Walking Through History - King John

Good morning!  Tony Robinson in his walk today will learn about the downfall of the Bad King John.  The run time for this episode is 47:12. The episode is called The Ruin of King John: the Peak District and was part of the 800th Anniversary of the Magna Carta.

Sir Tony Robinson explores the downfall of Bad King John.  He was the enemy of Robin Hood.  He was tyrannical and unpopular.  He was forced to accept the Magna Carta, which would limit the power of kings.  The people opposed King John because of the high taxes and the loss of land. 

Tony will begin in the Peak District National Park and then make his way to Sherwood Forest.  In the 13th Century, both landscapes would have hosted King John.  Eventually, he would turn these areas into a stronghold when the people turned against him.  One day he starts at Sutton on Trent.  He will then make his way to Laxton Castle before going to the ruins at Rufford Abbey.  King John’s quest for cash would make him many enemies.

On day two, he will make his way through Sherwood Forest and follow Robin Hood’s trail.  He will head on to Bolsover Castle (will Lucy Worsley make an appearance in this episode) and then hop on the M1 to make his way to the Robin Hood Inn.  On day Three, he will stop at Chatsworth House, learn about how England was on the verge of civil war, and make his way to Monsal Head.  Tony will end his walk at where the Magna Carta was issued.

Who was King John?  He was the son of Henry II and Eleanor of Aquitaine.  Nobody expected him to become king.  Tony talks about the comparisons between Richard the Lionheart and King John and how both men came down to history.  Tony tours Nottingham Castle, a favorite hangout of King John and the Sheriff of Nottingham.  It was the one place in England he could feel at home. 

Tony walks to where it is rumored that King John performed a horrible act.  He meets with a historian who believes that King John was a better king than what history made him out to be.  Tony is skeptical but the records seem to hint that he was an energetic king.  He visits a castle that King John would have conquered.  It had been owned by a woman named Maud and he took the castle away from her.  The forest was a good source of income for the king and he was always short of money.  A lackey took over and he raised the taxes on the people.  King John started to document everything about what was going on.  He was a relentless traveler and he was always on the lookout for money.

King Richard’s crusades left England bankrupt among other problems.  King John’s armies would be undermanned.  Eventually, John would lose control of Normandy which would have shattered him.  He would be determined to win Normandy back from France, and that would require money.  Tony makes his way to Ruthford Abbey.  It was built by monks and he eventually fined the monks to raise money for his war.  Eventually, King John would conflict with Pope Innocent III, and this was a Pope, John should not have messed with.  The pope would put England under an interdict.   People could not be buried during this time.  How would King John try to get the Pope to end the interdict?  What about Robin Hood?  How does this folk legend fit in with the story of Bad King John?  Where else does Tony’s walk take him?  Tune into the rest of the episode to find out more.

Hey, it is another episode that was divided up into chapters.  It is rather annoying that Absolute History did not carry this through the whole series.  That said, this was the best documentary I had seen on King John.  Sir Tony does a good job of presenting both sides of King John to give a more balanced view of this historical figure.  This would be at the top of my list to show to a history classroom and would be good for research purposes too.