"Originally published in 2016 in Great Britain by Hodder and Stoughton."

King John long ago acquired the epithet 'Bad,' and he is reputed to be the worst of England's kings. Before his death in 1216, his desperate exploitation of his subjects for ever more money had turned him into the mythical monster of Hollywood legend. In marked contrast to his brother Richard, John appeared incompetent in battle, failing to defend Normandy (1202-04), and was unsuccessful in recovering his lost lands in 1214. A continuing crisis was a constant need for money, forcing John to drain England of funds for campaigns in France, demanding unlawful and oppressive new taxes. Adding to his evil reputation was an ill-tempered personality and a streak of pettiness or spitefulness that led him to monstrous acts, including murdering his own nephew. King John's unpopularity culminated in a final crisis, a revolt by the English baronage, 1215-16, aimed at subjecting him to the rule of law, that resulted in his grant of Magna Carta.

King John is reputed to be the worst of England's kings. Before his death in 1216, his desperate exploitation of his subjects for ever more money had turned him into the mythical monster of Hollywood legend--even though the fictional Robin Hood was invented much later. In contrast to his brother Richard, he appeared incompetent in battle, failing to defend Normandy in 1202-04, and was unsuccessful in recovering his lost lands in 1214. King John's unpopularity culminated in a final crisis, a revolt by the English baronage, aimed at subjecting him to the rule of law, that resulted in his grant of Magna Carta.

Examining literary narratives from the tenth through the fifteenth centuries, this book explores how writers used their craft to voice harsh criticism of the ruling class and unearths a deep distrust of kings and other authority figures during the Middle Ages.

Sir Bobby Charlton reckons that if John Charles were playing today, his transfer value would be £70 million; and in a recent poll of Italian football fans, they voted him the greatest foreign player ever to play in their league, ahead of Maradona and Platini. He was equally adept as a centre forward or centre half, and often Juventus would play him up front until he scored, and then move him back into defence to protect the lead. Whether playing for Leeds United, Wales or Juventus, he fully earned his nickname of the 'Gentle Giant', never once being booked or sent off in a 15-year career, and always being the epitome of sportsmanship. KING JOHN recalls not just a vanished era of football, but also highlights what happens to our heroes once they have left the spotlight. It is a warm and moving account from one of football's true legends.

She was originally an unfavoured Third Miss in the Minister Palace, and she was forced to death. He was a handsome, lofty prince. Ten years ago, she had pulled his pants off and kicked him into the lake. Ten years later, she, who had been reborn, had returned blood-soaked. She was determined to wash away her past shame and avenge her mother. However, she did not want to meet him again, and thus was pestered by him. He treated her like a treasure in his palm, but she desperately wanted to escape until she had nowhere to run. Thus, she simply turned around and directly threw him onto the ground. Why, on the night of the wedding, he smiled with eyes as black as ink. He looked at her and asked, "My wife, ten years ago, the one who kicked I into the lake was you, right?" When she met him, it was as if they had met each other, and she had already defeated countless others in the human world. It was a one on one duel between strong men and strong women. If they were to join hands, they could guarantee that they would not fall into the trap.

King John ruled England for seventeen and a half years, yet his entire reign is usually reduced to one image: of the villainous monarch outmanoeuvred by rebellious barons into agreeing to Magna Carta at Runnymede in 1215. Ever since, John has come to be seen as an archetypal tyrant. But how evil was he? In this perceptive short account, Nicholas Vincent unpicks John's life through his deeds and his personality. The youngest of four brothers, overlooked and given a distinctly unroyal name, John seemed doomed to failure. As king, he was reputedly cruel and treacherous, pursuing his own interests at the expense of his country, losing the continental empire bequeathed to him by his father Henry and his brother Richard and eventually plunging England into civil war. Only his lordship of Ireland showed some success. Yet, as this fascinating biography asks, were his crimes necessarily greater than those of his ancestors - or was he judged more harshly because, ultimately, he failed as a warlord?