King John (play) production of the play (directed by Ben Humphrey) around the tomb of King John in Worcester Cathedral on the 800th anniversary of the King's death. King John was played by Phil Leach. The Bremer Shakespeare Company performed the play at the Globe Theater Neuss as part of the Shakespeare Festival im Globe Neuss on 28th June 2005. The play was translated into German and directed by Rainer Iwersen. King John (play) The Life and Death of King John, a history play by William Shakespeare, dramatises the reign of John, King of England (ruled 1199–1216), son of Henry II of England
History of the English line of succession eldest living son: Richard I. Richard had no legitimate children. On the day of his death, 6 April 1199, if the line of succession to the English throne had followed primogeniture, he would have been succeeded by his nephew Arthur I, Duke of Brittany (b. 1187), son of Richard I's brother Geoffrey, Duke of Brittany. However, since Arthur had sided with Philip II of France, Richard's enemy, Richard named his younger brother John as his heir, and he became king. John died, on 19 October 1216, in the midst of conflict against his barons; most of them had already recognized