‘By God’s ears, I would settle him if he dared set foot on this land.’

‘My lord, he has the whole of Normandy. There is little left to you overseas. For the love of your ancestors do not let England pass out of your hands.’

John was afraid. There was one man whom he could trust and that was the Marshal. He had to listen to him. He knew. He had to take his advice, for he knew it would be sound and that Marshal had nothing but the good of England at heart.

‘Trouble grew big with the quarrel with Rome,’ said Marshal. ‘My lord, your first step is to end that quarrel.’

‘How so?’

‘Accept Stephen Langton.’

‘I have sworn not to.’

‘It may be so, but, my lord, a crown is at stake. If you do not make peace with Rome in a short time a French king will take the crown of England. There are many here who would welcome Philip.’

‘Then surely they are traitors.’

‘They are men who are at war with the manner in which England is being ruled. There is so much they do not like. Be prepared for treason, my lord, where you least expect it.’

‘You, Marshal?’

‘I am here to save your kingdom for you, to give you my help and support which is not inconsiderable. Those who murmur against you, love this country. They would serve it well. But they murmur against unfair taxation, the interdict and excommunication and the manner in which you rule. Therefore they believe it would be to the good of the country to take Philip as their King. This would restore Normandy to the crown and with all this and France, Philip would be the most powerful ruler in the world.’

‘And you ask me to go humbly to Innocent?’

‘I am convinced that now is the time to make peace with Rome.’

‘But this will mean breaking my word. I have vowed that never will I have Stephen Langton here.’

‘There are times, my lord, when it is wise and most expedient to break one’s word. This is one of them.’

‘What will people think of me?’

The Marshal’s lips curled. ‘No worse,’ he said bluntly, ‘than they do already.’

‘And you would urge me to make advances to the Pope, to admit my willingness to have Langton here?’

‘I would with all my heart,’ said the Marshal, ‘for I see clearly that if you do not, you will not long remain King of England.’

Marshal half expected him to fly into a rage. The fact that he did not suggested that he was really frightened of the position in which he found himself.

‘I will without delay send an embassy to Innocent,’ he said. ‘I will even take Langton.’


There was a great deal of excitement in Yorkshire at this time because an old man who was known as Peter of Pontefract claimed to have had a vision. Peter was a hermit who lived in a cave at the opening of which people left food for him; he was said to be a man of unusual powers.

He had prophesied that before Ascension Day King John would have ceased to reign. In view of the conditions which existed this did not seem an unreasonable prophecy and it was repeated throughout Yorkshire and began to filter into other counties so persistently that Peter of Pontefract was now known throughout the country.

Beset by difficulties, pondering on the warnings of the Marshal, John was filled with superstitious dread, and during his travels in the North he demanded that Peter be brought to him.

The old man gave no sign that he feared the King. He stood before him without respect or disrespect. He merely showed indifference.

John cried in a hectoring manner: ‘What is this talk you have circulated through the country concerning me?’

‘I have merely said what came into my mind,’ answered Peter. ‘If folks repeat it, ’tis naught to me.’

‘It is something to me,’ cried the King. ‘You say I will not be reigning after Ascension Day.’

‘’Tweren’t I as said it. ’Twere the voices.’

‘To whom do these voices belong, think you?’

‘To God, maybe, or to the powers.’

‘And how shall I lose my kingdom, pray?’ asked John.

‘That I know not,’ was the answer. ‘Only as you shall surely lose it.’

‘I believe you to be lying.’

‘’Tis not so, my lord.’

‘Do you know what is done to liars?’

Peter turned his eyes up to heaven and answered: ‘What is to be will be and what you do to me has not been revealed.’

‘You should tremble in your shoes, Peter of Pontefract.’

‘Nay, my lord, I but speak as I must and the spirits tell me. They say you shall reign no more after Ascension Day and that one more pleasing to God will be set on your throne.’

John lost his temper suddenly. ‘Take this man away,’ he shouted. ‘Throw him into a dungeon at Corfe.’

