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How did King John settle his dispute with Pope Innocent III in 1213?
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John
John of England, from an early 14th-century illumination.
To settle his long-standing dispute with Pope Innocent III, King John took the dramatic step of surrendering his kingdom to the papacy on May 15, 1213.1
Facing the threat of deposition and a potential invasion of England by Philip II, John agreed to the Pope’s terms, which included accepting Stephen Langton as the archbishop of Canterbury. At Ewell, near Dover, John surrendered his realm to the papal nuncio and received it back as a vassal, pledging an annual tribute of 1,000 marks.12
This submission effectively secured the papacy as a political ally for John in his subsequent conflicts with the French and his own barons. Following this agreement, Langton returned to England in July 1213 and formally absolved the king from excommunication.12