15. Prince John took full advantage when his brother, King Richard the Lionheart, was kidnapped while returning from the Crusades – but the elder sibling got his own back
King Richard ‘the Lionheart’, was never really meant to sit on the English throne. Neither was his brother John. Instead, their elder brother Henry was first in line to inherit the crown of their father, King Henry II. And indeed, everything did go as planned. At least for a little while. Henry was even crowned the new king, even with the young men’s father still alive. However, tragedy struck in the year 1183. Henry ‘the Young King’ died suddenly, without having ever really been given any power. His father, King Henry II, followed six years later. The crown passed to Richard, while John looked on in anger and frustration.
Since Richard never really expected to become king, he never prepared for the role. Nor was he suited to it. A born adventurer and warrior, he was a man of action rather and preferred to be out campaigning than sitting on a throne. All of which suited his brother John. Indeed, Richard spent just six months of his entire reign in England. And when he was taken hostage whilst returning to his native land from the Crusades, John didn’t hesitate to take action.
With his brother hundreds of miles away, John engineered an attempted coup. He even set up an alternative Royal Court, locking up several of Richard’s key allies in the Tower of London. The takeover bid failed, however. Richard raised enough money to pay his own kidnappers’ ransom and he returned home. While many might have expected him to take swift and brutal action against his deceitful brother, Richard showed mercy. He pardoned John, but he took away almost all of his land. In the end, though, John got what he wanted. King Richard died in 1199. King John I was duly crowned and ruled for 16 years, giving England the Magna Carta.