Peter was serene as they led him away.

‘You will know your fate on Ascension Day,’ John called after him. ‘You should start to pray for your soul now, fellow. For it will go ill with you then.’

Peter merely smiled and held the palms of his hands together as he was hustled away.


Innocent had been made aware of the situation in England. The barons were ready to revolt and if England were allowed to go on much longer under the Interdict with an excommunicated king the wrath of Rome would appear to lose its power. He could not allow the situation to continue so he summoned Stephen Langton, in his eyes Archbishop of Canterbury, and told him that he wished him to go at once to the King of France.

‘John cannot any longer be allowed to reign in England,’ he said. ‘I intend to depose him and I am going to ask the King of France to help me to this end. I know full well that he will be eager to do so.’

Stephen Langton was surprised, for he did not think Innocent wanted to add to Philip’s power, but he saw the Pope’s point of view. John was insolently snapping his fingers at Rome by continuing to accept the Interdict and his excommunication as though they were of little importance to him and making no effort to get them removed.

The Archbishop set out for Paris and no sooner had he left than John’s embassy arrived in Rome with urgent messages from John to the Pope, proclaiming that he would accept Stephen Langton. As a result of this Stephen was hastily recalled to Rome. The Pope now declared his willingness to withdraw the threat to depose John if he ratified his promises.

Philip, meanwhile, had assembled an army with a fleet of ships ready to carry it to England. He was determined to invade and since John was clearly unfit to wear the crown, to take it for himself. No French monarch had ever ruled over England. He had fulfilled his ambition of recapturing Normandy. He had had other successes, but to capture England would make him honoured for ever as a hero, as William the Conqueror had been.

It was amazing how people rallied to John’s banner. Those who had been chary of joining him to fight across the seas felt very differently about their own country. If the French were waiting to attack they would find the English ready for them. They would never accept the French King as theirs. They preferred English John for all his faults. He was able to assemble a good fleet of ships. The Cinque Ports had been true to their promises. The whole country was rallying to John’s banners and he had not felt so confident for a long time.

Instead of the French the Pope’s legate arrived at Dover. He had come hot from Rome with special despatches for the King of England.

The papal legate was Pandulph, a Roman, who had become a clerk of Innocent’s Papal Court and he was accompanied by a Knight of St John named Brother Durandus. John had met them both on a previous occasion when they had come on the Pope’s business and this time he received them with more warmth than he had previously.

John had discussed with the Marshal the terms which the Pope might be expected to offer and it was William’s advice that it would be wise to accept them even though they might appear somewhat drastic.

In the Marshal’s opinion the barons could not be trusted and although they had rallied to John’s banner at the prospect of a French invasion they were at heart weary of John’s rule and if they felt that it would be better under Philip’s they might decide to change sides. To see the army gathered together, to see the ships ready to fight against those of the French, was a goodly sight. But the Marshal knew the extent of John’s unpopularity and he did not trust those who had assembled to help him. For this reason, it seemed to him that John must if possible make peace with the Pope.

Pandulph’s first words indicated to John how important it was for him to make peace with Rome.

‘On my way to you,’ Pandulph told him, ‘I passed through France and sought an audience with its King. In the name of the Pope I forbade him to attempt the invasion of England until after I had seen you. Much will depend on your attitude now. If you accept the Pope’s terms there will be no French invasion, for the Holy See will not permit it and the King of France would not dare undertake such a hazardous operation in which God would be against him since he has been forbidden by Rome.’

John said: ‘I would know your terms.’

The Marshal had been right when he had said the terms would be harsh. There could be none harsher, for the Pope insisted that John surrender his crown to the Pope who would then return it to him creating him a fief of the Holy See. The King of England would become the Pope’s vassal.

The Pope’s vassal! How low had he fallen. What would great William the Conqueror say if he was watching from Heaven at this time? The land which he had won and held at great sacrifice to be passed over to Rome and its King become a vassal!