#2: King John of England
Robin Hood stories turned King John into England’s sneering usurper, and his reign genuinely included military failure, heavy taxation, arbitrary justice, and conflict with barons. Yet the explanation is more complicated than simple greed. John inherited expensive wars, struggled to recover lands lost in France, and governed with administrative attention. Richard’s ransom affected royal finances earlier, but John’s own campaigns drove later demands. Magna Carta arose because capable administration became intrusive, costly, and politically unbearable.
