General Discussion

Richard I (Richard the Lionhearted) had been returning from the crusades, when he was captured and held for ransom by Henry VI. His brother John Lackland conspired with Phillip II of Anjou to extend his captivity, until he was eventually freed by the efforts of Eleanor of Aquitaine. Returning to England, he confronted John, who begged for mercy even as he continued to conspire with Philip. Richard, believing his brother had returned, left again for the crusades, only to be seiged in Anjou where he eventually died of a crossbow wound that became gangrenous, and with that John became King. John was hated and despised by most of those in power, with the Barons in England eventually rising against him and forcing him to sign the Magna Carta, which significantly weaked his authority (he would later renege on it, which launched the country into civil war. He managed to lose a significant amount of the Crown Jewels fleeing through the swamps near Lincolnshire (modern Lincoln), and would eventually die of dysentary. He was not mourned by many.

John was cruel, petty, arbitrary, and dishonest; he was also notoriously stupid, though he believed himself quite intelligent. He was constantly scheming, and most of those schemes blew up in his face. Parliament, which was established by the Magna Carta, came about primarily to prevent future abuses by monarchs like him. He is widely considered to be one of the worst monarchs of English history.

He was a lot like Trump.