Was King John rich

Answer 1

King John put money into the royal coffers. The claim might have been made that this made England richer, but in fact it only made King John richer. Every year he raised taxes and took more money away from his people. The claim might be made that this made England poorer, and in fact I think this is true.

Answer 2

Compared to an average person, King John was very rich.

Compared to a monarch, King John was not so rich. Twice he lost his inheritance. He also physically lost England's crown jewels, gold coins, and other jewelry while traveling. The treasure is believed to be of immense value and it has never been found.

At the time John became king, England had vast tracts of land in what is now France; the entirety of Normandy was part of England. But King John lost all of that land to France. One of King John's nicknames was "Lackland", meaning that he owned no land.

Several factors drove England's financial condition during the time of King John's reign. Interestingly, England's economy was in a state of inflation. King John also bankrupted the treasury fighting foreign and domestic wars.

To replenish his treasury, he instituted an onerous system of taxation which would have replenished his treasury and allowed him to continue his spendy ways. This was one of the many reasons the English Barons revolted and ultimately forced him to sign the Magna Carta.

It seems that King John made poor financial decisions and then tried to make his subjects pay for it. That didn't work out so well for him.