<b>King John by William Shakespeare</b>&nbsp;<i><b>The Life and Death of King John</b></i>, a&nbsp;history play&nbsp;by&nbsp;William Shakespeare, dramatises the reign of&nbsp;John, King of England&nbsp;(ruled 1199&ndash;1216), the son of&nbsp;Henry&nbsp;II of England&nbsp;and&nbsp;Eleanor of Aquitaine&nbsp;and the father of&nbsp;Henry&nbsp;III of England. It is believed to have been written in the mid-1590s, but it was not published until 1623, when it appeared in the&nbsp;First Folio.<br /><br />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 rightful heir to the throne.<br /><br />John adjudicates an inheritance dispute between Robert Faulconbridge and his older brother Philip the Bastard, during which it becomes apparent that Philip is the illegitimate son of King Richard&nbsp;I.<br /><br />Queen Eleanor, mother to both Richard I and John, recognises the family resemblance in Philip and suggests that he renounce his claim to the Faulconbridge land in exchange for a knighthood. John knights Philip the Bastard under the name Richard.<br /><br />In France, King Philip and his forces besiege the English-ruled town of Angers, threatening attack unless its citizens support Arthur. Philip is supported by Austria, who many characters believe killed Richard I. The English contingent arrives.<br /><br />Eleanor then trades insults with Constance, Arthur&#39;s mother. Kings Philip and John stake their claims in front of Angers&#39; citizens, but to no avail: their representative says that they will support the rightful king, whoever that turns out to be.