How the Magna Carta Chaos Galvanized England

"1217: The Battles That Saved England," by Catherine Hanley.

Just as we were told in the tales of Robin Hood—that King John was a terrible king—King John was a terrible king. But as with any fictionalized version of history, the reality doesn’t exactly line up with the story. In Catherine Hanley’s new work “1217: The Battles That Saved England,” readers are introduced to a man who “proved over and over again that he was hopelessly unsuitable to be a king.”

Hanley begins with the Magna Carta, or rather with a letter from Pope Innocent III rejecting the very idea of this document, one created to make the king “subject to the law, rather than sitting above it.” She explains that the Magna Carta, issued in 1215 by the English barons, was a document “so radical as to be astonishing,” which explains the pope’s response.

Of course, the pope wasn’t the only person who rejected the document. King John rejected it too. During this time, the barons were either “royalists” or “rebels,” and the latter group forced the king’s hand in two ways. After the rebel barons took London, John begrudgingly adhered to the document; but after having the pope “annul the charter,” he declared war on the rebels.

As Hanley indicates, though, these rebels were “not radical anti-monarchists, seeking to destroy the concept of kingship as a whole; they merely wanted a better king than John, so they would have to find one from somewhere.” That somewhere was France.

Louis, the Battles, and Blanche

During this hubbub between the demanding barons and insufferable King John, Prince Louis, son of King Philip II of France, sailed to make his claim for the English throne. The author provides genealogical maps of the English and French Royal Houses, and clarifies to an extent how many family ties worked and conflicted. With humor, she admits, as most British and French historians do, that the genealogies are convoluted.

The battles between the royalist-backed King John and the French prince, who received support from rebel barons, are the focal point of the book. As the book indicates, these battles saved England.

Hanley discusses these battles—primarily the sieges of Dover and Lincoln and a naval battle near Sandwich. These sieges were a turning point in the overall war because of the durability of the town’s castles. Hanley does a fine job detailing why these castles withstood a siege and how preparation for the siege ensured the survival of those trapped inside.

Hanley is exemplary when it comes to details. Though a rather short read, the book is chock-full of information about siege warfare: the castles, the soldiers, their armor, and weaponry; the power of the Church; the political climate in both kingdoms; and the royal families that controlled those kingdoms.

One person in particular, aside from John and Louis, whom Hanley discusses thoroughly is Louis’s wife, Blanche of Castile. She was also John’s niece, further proof of the familial entanglements. The author indicates the breadth of what she terms the queen’s “soft power”: the power of influence and council. According to Hanley, it was Blanche who convinced Philip II to send ships to assist Louis in taking the English throne. Although her efforts were in vain—the French were soundly defeated at the naval battle of Sandwich—her influence was substantial.

King John’s Death

During this brief war, a significant event took place: King John suddenly died, possibly of dysentery. This death may have had a larger role in saving England than the battles themselves. The royalists “immediately declared their support for the late king’s eldest son and heir, Henry.” The rebels had revolted against John because of his tyrannical rule, but now he was dead. This created an opportunity for the rebels to rethink their position. The royalists also saw an opportunity to bring the rebels back into the fold.

Hanley claims that what followed was the royalists’ “masterstroke.” The royalists had supported John and his rejection of the Magna Carta; but now they reversed course and reissued the Magna Carta in Henry’s name. With humor, Hanley explains that the rebels “wanted to get rid of John; John was dead. They wanted the Magna Carta to be implemented; now it would be. They wanted a new king who would work with his barons, rather than against; now they had one. So what, the royalists asked, were they still fighting for?”

King John’s death, and Louis’s ensuing invasion, ultimately unified the barons, though not every rebel baron returned to the fold. Nonetheless, in practically one fell swoop, the barons received what they'd been fighting for. To an extent, it could have been done without a fight. But no one could have predicted the natural death of the king.

A Delightful Read, Plus Robin Hood

Hanley presents a delightful, easy read about a complex situation. She combines detail and brevity, providing the reader with thorough explanations, while quickly moving the story along. Along with the well-written book itself, she attaches helpful notations throughout and provides a chronology of events from May 1200 to November 1272. This explain not just what happened between the years of John’s reign and death, but also how his unexpected death forever altered the “hereditary principle.” This change caused the kingship to transfer upon “the date of [the king’s] accession, rather than the date of his coronation.”

“1217: The Battles That Saved England” provides an interesting angle on the Magna Carta and early English history. Concerning Robin Hood’s relationship with King John, it wasn’t anything like the fictionalized version. Robin Hood, more accurately William of Cassingham, organized a resistance full of sharpshooting bowmen who conducted guerilla warfare against the French along the vast forest of the Weald. For his efforts, King John provided him an annual income and gave him lands. After John and William’s deaths (the latter in 1257), William’s widow was “put under the king’s protection and given a pension.” This is rather a far cry from what we’ve been told. Even so, King John was still a terrible king.

"1217: The Battles that Saved England," by Catherine Hanley.

‘1217: The Battles that Saved England’ By Catherine Hanley Osprey Publishing, May 7, 2024 Hardcover: 304 pages

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