| December 24 |  |
Editor says, what if King John had been raised in France by his mother? Please note that the opinions expressed in this post do not necessarily reflect the views of the author(s). This story was published in the December 2011 edition of Changing the Times Magazine.
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In 1166, on this day the future Angevin Emperor John Lackland was born to Henry II of England and Eleanor of Aquitaine.
Birth of John LacklandShortly after his birth, John and his sister Joan were taken to Poitiers, the capital of Aquitaine. This relocation was calculated to win over the support of the French nobility, because from this city, Henry's heirs would rule a collection of states that stretched from the Pyrenees to Ireland. But ironically, the circumstances behind his ascension to the throne were caused not by the Acquitaine Inheritance but were entirely due to a rebellion of the English nobility. And the central issue of the revolt was that Henry II believed the Plantagenets were French Lords that happened to be Kings of England.
From his late teenage years, his elder brother Richard had commanded the armies of their father Henry II. As King, he led the Third Crusade in the Holy Land. Inevitably, this overseas military focus created a vacuum of power at home that was filled by domestic plotting. Richard was forced to return home where we was killed in a full-scale baronial revolt. Having spent only six months of his rule in England, he was widely considered in want of sympathy, or even consideration, for his people. This reckless monarch was succeeded by John, a hard-working administrator, an able man, an able general.
Entry posted by Todayinah Editor
© Alternate Historian, 2004-.Story Tags
Permalinks: Post, Day. Browse Thread: Politicians Source: Wikipedia Labels: King John, Henry II, Eleanor of Acquataine, Britain, Angevin. Editor says, in reality John was passed from Eleanor into the care of a wet nurse shortly after his birth (a traditional practice for medieval noble families). Eleanor then left for Poitiers, the capital of Aquitaine. These contemporary references from Stubbs and Bradbury are intended to re-evaluate the traditional view of John as the villian of the piece.
~ If only John had been an able general, the freedom of Englishmen would not be guaranteed
~ Able general or no, having to inherit the ghodsawful mess Richard had left behind would strain him. And the Angevin "Empire" had no real reason to stay together, being nothing but the product of some dynastic marriages and a temporary weakness in France caused by a King with a chocolate eclair for a backbone. Once the French got themselves a good king and Henry II and Eleanor were both dead, there was going to be Trouble in River City, with a capital T that comes after R that stands for Rebellions.
~ Suppose it comes down to who rebels first.
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© Today in Alternate History, 2013-. All characters appearing in this work are fictitious. Any resemblance to real persons, living or dead, is purely coincidental.
