The condition of England, 1216

• By 1216, England was much weaker than it was in 1189
• England was in the middle of a civil war
• England’s king was only 9 years old at the time
• England was ruled by Protector William Marshal
• Prince Louis of France controlled some areas of the kingdom
• The Scottish king ruled some areas in the north
• The Welsh prince, Llywelyn, had seized some lands in the west
• The kingdom was bankrupt as taxes could not be collected during the civil war
• Town life and trade had been disrupted by the civil war in places like London, Dover, Rochester and Lincoln