(born April 16, 1319, near Le Mans, France — died April 8, 1364, London, Eng.) King of France (1350 – 64). At odds with England and Navarre, he tried to make peace with the Navarrese king
Charles II, then had him imprisoned in 1356.
Edward the Black Prince, son of
Edward III of England, led an invasion of southern France, defeating and capturing John at the Battle of
Poitiers (1356). John was forced to sign the treaties of
Brétigny and Calais (1360), which fixed an extravagant ransom and surrendered most of southwestern France to the English.
See also Hundred Years' War.
For more information on John II, visit Britannica.com.