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King John’s Concessions to the Pope
Jeremy Choat
HIST 3363-001
Professor James Hart
November 25, 2013
Choat 1
Church, State Relations before King John
A constant theme throughout medieval English history was the power
struggle between the Roman Church and the state of England. During the 11th and
12th centuries, the papacy started to rid corruption from the Church by electing
popes and church officials that were dedicated to their profession. The Church
gained considerable power through their reforms 1. During the reign of William I, he
Normanized the English Church and had the power to appoint Lanfranc Archbishop
of Canterbury2. One of the most famous examples of this power struggle came from
Henry II. Henry wanted clergy members to answer to his authority rather than the
pope. As part of his struggle with the Church, Henry reissued his grandfather’s
powers in his Constitution of Clarendon. This declaration stated that the Crown had
the right to hire and fire clergymen; church officials had to give homage and fealty to
the king after doing so with the Pope and limited the power of the church courts3.
This outraged the Pope and started the drama between the Archbishop of
Canterbury Thomas Becket and Henry II. This power struggle ultimately ended the
life of Becket and served as black eye for the Crown eyewitness becket. Henry’s son,
John, would continue the tradition of papal disagreements during his reign.
Richard Abels, The Gregorian Reform and the Growth of Papal Supremacy, 10491159, Web, United States Naval Academy,
http://www.usna.edu/Users/history/abels/hh315/investiture%20controversy.ht
m
2 J.P. Sommerville, The Norman Church, Web, University of Wisconsin,
http://faculty.history.wisc.edu/sommerville/123/123%2010%20the%20norman%
20church.htm
3 Internet Medieval Source Book, Text prepared by Seth Seyfried, Medieval
Sourcebook: Constitution of Clarendon, 1164, Web-primary source, Fordham
University, http://www.fordham.edu/halsall/source/cclarendon.asp
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The actions of William I, Henry I, and Henry II had been a precedent for
future kings to act towards the Roman Church. After the sudden death of Richard I,
the youngest son of Henry II, John, was appointed king4. King John was not the best
choice to succeed Richard I. Historians saw him, as a “tyrant” 5because he ignored
the law and had little respect for others6. Even his brother, Richard, considered him
“The Child” due to his immature behavior 7. These immaturities led to many poor
decisions concerning the Church. The actions by John would ultimately lead to him
yielding the Kingdoms of England and Ireland to Pope Innocent III as a fiefdom to
the Church 8. In the primary source, King John’s Concession of the Kingdom to the
Pope, made John look like inept leader who was more than willing to give England
away. Looking closer at the document and the meanings behind the concessions, the
analysis makes John’s agreement seem forced by the Pope, which gave John no other
option but to concede.
King John and Pope Innocent III
King John’s concessions were a cause of a combination of dreadful decisions
and events that made the King of England submit to the Pope. John’s rocky history
with the Pope started when he was the Duke of Ireland. During this time, Pope
Innocent III punished John for exiling the Archbishop of Dublin for no reason 9. The
Pope hoped that John’s brother, Richard the Lionheart, who was a crusader for the
W.L. Warren, King John, 1978, p. 49
Warren, King John, p.10
6 Warren, King John, p.11
7 Warren, King John, p.46
8 King John’s Concession of the Kingdom to the Pope, Web-primary source, CLC
Library, http://clc-library-org-docs.angelfire.com/John1213.html
9 Christopher Harper-Bill, King John New Interpretations, edit. S.D. Church, 1999, p.
301
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Church in the Holy Lands, would keep the crown and avoid the troublesome John 10.
