barons of England formed the Army of God backed by French support. They declared that John was not the king and captured London. On June 15, 1215 the barons of England forced King John to sign the Magna Carta at Runnymede. However, John did not actually sign anything on this day. The Magna Carta was a list of 63 promises that the barons decided on at Runnymede in order to limit the King. It was recorded several times over in shorthand by monks in order to spread the official document around England. The document was recorded on sheep skin because the cost of parchment was too high at this