 Richard I,
Coeur de Lion (the Lion-Hearted)
became king upon the death of his father
in 1189, and reigned until his own death
in 1199. As King of England he did very
little, and spent barely six months of
his reign in the country he ruled. He
spent most of his time engaged in wars --
against the Moslems in the
Holy Land, his ally-enemy King Philip II
of France, and his brothers. |
|
 John
became king upon the death of Richard I
in 1199, and reigned until his own death
in 1216. An inept and very unpopular
king, he fought a losing battle against
English lords and was forced to sign the
Magna Carta in 1215. That document
severely limited the king's authority,
and became the foundation of the system
that governs England today. |
|