Unfortunately for the Pope and England, this would not be the case. King John’s
most impactful decision with the Church was his handling of the election for the new
Archbishop of Canterbury. After Archbishop Hubert Walker died in 1205 and left the
head of the Church of England open, John appointed John de Gray11. This pick went
against the traditional election conducted by the monks of Canterbury to select a
new archbishop 12. Acting as an intermediary, Pope Innocent III did not see the two
candidates as worthy so in 1207, he chose Stephen Langston, who was a friend to
the Pope13. John was enraged by the Pope’s rejection of John de Gray. The Pope
found John’s response as “insolent and impudent”14. The King denied Langston as
archbishop and a standoff between John and the Pope ensued. By March 1208, the
Pope lost his patience with John over the election and his previous indiscretions
against the Church and he issued an Interdict15. For five long years from 1208 until
1213, this Interdict, which shutdown church services, hung over England16. During
the Interdict, John plundered Church lands and gained an unknown fortune by doing
so. He also, fined and imprisoned clergy members to ignore the Interdict and
conduct church business as usual. This resulted in John being excommunicated by
Warren, King John, p. 37, 49
J. P. Sommerville, The Crisis of John’s Reign, Web, University of Wisconsin,
http://faculty.history.wisc.edu/sommerville/123/123%20114%20John%20in%20
crisis.htm
12 Warren, King John, p. 162
13 Sommerville, The Crisis of John’s Reign
14 Warren, King John, p. 162
15 Warren, King John, p. 166
16 Sommerville, The Crisis of John’s Reign
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the Pope, which completely destroyed relations between the two17. The Pope
demanded that King John make drastic compromises in order to lift the Interdict 18.
Summary of Primary Source
Within King John’s Concession of the Kingdom to the Pope, John’s submission
to Pope Innocent III essentially had three distinct agreements attached. The first of
which was the most significant for John and England. John said he consulted his
“barons [and][they] offer[ed] … to the Holy Roman Church … [and to] Pope Innocent
III and his catholic successors, the whole kingdom of England and the whole
kingdom of Ireland … holding them as a feudatory vassal”19. King John conceded his
own kingdoms to the Pope, meaning the Pope was above the King of England in
power over the state. Pope Innocent never thought that John would surrender
England and Ireland to him due to his past history of conflict with the Church20. The
next concession was in the form of money. During the Interdict, King John plundered
Church lands for all of their profit. So in John’s agreement, he was forced to pay back
all of the money to the church that was gained after John stole the lands21. Also, John
was forced to pay the annual “Peter’s pence” during the feast of Michael and at
Easter22. England now had to pay the church 100,000 marks sterling to lift the
Interdict23 and pay another 1,000 marks sterling every year24. The last submission
that King John made to Pope Innocent III was that “this document of offer and
Sommerville, The Crisis of John’s Reign
Warren, King John, p. 206
19 CLC Library, King John’s Concession- Primary Source
20 Warren, King John, p. 209
21 Warren, King John, p. 210
22 CLC Library, King John’s Concession- Primary Source
23 Warren, King John, p. 210
24 CLC Library, King John’s Concession- Primary Source
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concession remain ever valid”25. This agreement would be eternal for future kings of
England and future popes. The agreement had to be shocking for both sides because
John’s predecessors fought to be above the church, not below it. This also meant that
the Crown had lost its power struggle to become the dominant figure in England. So
why did King John give his kingdoms to the Church, when it violated the obvious
precedent set by the Norman and Plantagenet kings? The answer lies deeper than
the primary source and contained many hidden intentions.
Analysis of Primary Source
King John had to show the pope that he was genuinely apologetic about his
discretions against the Church; but those concessions had many hidden agendas.
