tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2456802468539868519.post1484160187106356877..comments2023-10-12T02:21:40.102-07:00Comments on English Historical Fiction Authors: In Defense of King JohnDebra Brownhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03256313302199653185noreply@blogger.comBlogger4125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2456802468539868519.post-87143540689636934932013-04-22T07:52:05.574-07:002013-04-22T07:52:05.574-07:00I enjoy looking at things from other points of vie...I enjoy looking at things from other points of view and that includes people in history. Thanks for showing some good arguments for John.Sophia Rosehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07909417504496472472noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2456802468539868519.post-52764509508150403752013-04-21T23:40:19.152-07:002013-04-21T23:40:19.152-07:00King John has never been unpopular with me, I'...King John has never been unpopular with me, I've always thought that it wasn't until he came along that England became a country in it's own right; up 'til his time it was considered as just an offshoot of France and/or Normandy by his predecessors and another source of income from the oppressed. <br /><br />As for his brother Richard I've always regarded him as the worst king that England ever had, he bled us dry. <br /><br />History has been most unkind to him and Richard IIIAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2456802468539868519.post-43969883958832488682013-04-21T09:14:06.440-07:002013-04-21T09:14:06.440-07:00This is an interesting time as writers try to see ...This is an interesting time as writers try to see the hero and villain kings as people. I only know John from Shakespeare's play where he kills his nephew. and the great A.A, Milne poem...<br /><br />King John was not a good man<br />He had his little ways<br />And sometimes no one spoke to him<br />For days and days and days;<br />And round about December<br />the cards upon his shelf<br />Which wished him lots of Christmas cheer<br />And fortune in the coming year,<br />Were never from his near and dear<br />But only from himself...<br /><br />Quoted from memory! Stephanie Cowellhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06423566909753375195noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2456802468539868519.post-45577573047981340782013-04-21T08:15:49.735-07:002013-04-21T08:15:49.735-07:00Not even criminals or bad rulers are pure evil, fu...Not even criminals or bad rulers are pure evil, full time, as John has been portrayed over the centuries. He must have felt justified in some of his actions, probably the most notorious of his actions. He was forced to act in ways that he might not have chosen in a so-called perfect world. The economy or the nation's interests and enemies don't reset at the end of the previous rule. I'm not attempting to excuse or rewrite the horrible, immoral things John did, but you're right--we should consider the good results and his motivation if we want to learn about the whole man rather than the Hollywood-type super-villain cartoon. <br /><br />In my WIP about real people and events, I have two main villains. One is a very rounded bad guy who loved his family and was loved in return, and did good and noble things--but his obsession with harsh and elitist religion still plays out 350 years later. The other villain is just evil, and I haven't attempted to redeem him even a little bit. Christy K Robinsonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05988458745832012138noreply@blogger.com