Reign of King John

<p>Originally published in 1949. Lacking the warlike bluntness of his predecessor Richard the Lionheart John came to the throne of England at a time when economic forces in the realm were threatening to undermine the very basis of feudal power. His attempts to adjust a political system to cope with this threat and at the same time to assert the hegemony of the monarchy over its chief rivals--the barons and the church--made his reign one of particular importance and significance in English history.</p>