When King John started his declaration to the Pope, he sounded like he had turned a
corner and wanted the Pope to forgive his past actions. John stated that he wanted
to let it “be known to [the Pope] … [that] many things offended God and Holy Church
… utmost need of divine mercy … we can worthily offer as due amends to God and
the Church”26. It is unknown if John was actually this sincere and wanted to be
effectively born-again by the Pope. Sincere or not, John had hidden motives behind
his agreement with the Pope. Behind the scenes, King John started to become
concerned with growing fears over losing the crown from two different sides. The
first threat to his reign came from the Pope and England’s southern neighbor,
France. Due to the length of time of the Interdict and France’s tense past with John,
the pope decided to use Philip II, King of France, to invade England27. King Philip
CLC Library, King John’s Concession- Primary Source
CLC Library, King John’s Concession- Primary Source
27 Warren, King John, p. 202
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wanted to gain England as “an appendage for his son Louis”28. When John said he
would agree to the terms, the Pope armed Cardinal Pandulf a letter issuing Philip II
the new King of England, if John backed out 29. Luckily for England and John, he did
not back out and England was saved. To compound the situation, John had to deal
with barons who were becoming increasingly upset about his administration. John
abused his power like no other king before him30. His barons were on the receiving
end of this abuse including theft of lands31, manipulated the law to make money32
and imprison his enemies, tortured innocent people33, abused taxation34, and many
more violations. An advisor to John, William Marshall, warned him to agree to the
Pope’s terms due to the unrest against the Crown35.
The other clause in the agreement was on the financial side. John agreed to
pay for the Peter’s pence 36. Before the Interdict, John stood up against the Church
and was delinquent in his payment. This Peter’s pence increased taxes on the clergy
to pay for the pope’s expeditions in Germany and Sicily. To maximize receipts, the
tax was taken from every English household 37. In John’s agreement, he was forced
to pay this tax38. The Pope was also upset with John over the confiscation of papal
lands during the Interdict. King John claimed to take papal lands because “they were
Warren, King John, p. 203
Warren, King John, p. 202
30 Warren, King John, p. 181
31 Warren, King John, p. 182
32 Warren, King John, p. 183
33 Warren, King John, p. 187
34 Warren, King John, p. 190
35 Warren, King John, p. 201
36 CLC Library, King John’s Concession- Primary Source
37 Harper-Bill, New Interpretations, p. 297
38 CLC Library, King John’s Concession- Primary Source
28
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failing to provide the spiritual services to which they were contractually bound by
the grant of their endowment”39. John then made a sly agreement to pay back the
money that he took from Church’s lands. Innocent III demanded that John repay
40,000 marks before he would lift the Interdict and 12,000 each year afterwards.
John ended up only paying back considerably less than what he actually took from
the Church40. John was fortunate to profit in the agreement but it was the only gain
for the Crown.
Due to the Pope’s threats and the increasing unrest with the barons, John was
ready “to cut his losses … [and] was quite serious about his willingness to come to
terms with the papacy”41. King John really had no other choice than to admit guilt
and pay a huge price to save his crown. At the time of the agreement, the barons
thought John’s move was “astute”42. When the barons rebelled two years later, they
tried to convince the Pope that they pushed for the agreement and not John43. This
signified that the barons wanted the Pope to be on the baron’s side and not John’s. In
the primary source, John appeared to charm the pope to gain his approval and drop
the Interdict, which was successful. John had to be as formal and apologetic as
possible to the Pope because of the amount of leverage he had. As evidence of John’s
pervious actions, historians can deduce that John might not have been as apologetic
as it seemed, but selfishly tried to save himself. King John’s selfish act did save
England from the Pope crowning Philip II the new King of England. The hidden
Harper-Bill, New Interpretations, p. 306
Harper-Bill, New Interpretations, p. 210
41 Warren, King John, p. 201
42 Warren, King John, p. 210
43 Warren, King John, p. 210
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motives behind King John’s concessions to the Pope make John’s actions seem much
less reckless than before.
Suggestion of Primary Source
John’s agreement with the Pope was a terrible settlement. One historian,
Matthew Paris, called it the “carta detestabilis” or hateful charter in Latin44. Upon
examining the whole situation, one could be somewhat sympathetic to John’s case.
