Oxford University Department for Continuing Education
King John, Magna Carta and the Community of the Realm
Tutor: Elizabeth Gemmill
1. Exercise based on work done in the session on The Angevin Monarchy
(a) Gerald of Wales, c. 1190. Source: English Historical Documents, II. 1042-1189, edited by David C. Douglas and George W. Greenaway (London: Eyre Methuen, 2nd edition, 1981) (hereafter English Historical Documents, II), pp. 415 - 418.
(b) Walter Map, c. 1190-3. Source: English Historical Documents, II. 418-420.
Please read the contemporary descriptions of Henry II and his style of kingship and consider the following questions.
(i) How might the background of the writers have influenced the form and content of their writing?
(ii) What are their strengths and weaknesses as historical sources?
(iii) How do they compare with one another in the way they describe Henry II and his style of kingship?
2. Exercise based on work done in the session on John Lackland
Richard of Devizes’ account of events in England during the absence of Richard I on crusade. Source: The Chronicle of Richard of Devizes of the Time of King Richard the First, edited by John T. Appleby (London: Nelson, 1963), pp. 48 - 50.
What does this source tell us about John’s ambitions in England, and what resources appear to have been important in gaining power?
3. Exercise based on work done in the session on Accession and the Loss of Normandy
The account of Jocelin of Brakelond of relations between the abbey of Bury St Edmunds and the monarchy. Source: Jocelin of Brakelond, Chronicle of the Abbey of Bury St Edmunds, edited by Diana Greenway and Jane E. Sayers (Oxford University Press, 1989), pp. 102-3.
What might the historian learn from this about relations between the monarchy and the abbey at the time of the new king’s accession?
4. Exercise based on work done in the session on King John and the Church.
Letter of Pope Innocent III to King John after receipt of his letters of submission in 1213 following the Interdict. Source: Selected Letters of Pope Innocent III, edited by C.R. Cheney and W.H. Semple (London: Nelson, 1953), pp. 149-151.
What sort of a document is this, and what can we learn from it about the relationships – in the past and as anticipated for the future – between Pope Innocent III and King John?
5. Exercise based on work done in the session on The Government of England.
Two accounts of the king’s treatment of William de Braose: that of the chronicler Roger of Wendover and that of the Crown. Source: J.A.P. Jones, King John and Magna Carta (London: Longman, 1971 and reprinted), pp. 122-4.
How do the two accounts of King John’s treatment of William and his dependants differ, and what might we learn from them about John’s style of kingship?
6. Exercise based on work done in the session on Ireland, Wales and Scotland.
Letter of Llywelyn the Great to Philip Augustus, c. 1212. Source: J.A.P. Jones, King John and Magna Carta (London: Longman, 1971 and reprinted), p. 125.
What might the historian learn from this letter about the status of Llywelyn and his relationships with the kings of France and England?
7. Exercise based on work done in the session on The Revolt of the Barons.
Letter of Pope Innocent III to Archbishop Stephen Langton, 1215. Source: Selected Letters of Pope Innocent III, edited by C.R. Cheney and W.H. Semple (London: Nelson, 1953), pp. 196-7.
What was the purpose of Pope Innocent’s letter, and what might the historian learn from it about Stephen Langton’s involvement in the baronial rebellion?
8. Exercise based on work done in the session on Magna Carta
The text of the Great Charter of Liberties, 1215 (Magna Carta). Source: J.C. Holt, Magna Carta (Cambridge University Press, 1992 and reprinted), pp. 449-473.
What can the historian learn from this document about the nature of royal authority in the early thirteenth century?
This work by Elizabeth Gemmill is licensed by the University of Oxford under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 2.0 UK: England & Wales Licence.