King John (play) 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 and Eleanor of Aquitaine and father of Henry III of England. It is believed to have been written in the mid-1590s but was not published until it appeared in the First Folio in 1623. King John receives an ambassador from France who demands with a threat of war, that he renounce his throne in favour of his nephew, Arthur, whom the French King Philip believes to be the
King Johan King Johan King Johan is a sixteenth-century English play. Written by a former Carmelite monk named John Bale, it is considered a possible influence on William Shakespeare's later work "King John". The play was groundbreaking as it was the first English language play to cast a historical English monarch as a character of virtue. The play was written by Bale in 1538 and significantly revised during the reign of Elizabeth I. Considered a piece of Protestant propaganda, the play told the story of John of England, who reigned during the thirteenth century in England. King John is represented as the