John Plantagenet (1166-1216) was the youngest of five brothers born to King Henry II of England and Eleanor of Aquitaine, but by their father's death in 1189, only Richard and John survived. John's older brother reigned for the next ten years, but when Richard suddenly died childless in 1199, John succeeded to the throne. John inherited a bankrupt kingdom from his brother, and utterly lacked his military prowess. With the loss of nearly all land-holdings on the continent, as well as John's radical taxation of his barons, the aristocracy quickly became unimpressed with him.In 1215, after protracted unrest, they forced him to sign Magna Carta, which guaranteed certain rights to the nobility, and limited the power of the king.John died in 1216, probably of dysentary (of which he had been suffering for several days prior to his death), although rumours circulated that he had been poisoned. He was succeeded by his nine-year-old son, Henry III. Show less «