King John

The Knights Templar’s modern reputation is a myth that disguises their role as state-builders and diplomats.

Aged 48 or 49, the king died at Newark Castle on 19 October 1216.

One of King John's most detestable crimes – the starving to death of 22 knights at Corfe Castle – has been surprisingly overlooked by historians.

The struggle between King John and his barons turned into open warfare at Rochester Castle in 1215. Yet the story of how the fortress came to be besieged has not been fully understood, says Marc Morris.

The life of the artist Charles Sims and his controversial, little-known mural in St Stephen’s Hall, Westminster depicting King John at Runnymede. 

Magna Carta was born of the loss of King John’s French territories and his increasingly desperate – and expensive – attempts to regain them.

Nigel Saul marks the 800th anniversary of the sealing of Magna Carta with a comprehensive overview of the landmark books that dominate the field.

Will England's most reviled king get the Thomas Cromwell treatment? It doesn't seem likely. 

Attempts to rehabilitate ‘Bad’ King John always come up against a major stumbling block: the verdicts of his contemporaries.

For the cogent reasons explained here by Anthony Beadles, the revolt against King John was led largely by the Northern barons.