King John was the brother of Richard the Lionheart and the son of Henry II. All three had the same ill temper and the logical fears that arise from being king in such turbulent times. The difference, however, was that Johnwas such a weak warrior that he was even nicknamed "Softsword".
Imagine a King so weak in battle that, when he came to the throne in 1199 he had 6 different empires. Yet, by the time he died, he had lost 4 of them, and reduced his power significantly. He seemed to lose every war not because he was not clever, but also because he was categorized as lazy.
When wrote about, Monk Matthew Paris said:
"Foul as it is, hell itself is defiled by the fouler presence of John,"
He quarreled with the Church, and is thought to have killed his nephew on a fit of rage.
So, that, added to signing the Magna Carta...tells you that he was definitely not the most memorable fellow in British history.
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