King John: England's Evil King? [Paperback]

Ralph V. Turner (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: July 1, 2009 | ISBN-10: 0752448501 | ISBN-13: 978-0752448503 | Edition: New edition

Before his death in 1216, King John's desperate exploitation of his subjects for ever more money had turned him into the mythical monster of Hollywood legend. In contrast to his brother Richard, he appeared incompetent in battle, failing to defend Normandy (1202–04), and was unsuccessful in recovering his lost lands in 1214. A continuing crisis was a constant need for money, forcing John to drain England of funds for campaigns in France, demanding unlawful and oppressive new taxes. Adding to his evil reputation was an ill-tempered personality and a streak of pettiness or spitefulness that led him to monstrous acts, including murdering his own nephew. King John’s unpopularity culminated in a final crisis, a revolt by the English baronage, 1215–16, aimed at subjecting him to the rule of law, that resulted in his grant of Magna Carta.

Editorial Reviews

Review

'A coherent portrait of John which is itself a contribution to historical understanding' Professor David Bates, author of William the Conqueror. --This text refers to an alternate Paperback edition.

From the Publisher

King John long ago acquired the epithet "Bad," and he is reputed to be the worst of England’s kings. Before his death in 1216, his desperate exploitation of his subjects for ever more money had turned him into the mythical monster of Hollywood legend—even though the fictional Robin Hood was invented much later. Born in 1166 the youngest of Henry II and Eleanor of Aquitaine’s sons, only the untimely deaths of his elder brothers, Henry, Geoffrey of Brittany, and Richard the Lionheart propelled him to the English throne. In contrast to his brother Richard, he appeared incompetent in battle, failing to defend Normandy in 1202-04, and was unsuccessful in recovering his lost lands in 1214. A continuing crisis was a constant need for money, forcing John to drain England of funds for campaigns in France, demanding unlawful and oppressive new taxes. Adding to his evil reputation was an ill-tempered personality and a streak of pettiness or spitefulness that led him to monstrous acts, including murdering his own nephew. King John’s unpopularity culminated in a final crisis, a revolt by the English baronage, 1215-16, aimed at subjecting him to the rule of law, that resulted in his grant of Magna Carta. --This text refers to an alternate Paperback edition.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 240 pages
• Publisher: The History Press; New edition edition (July 1, 2009)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0752448501
• ISBN-13: 978-0752448503
• Product Dimensions: 7.6 x 4.9 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 9.1 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 1.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,035,563 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Ralph V. Turner was born on a plantation outside Forrest City, Arkansas, where he attended public schools. He was a history major at the University of Arkansas, where he took his BA and MA. Following graduation, he spent an academic year at Poitiers, France, as a Fulbright Scholar. That year was a life-changing experience, creating a thirst for travel,learning and the scholar's life that has never been quenched. On his return from France, he enrolled at the Johns Hopkins University, where he completed his doctorate in history in 1962, writing his thesis on the English royal courts of justice under King John and Henry III. A revised and expanded version was published as 'The King and his Courts' by Cornell University Press (1968). He joined the history faculty of the Florida State University at Tallahassee after leaving Johns Hopkins, and he spent most of his academic career there, continuing to do research and write on medieval English history, chiefly on the Angevin kings and their government. This interest led him to turn to study of Magna Carta and its impact on Anglo-American government and politics, 'Magna Carta through the Ages' (Pearson 2003). He became interested in writing collective biographies of royal administrators in 12th-century England, and later he tackled biographies of King John (Longman 1994; History Press 2009) of Richard Lionheart co-authored with his former student Richard R. Heiser(Pearson 2000). Yet his interest in French history and civilization remained strong, and he became more and more interested in the Angevin kings' French possessions, an interest whetted by his studies of Richard I and John. His year as a student at Poitiers had aroused a lifelong interest in Eleanor of Aquitaine, and after his retirement from teaching in 2000, he turned to uncovering a true image of that scandal-ridden queen in a new biography. It was published by Yale University Press in spring 2009.

Customer Reviews

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5 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars King John, England's Evil King? Ralph Turner, July 1, 2010

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This review is from: King John: England's Evil King? (Paperback)

Imagine my chagrin when I opened this book with suitable anticipation to find the font size so small as to be virtually illegible even with appropriate eyewear. In fact, even a store-bought pair of galsses with enhanced strength could not compensate enough to make reading comfortable, never mind enjoyable. Too bad, this book might have been good, but I will never know.