Uploaded June 2026 | Updated September 2026, 10 minutes ago
Why was the death of King John so gruesome, not to mention smelly and what was found in King John’s coffin when it was opened in 1529 and 1797? In this Plantagenet documentary from History Calling, we look at the death of King John in 1216, at why many medieval chroniclers thought that he got what was coming to him, at what was buried in King John’s coffin along with him and what the inside of King John’s coffin looked like when he was disinterred in 1529 and 1797.
King John was the villain of the Robin Hood stories and has gone down in history as one of England’s worst Kings, a man hated during his lifetime and despised after his death, but what killed King John and was it truly a terrible death? In this video I use original sources including Roger of Wendover, Ralph Coggeshall, Matthew Paris and Valentine Green to reveal the misery of King John’s final days.
By 1216 King John had already been forced by his nobles to sign Magna Carta and was facing an invasion from the French Prince Louis who had been offered the throne of England by the English nobles after John failed to abide by the Great Charter’s clauses. In the course of fighting to regain control of his kingdom, he fell ill with dysentery on the night of 9-10 October 1216 in the town of King’s Lynn, possibly because of greed at the dinner table. What is dysentery though, I hear you ask and how could it kill a King? Put simply, it’s an infection in your bowels which causes diarrhoea with blood in it. Nowadays it can be treated, but in the 13th century it could and did kill. John’s final days were miserable. He lost his baggage train in the Wash including the English Crown Jewels before struggling on to Newark where he died on the night of 18-19 October aged about 49. You may also be wondering, where was King John buried? The answer is at Worcester Cathedral, as per his final instructions and in this video I’ll also reveal what he was wearing in his coffin and at what was found when he was dug up (twice).
#KingJohn #RoyalDeaths #RoyalBurials
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THE WOMAN WHO ATE HER OWN SON
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WAS ARTHUR OF BRITTANY MURDERED BY KING JOHN?
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THE DEATH, BURIAL AND DESCRATION OF CATHERINE PARR’S CORPSE
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DIGGING UP ANNE BOLEYN
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THE SHAMEFUL TREATMENT OF CHARLES I’S CORPSE
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LEARN MORE:
[FREE] Valentine Green, An account of the discovery of the body of King John, in the Cathedral Church of Worcester, July 17th, 1797. From authentic communications; with illustrations and remarks (1797)
wellcomecollection.org/works/emtntchu
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Why was the death of King John so gruesome, not to mention smelly and what was found in King John’s coffin when it was opened in 1529 and 1797? In this Plantagenet documentary from History Calling, we look at the death of King John in 1216, at why many medieval chroniclers thought that he got what was coming to him, at what was buried in King John’s coffin along with him and what the inside of King John’s coffin looked like when he was disinterred in 1529 and 1797.
King John was the villain of the Robin Hood stories and has gone down in history as one of England’s worst Kings, a man hated during his lifetime and despised after his death, but what killed King John and was it truly a terrible death? In this video I use original sources including Roger of Wendover, Ralph Coggeshall, Matthew Paris and Valentine Green to reveal the misery of King John’s final days.
By 1216 King John had already been forced by his nobles to sign Magna Carta and was facing an invasion from the French Prince Louis who had been offered the throne of England by the English nobles after John failed to abide by the Great Charter’s clauses. In the course of fighting to regain control of his kingdom, he fell ill with dysentery on the night of 9-10 October 1216 in the town of King’s Lynn, possibly because of greed at the dinner table. What is dysentery though, I hear you ask and how could it kill a King? Put simply, it’s an infection in your bowels which causes diarrhoea with blood in it. Nowadays it can be treated, but in the 13th century it could and did kill. John’s final days were miserable. He lost his baggage train in the Wash including the English Crown Jewels before struggling on to Newark where he died on the night of 18-19 October aged about 49. You may also be wondering, where was King John buried? The answer is at Worcester Cathedral, as per his final instructions and in this video I’ll also reveal what he was wearing in his coffin and at what was found when he was dug up (twice).
#KingJohn #RoyalDeaths #RoyalBurials
BUY MY BOOK (Find Your Irish Ancestors Online): amzn.to/3Z2ChnG
Website (with 2 FREE DOWNLOADS): historycallingofficial.com
Patreon: patreon.com/historycalling
Amazon storefront: amazon.com/shop/historycalling
Instagram: instagram.com/historycalling
YOU MAY ALSO LIKE:
THE WOMAN WHO ATE HER OWN SON
youtu.be/AO0ydj04vV0
ALL THE ENGLISH MONARCHS 1066-1603
youtu.be/4N70g5funMY
WAS ARTHUR OF BRITTANY MURDERED BY KING JOHN?
youtu.be/x1pTxt119Kc
THE DEATH, BURIAL AND DESCRATION OF CATHERINE PARR’S CORPSE
youtu.be/p6lPB4uzmwI
DIGGING UP ANNE BOLEYN
youtu.be/EjCxVN7V6FA
THE PRINCES IN THE TOWER
youtu.be/WQ6FIe4dLTo
THE SHAMEFUL TREATMENT OF CHARLES I’S CORPSE
youtu.be/71HpXT1q0EU
LEARN MORE:
[FREE] Valentine Green, An account of the discovery of the body of King John, in the Cathedral Church of Worcester, July 17th, 1797. From authentic communications; with illustrations and remarks (1797)
wellcomecollection.org/works/emtntchu
Want to watch/hear/read more about history (and a whole host of other topics)? Then you might benefit from a free Audible or Prime video trial. They are available from the following links:
AUDIBLE
amzn.to/44MvlMi
AUDIBLE PLUS & AUDIBLE PREMIUM PLUS
amzn.to/42rh3PF
PRIME VIDEO
amzn.to/3LW7ykg
GEAR USED
Apple MacBook Pro Laptop (for video editing): amzn.to/3S6IoRK
Blue Yeti Microphone: amzn.to/3FgEDYq
Go-Pro Hero 13 camera: amzn.to/41H4Xnt
GoPro 3-Way 2.0 (Tripod/Grip/Arm): amzn.to/3vaVxjU
Memory Card: amzn.to/3KeLZZs
DJI Drone: amzn.to/39hROZm
NB: Links above may be affiliate links. This means if you make a purchase through one of these links, I earn a commission. It in no way affects the price you pay.
Open Street Map copyright information
openstreetmap.org/copyright
Creative Commons licenses used see creativecommons.org/licenses
