For some time, commentators have been speculating on who this week's personality would be. After all the hype the cafe is delighted to be able to announce that it is:
His Royal Highness King John of
In the style of an online quiz, here a few responses John might have given to interested parties:
Name: King John of
Occupation: Ruler of
Favourite Activities: eating, drinking, having a bath, reading, aristocratic sports, women.
What are you doing at the moment? Giving orders to my many servants and thinking about how to improve revenues after that spend thrift brother of mine – maybe a few taxes might help…
Favourite films: I like entertainment so anything on the comedy channel, I especially like Black Adder.
Least favourite things: That awful portrayal of me by Disney! Someone should be locked up for that! What were those idiots taking when they made me out to be a stupid lion with a snake side-kick? One thing is for sure, whatever they were taking it was not real ale as we used to make it in
Favourite place: Odiham Castle, I feel comfortable there.
Now for the proper bit.
King John is a name that for some people ignites feelings of loathing, mistrust and depravity. In the view of most authorities and lay people, John rightly deserves a reputation for lechery and perfidy. Accounts left to us by contemporary chroniclers such as Ralph of Coggershall, are generally damning. Unable to keep even his supporters close to him he was forced to sign a humiliating peace with barons in 1215 at Runneymede. Ultimately, only his timely death saved the
Though the cafe recognises King John was not always the best behaved and tactful of monarchs, there are nevertheless many people and organisations who have cause to be grateful to him.
1. The inhabitants of
2. The royal bastards of John. John seems to have provided a pretty good life for his illegitimate as well as legitimate children many of whom entered royal service. One such bastard, Odo Fitzroi even went on crusade with his legitimate half brother Richard.
3. Historians and reformers in the 16th century including Thomas Cromwell and William Tyndale.
4. Believers in democracy, especially in the English speaking world. To stretch a point to its limit, one could argue that the moment John's seal was set to the document now referred to as Magna Carta was the most in the development of democracy in the English speaking world. For when King John assented to the contract at Runnemeyde he implicitly acknowledged that there were limits to the royal prerogative. From that moment on, royal power had boundaries over which the monarch could not trespass without correction from his subjects. 
Few people are aware that the treaty at Runneymede was only intended as a negotiating point for the next round of talks, rather than a definitive end to the crisis between king and the rebellious barons. Perhaps a little surprisingly, it was the rebellious barons who initially broke faith with the first charter, forcing John to seek the document's annulment from the pope of the day, Pope Innocent III.
Some might speculate that academic history has been unnecessarily harsh on John in the past and that latterly a move towards a more sympathetic portrait of him can be seen. To extend this line still further, few, if any historians, seem to have considered whether it is fair rely on church chroniclers for the bulk of our understanding of John’s personality; when the church had such a vested interest in portraying him in the worst light possible. Had John not quarrelled so violently with the Papacy during his reign, perhaps contemporary chroniclers would have been more sympathetic in their assessment of his highness.
For these reasons then, John more than deserves a nice cup of coffee from the cafe!
(my thanks to the Cafe Lumiere photography department and a 13th century chronicle for the images of King John).
No comments:
Post a Comment