King John paying homage to the legate of Pope Innocent III in 1213

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Illustration by Henry Marriott Paget (1857-1936) from a special edition history of England published in 1903. John was involved in a dispute with Pope Innocent III that led to his excommunication and a Papal interdict. Worried by the threat of French invasion he decided to reconcile with the pope. The terms for a reconciliation formalised in the Bulla Aurea, or Golden Bull effectively surrendered the kingdom of England to the papacy and paying feudal service in perpetuity and compensation to the Church. The penalty for breaking the treaty was the loss of the crown to the church. Since this treaty was effectively broken by Magna Carta in 1215 some argue that the United Kingdom is now owned by the present day church.

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Size: 2787px × 3775px
Photo credit: © Historical Images Archive / Alamy / Afripics
License: Licensed
Model Released: No

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