At the surface, the document made John look insane to agree to such outlandish
terms. But considering the background behind the document, it makes the terms not
as dramatic as if he did not agree to them. King John was completely responsible for
becoming a vassal to the Pope. His relations with the papacy were terrible before
the Interdict, as indicated previously. The main cause of the Interdict was John’s
disturbance of the Canterbury monk’s election for a new archbishop45. If John had
not tried to appoint his own candidate, then the Interdict would have never
occurred or it would have at least delayed the inevitable. Also, John’s standoff with
the Pope for five years and his exploitation of Church lands further strained their
relationship. By 1213, John’s power was crumbling and he had no other decision but
to give up everything to the Pope46. John had to play the cards that he was dealt,
which was a wise move. Pandulf was armed with letters from the Pope to dethrone
John and install Phillip II of France as new the king, if he backed out47. If Philip was
crowned the new King of England, more trouble would have ensued. A war between
France and England over the monarchy would have created complete social and
Warren, King John, p. 210
Sommerville, The Crisis of John’s Reign
46 Warren, King John, p. 201
47 Warren, King John, p. 202
44
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political disorder for many years. John should not be viewed as a foolish king that
did not know how to make terms, but as monarch that was backed into a corner and
had no other option but give everything to Pope Innocent III.
Conclusion
King John’s seventeen year rule was terrible and left England in disarray
when his young son, Henry III, took the throne in 1216. Henry III was left with an
England that was wounded from civil war, a Crown that was a fiefdom to the Church
and had agreed to the Magna Carta to limit the king’s power48. John, of course, gave
his homage and fealty to the Pope. Leading up to the Interdict, King John’s actions
can be construed as John trying to live up to the precedent that Henry I, II, and
William I had laid earlier. These previous Kings of England had been dominating
figures toward the Roman Church and the kings set the demands. John stood up to
the Pope when he chose Stephen Langston, but in hindsight, King John should have
stayed out of the election process. Perhaps he wanted to make a statement that he
was not a weak monarch and could live up to what his forefather’s had done
previously. John’s power struggle with the pope led directly to the Interdict over
England and eventually to John’s submission to the Pope49. King John’s concessions
to the Pope would have made his father and grandfathers livid because he gave the
Pope absolute power over England. His forefather fought for having church officials
give their homage and fealty to the king over the pope. John ended up being a
Magna Carta, The History Channel Website,
http://www.history.com/topics/magna-carta
49 Warren, King John, p. 202
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contradiction to his forefathers’ stance to the church when he gave his and the
Crown’s homage and fealty to the Pope.
The primary source, King John’s Concession of the Kingdom to the Pope, made
John look weak and willing to give away England. By looking at the hidden
intentions of the document, John stood up to the Pope and it seemed like John was
not willing to do this, but had no other option. King John has to be defended,
somewhat, for his agreement with the Pope. John was forced to agree to the terms
or he might have lost his crown due to invasion or rebellion. Analysis of the primary
source was very forgiving to John, which was different than the views after the 13th
century. King John’s terrible decisions with England and the Church left John with
no other decision than to concede England to Pope Innocent III, repay stolen money
to the Church, and ensure that the agreement would be eternal in order to save the
Crown.
Choat 11
Bibliography
Christopher Harper-Bill, King John New Interpretations, edit. S.D. Church, 1999
Internet Medieval Source Book, Text prepared by Seth Seyfried, Medieval
Sourcebook: Constitution of Clarendon, 1164, Web-primary source, Fordham
University, http://www.fordham.edu/halsall/source/cclarendon.asp
J. P. Sommerville, The Crisis of John’s Reign, Web, University of Wisconsin,
http://faculty.history.wisc.edu/sommerville/123/123%20114%20John%20in%20
crisis.htm
J.P. Sommerville, The Norman Church, Web, University of Wisconsin,
http://faculty.history.wisc.edu/sommerville/123/123%2010%20the%20norman%
20church.htm
King John’s Concession of the Kingdom to the Pope, Web-primary source, CLC
Library, http://clc-library-org-docs.angelfire.com/John1213.html
Magna Carta, The History Channel Website, http://www.history.com/topics/magnacarta
Richard Abels, The Gregorian Reform and the Growth of Papal Supremacy, 10491159, Web, United States Naval Academy,
http://www.usna.edu/Users/history/abels/hh315/investiture%20controversy.ht
m
W.L. Warren, King John, 1978