Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
What is your definition of 'worst'? That is a subjective term and I think that it could be seen in different ways. Most cruel since you give reference to that? Worst impact on the nation itself? Because you could have a cruel king who none the less consolodated or improved the status and situation of the realm. Least popular? People in say, Scotland or Ireland, or some of the colonies and territories may have a different view of the worst than, say someone living in the heart of England itself.
While the Magna Carta did come into being during his rule, it was a response to his very poor governance of the country he inherited from his brother. Even the Pope announced that anyone overthrowing John would still be right in the eyes of God.
You do need to quanity "worst". For instance, even if you think Richard III was innocent of killing his nephews, he was still a rather unseemly character with a river of blood running from his hands. However, he wasn't a "bad" king in terms of running the country.
Generally the guy at the top of the list of overall "worst" for running the country is Edward II who had one of the most convoluted and ineffectual rules in history. That is until his wife overthrew him and put their son on the throne. Though since Edward III was a minor, his mother Isabella and her lover Roger Mortimer ruled in his stead. They were almost as bad as Edward II...almost.
Edward VIII often makes these lists as he is the one who came closest to ending the entire monarchy. Had he not abdicated in favor of his brother George VI, there is a good chance the monarchy would have collapsed, if not in the UK, certainly in the Commonwealth.
I'm not even sure how Henry VIII makes the list (James II, Charles I, John, Henry VI, Stephen, Harold II, George III and George IV...all of them before Henry VIII). From all accounts Henry VIII was a pretty good king...just a bad husband. Though, his daughter Mary I could certainly be a contender if we included queens.
Æthelred the Unready, King of England 978-1013 and 1014-1016.
After his father King Edgar kicked the Danish out of the Danelaw in England, Æthelred managed to lose the entire country to Canute the Great, a Dane who became King of England upon its conquest.
Isn't it something that,there are many contenders for the worst King and hard to think of a really good one.
No wonder my ancestors got to heck out of there even though they had to do it on credit.
Isn't it something that there are many contenders for the worst King
and hard to think of a really good one.
That's the irony of it...
and the pointlessness of absolutist questions like the OP poses.
Few of the bad, even the worst, didn't ALSO do great things.
And few of the good who didn't also do horrible things.
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
