King John (1166-1216) was a member of the House of Angevin branch of the House of Plantagenet and the third and last English king of both houses. He succeeded his brother, King Richard the Lionheart as King in 1199. During his reign England lost control of the Angevin lands to France.
Contents
King John Family Tree Image
King John Family Tree in Table Form
King John Short Biography
King John Family Tree Image showing:
King John Family Tree in Table Form showing:
grandparents, parents, siblings and wife
GRANDPARENTS
Paternal Grandfather – Geoffrey Plantagenet – (1113 – 1151)
Paternal Grandmother – Empress Matilda – (1102 – 1167)
Maternal Grandfather – William X, Duke of Aquitaine – (1098 – 1137)
Maternal Grandmother – Aenor of Chatellerault – (1103 – 1130)
PARENTS
Father – Henry II, King of England – (1133 – 1189)
Mother – Eleanor of Aquitaine – (1124 – 1204)
SIBLINGS
William IX Count of Poitiers – (1153 – 1156)
Henry the Young King – (1155 – 1185)
Matilda of Saxony and Bavaria – (1156 – 1189)
Richard I, King of England – (1157 – 1199)
Geoffrey II, Duke of Brittany – (1158 – 1186)
Eleanor, Queen of Castile – (1162 – 1214)
Joan, Queen of Sicily – (1165 – 1199)
MARRIED
1. Isabella of Gloucester – (c.1165 – 1217)
2. Isabella of Angouleme – (c.1186 – 1246)
CHILDREN
with Isabella of Angouleme
Henry III, King of England– (1207 – 1272)
Richard, King of the Romans – (1209 – 1272)
Joan of Scotland – (1210 – 1238)
Isabella, Holy Roman Empress – (1214 – 1241)
Eleanor, Countess of Pembroke – (1215 – 1275)
GRANDCHILDREN
by Henry III
Edward I, King of England– (1239 – 1307)
Margaret of Scotland – (1240 – 1275)
Beatrice – (1242 – 1275)
Edmund Crouchback, 1st Earl of Lancaster – ( 1245 – 1296)
Richard – (c. 1247 – c. 1256)
John – (c. 1250 – c. 1256)
William – (c. 1251 – c. 1256)
Katherine – (1253 – 1257)
by Richard, King of the Romans
Joan – (1232 – 1232)
Isabel – (1233 – 1234)
Henry – (1235 – 1271)
Nicholas – (1240 – 1240)
Richard – (1246 – 1246)
Edmund – (1249 – 1300)
by Isabella, Holy Roman Empress
Agnes – (1237 – 12370
Henry, King of Jerusalem – (1238 – 1253)
Margaret – (1241 – 1270)
by Eleanor, Countess of Pembroke
Henry de Montfort – (1238 – 1265)
Simon de Montfort – (1240 – 1271)
Amaury de Montfort – (1242 – c. 1301)
Guy de Montfort – (c. 1244 – 1291)
Richard – (d. c. 1266)
Eleanor de Montfort – (1252 – 1282)
King John Short Biography
Early Years
King John was born on 24th December 1166 the youngest son of King Henry II of England and Eleanor of Aquitaine. His parents began leading separate lives around 1168 and John was mostly cared for by nursemaids. He was educated by private tutors and schooled in activities typical for the son of a Medieval king – horsemanship, weapons training as well as academic subjects.
During 1170s John’s elder brothers and his mother rebelled against his father complaining that they did not have enough power and wanting to know what their inheritance would be when Henry died. To appease them, Henry put together a future plan for the governance of his lands when he died. John, the youngest, earned the nickname Lackland because his father did not grant him any land.
In 1177, at the age of 11 years, John was given the title Lord of Ireland.
The Reign of Richard I
Henry II died on 6th July 1189 and John’s elder brother Richard became King of England. Richard had already committed to joining the third Crusade and left for the Holy Land the following year. Before he left he created his nephew, Arthur of Brittany, heir to the throne. Having heard nothing from his brother, John tried to take the throne in 1193, possibly believing that Richard was dead. However, Richard was still alive and had been captured on his return journey from Crusade, and held to ransom for 150,000 marks. John raised the ransom through taxation which made him more unpopular.
Richard returned to England in 1194 and was warmly received by the people. He was only in England for a matter of weeks before he left for France to defend Normandy against attacks by the French.
King John
Richard died in France in 1199. He had no children so John succeeded as King. John’s first task as King was to make peace with France but it was fragile and only lasted 2 years. Tension between France and England worsened when the French King gave Aquitaine, Poitou and Anjou to John’s nephew, Arthur of Brittany, who Richard had named as heir in 1189. In 1202 Arthur of Brittany was captured and imprisoned. He was murdered the following year, probably on John’s order.
King John came into conflict with Pope Innocent III in 1207 after refusing to accept the Pope’s nomination of Stephen Langton for Archbishop of Canterbury. He was subsequently excommunicated by the Pope. John eventually agreed to the nomination in 1212 and the excommunication was lifted.
Marriages and Family
In 1189, King John married Isabella, daughter of William of Gloucester. The Archbishop of Canterbury protested against the marriage because they were both great-grandchildren of King Henry I. The marriage was annulled in 1199, but as Isabella was a minor he made her his ward.
In 1200 John married Isabella of Angouleme, the 12 year-old daughter of the Count of Angouleme. The couple had 5 children:
King Henry III (1207 – 1272)
Richard (1209 – 1272)
Joan (1210 – 1238)
Isabella (1214 – 1241)
Eleanor (1215 – 1275).
Loss of the Angevin Empire
Throughout John’s reign there were tensions with King Philip II of France. In 1203 Philip launched a campaign against English possessions in France. By 1204, Normandy fell to the French, followed by Anjou, Maine, and Touraine, leaving Aquitaine as John’s only remaining continental possession.
In 1214, the loss of the Battle of Bouvines put an end to any attempt to regain the lost possessions.
Magna Carta
Throughout his reign John faced criticism from his barons and the loss of English possessions in France weakened John’s position further. In 1207, he introduced a tax on income which was extremely unpopular with the wealthy nobility. The barons wanted a greater say in government and also wanted the King to stop meddling in religion.
In 1215 John was forced to sign Magna Carta, a charter which met the baron’s grievances and limited the power of the King. John complained to the Pope that the document was signed under duress and it was declared null and void. This angered the Baron’s further and war broke out between the Crown and the Barons.
King John died in October 1216 leaving his son Henry III to resolve the war.
Published Mar 6 2021 – Updated – Dec 4 2024
Harvard Reference for King John Family Tree:
Heather Y Wheeler. (2021 – 2024). King John of England Family Tree & Biography (1166-1216). Available: https://www.treesofblue.com/king-john-of-england-1166-1216. Last accessed December 16th, 2024