Unit 10. John Lackland and the Magna Carta
Richard was succeeded by his brother John, known as John Lackland. John was Henry II`s younger son. He had three elder brothers, so his chances to get the throne were rather slim. According to the legend, it was this fact that gave him his nickname. He was his father`s favourite child, and in 1176 Henry took some battles to gain new territories in Ireland to let his younger son settle down there. But John took part in his brothers` revolt against Henry. They say that the fact that his favourite son was also a rebel quickened Henry`s death. During Richard I`s reign John made attempts to seize the throne but Richard returned from captivity and John`s plans failed. After Richard`s death there was another possible heir to the throne, his nephew Prince Arthur, who was his sister`s son. He had support of many of the most noble barons in the kingdom. John ascended the throne at 33 in 1199 and Prince Arthur was a boy of 12. John tried to get back the provinces of Anjou, Aquitaine, Normandy, where Arthur had most of his supporters. To claim the throne Arthur got the aid of the French king, whose daughter he married. The French king supported John`s enemies and attacked him in Normandy, which he lost. Prince Arthur was captured and placed into the castle of Falaise in Normandy. There is an opinion that Arthur was murdered by the king`s order. The story told is rather cruel. Thus they say John`s first order was to blind the young man, but when the executioners came the governor of the castle refused to let them in. They went away but some time later the king himself came together with the killers and the prince was drowned. Before it John demanded that the Prince should give up his claim for the crown. But the Prince refused to do it and was murdered. The prince`s death deprived John of even more of his supporters. After it the king continued to fight with the king of France and his barons. Battles followed one another and in 1205 John lost not only Normandy but many other territories. At this period John also found himself in opposition to the Pope. The reason for it was John`s refusal to receive the new Archbishop of Canterbury appointed by the Pope. The king wanted to see his man on the post, so he objected to the candidate Pope Innocent III suggested. The Pope declared the king of England deposed and the whole country excommunicated. The churches were closed, no sermons took place. It provoked the French Invasion and set the king in a deeper conflict with his subjects of all ranks. The Church was highly taxed, which aggravated the clerics` enmity to the king. In 1213 John had to surrender to the Pope and follow his recommendations about the Archbishop of Canterbury and appointment of bishops.
In 1215 the richest and most powerful sections of English society formed a coalition against the king. At Runnymede, a small island in the Thames near Windsor, John`s opponents made him agree to the terms of the Magna Carta or The Great Charter. It was a charter of liberties directed against John`s use of feudal, judicial and other governmental powers. The history and preconditions of the document had a long run. Earlier kings, Henry I, Stephen and Henry II issued charters making concessions to their barons. But those concessions were not granted directly by the king. During the reign of Richard I and John constant wars and the crusade put the king into dependence on his barons. In 1199, 1201 and 1205 some promises of granting rights were given but not fulfilled. In 1213 the new Archbishop of Canterbury Stephen Langton incited the barons to demanding liberties from the king. First the document called "The Articles of Barons" was set and then turned into the Great Charter or Magna Carta. It was written in Latin. The Magna Carta was signed by king John on 15th of June, 1215. The Charter consisted of 63 clauses or parts. Their contents were divided into 9 groups. The first concerned the church, asserting it was to be free. The second group provided some laws on the possession of lands and the third assured rights of tenant farmers. The fourth part referred to town life, trade and merchants. The fifth was concerned with the system of law and justice. There was a special clause dedicated to the behaviour of royal officials. The seventh group covered the sphere of the royal possession of forests. The last two groups of rules covered the king`s right to hire the services of foreign mercenaries and his promise to carry the terms of the Charter. According to this point, if the king violated the demands of the charter, a council of 25 barons should have the ultimate right to declare war on him. The Magna Carta was a first chapter in English history to what later will be called parliamentarism. Though the document was signed, the war with the barons continued. Soon after it John hired more mercenaries from other countries, mostly France and began burning town and villages. In October 1216 the king found himself in the Swinestead Abbey in Norfolk, where he died several days later. They say he was poisoned by the monks, who prepared a special dinner to greet him in the monastery. But there was no proof of it. John died at 49 and on the 17th year of his reign. Before it his cars with gold sank in the bog.
I. Read the text, translate it into Russian.
II. Memorize the words, answer the questions:
| deprive smb. of smth. – лишать к-л ч-л. | Why did John get his nickname? |
| seize - захватывать | Why was Prince Arthur murdered? |
| ascend – восходить на трон | When was the Great Charter signed? |
| aggravate - усугублять | How many parts did the Great Charter have? |
| surrender – подчиняться, сдаваться | Do you think king John was killed or not? |
| coalition - коалиция | |
| incite –подстрекать, побуждать |