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The Reigns of King Richard I and King John, 1189–1216

Worsening relations with the barons

  • 3 things to know
  • Paper 2 booklet B

Overview

John's need for money after 1204, his fines, William de Braose, hostages, scutage, the plot of 1212, Bouvines and Poitou in 1214 and why that failure was the turning point, the siege of Northampton, the rebels' move through Bedford and the decisive taking of London in May 1215.

What you need to know

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Key term

What were the ‘fines’ that John charged?

Key term

Why did John need so much money after 1204?

Key term

Why was the failure of 1214 the turning point in John’s relations with his barons?

Questions from this subtopic

Each one with the model answer underneath.

  1. 1

    Why did John need so much money after 1204?

    Model answer

    He was determined to win Normandy back, which meant hiring mercenaries, paying allies on the continent and fortifying his remaining lands, all in a time of rising prices.

  2. 2

    What were the ‘fines’ that John charged?

    Model answer

    Sums a man offered the king for his goodwill — to inherit, to marry, to buy a wardship or simply to have his case heard — which John set at whatever he thought the man could bear.

  3. 3

    How did John treat William de Braose, and why did it frighten the baronage?

    Model answer

    He turned on a favoured servant, demanded a crushing debt, drove him into exile and starved his wife and son to death in prison, showing that no baron was safe from the king’s anger.

  4. 4

    How did John use hostages?

    Model answer

    He took barons’ sons into his keeping as security for their fathers’ loyalty, and his willingness to harm them made the practice terrifying rather than routine.

  5. 5

    Why did scutage become a grievance under John?

    Model answer

    He demanded it far more often and at higher rates than earlier kings, sometimes when no campaign followed, so barons felt they were paying repeatedly for nothing.

  6. 6

    What was the plot of 1212?

    Model answer

    While John was gathering an army against Wales, Robert FitzWalter and Eustace de Vesci conspired to kill or desert him; he learned of it, called off the campaign, and the plotters fled abroad.

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