John (French: Jean) (December 24, 1166/67 – October 18/19, 1216) reigned as King of England from 1199 to 1216. He succeeded to the throne as the younger brother of King Richard I (known as "Richard the Lionheart"). John acquired the nicknames of "Lackland" (in French, sans terre) and "Soft-sword".
John's reign has been traditionally characterized as one of the most disastrous in English history: it began with defeats – he lost Normandy to Philippe Auguste of France in his first five years on the throne – and ended with England torn by civil war and himself on the verge of being forced out of power. In 1213, he made England a papal fief to resolve a conflict with the Church, and his rebellious barons forced him to sign Magna Carta in 1215, the act for which he is best remembered. Some have argued, however, that John ruled no better or worse than his immediate predecessor or his successor.
Before his accession, John had already acquired a reputation for treachery, having conspired sometimes with and sometimes against his elder brothers, Henry, Geoffrey and Richard. In 1184, John and Richard both claimed that they were the rightful heir to the Aquitaine, one of many unfriendly encounters between the two. In 1185 though, John became the ruler of Ireland, whose people grew to despise him, causing John to leave after only eight months.
During Richard's absence on crusade from 1190 to 1194, John attempted to overthrow his designated regent, despite having been forbidden by his brother to leave France. This was one reason the older legend of Hereward the Wake was updated to King Richard's reign, with "Prince John" as the ultimate villain and with the hero now called "Robin Hood". However, on his return to England in 1194, Richard forgave John and named him as his heir.
As far as the administration of his kingdom went, John functioned as quite a just and enlightened ruler, but he won the disapproval of the barons by taxing them. The tax known as scutage, a penalty for those who failed to supply military resources, became particularly unpopular. He also fell out with the Pope by rejecting Stephen Langton, the official candidate for the position of Archbishop of Canterbury. This resulted in John's excommunication. He had much the same kind of dispute with the church as his father had had before him. Unfortunately, his excommunication encouraged his political rivals to rise against him. Having successfully put down the Welsh Uprising of 1211, he turned his attentions back to his overseas interests and regained the approval of Pope Innocent III.
The European wars culminated in defeat at the Battle of Bouvines, which forced the king to accept an unfavourable peace with France. This finally turned the barons against him, and he met their leaders at Runnymede, near London, on June 15, 1215, to sign the Great Charter called, in Latin, Magna Carta. Because he had signed under duress, however, John felt entitled to break his word as soon as hostilities had ceased, provoking the First Barons' War.