King John's Rule (History Essay)

Landmark Assessment: Source Interpretation



This source suggests that King John's rule was rather bad as well as weak because when King John gained power over England, he was in charge of controlling large amounts of land in Northern France; however, by 1204 King John had lost possession of almost all the property in Norther France, including Normandy due to irresponsibility and carelessness. This caused a certain dispute between the English barons and King John, which(as history builds up) didn't resolve. This is shown in the picture as John wearing a rather lopsided crown;as a crown represents power and reign over a particular country, and since the crown that King John wears upon his head is slanted, I introspect this to mean that King John had poor control and reign over his possessions and his country.






Although King John had gained numerous enemies(including Barons) as well as a few number of supporters as history unfolds, the source proves to be rather misleading as King John is depicted to have his hands arranged in a rather saintly fashion, his index finger pointing to the ceiling above;in addition, his eyes are raised upwards to the sky as if he is seeking the Divine and the very presence of God - the depiction of John in this picture is not unlike the paintings of most saints. All in all, it appears that King John is to be portrayed and given the  impression of saintly and pious;these good christian traits are considered to be possibly essential in the making of a fine king. Certain outspoken historians believe that King John does not contain an ounce of these traits(due to the fact that bad history lies between them, involving the murder of Thomas Becket) As it is apparent that the King had more enemies than supporters, it is queer that the picture should depict him to be pious, when the artist drew the faults that marred the very image of King John, obviously enough (this proves that the artist is not biased or is against John). Could it be, perhaps, that the artist was mocking John;displaying him as a kind person, but in reality, John is otherwise. Nevertheless, the source is misleading. Could King John be so religious in person?






In conclusion, it appears that the provided source suggests King John had a bad, mainly weak and poor reign over England. It is obvious that he has tarnished his name;had he been a stronger ruler, pointless deaths may not have occurred, and King John would have gained himself a better reputation throughout history,and be portrayed a little differently than a fool, in Disney's representative of him in the cartoon 'Robin Hood'