John 24 December — 19 October was King of England from until his death in He lost the Duchy of Normandy and most of his other French lands to King Philip II of France , resulting in the collapse of the Angevin Empire and contributing to the subsequent growth in power of the French Capetian dynasty during the 13th century.
The baronial revolt at the end of John's reign led to the sealing of Magna Carta , a document considered an early step in the evolution of the constitution of the United Kingdom. John was appointed Lord of Ireland in and given lands in England and on the continent. During the reign of his brother Richard I, he unsuccessfully attempted a rebellion against Richard's royal administrators while the King was participating in the Third Crusade , but he was proclaimed king after Richard died in He came to an agreement with Philip II of France to recognise John's possession of the continental Angevin lands at the peace treaty of Le Goulet in When war with France broke out again in , John achieved early victories, but shortages of military resources and his treatment of Norman , Breton , and Anjou nobles resulted in the collapse of his empire in northern France in He spent much of the next decade attempting to regain these lands, raising huge revenues, reforming his armed forces and rebuilding continental alliances.
His judicial reforms had a lasting effect on the English common law system, as well as providing an additional source of revenue. His dispute with Pope Innocent III over the election of Archbishop of Canterbury Stephen Langton led to the Papal interdict of as well as John's excommunication the following year, a dispute he finally settled in John's attempt to defeat Philip in failed because of the French victory over John's allies at the Battle of Bouvines. When he returned to England, John faced a rebellion by many of his barons, who were unhappy with his fiscal policies and his treatment of many of England's most powerful nobles.
Magna Carta was drafted as a peace treaty between John and the barons, and agreed in However, neither side complied with its conditions and civil war broke out shortly afterwards, with the barons aided by Prince Louis of France.
It soon descended into a stalemate. John died of dysentery contracted while on campaign in eastern England during late ; supporters of his son Henry III went on to achieve victory over Louis and the rebel barons the following year. Contemporary chroniclers were mostly critical of John's performance as king, and his reign has since been the subject of significant debate and periodic revision by historians from the 16th century onwards.
