Why did Prince Louis of France invade England during King John’s reign?

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John John of England, from an early 14th-century illumination.

Prince Louis of France (the future Louis VIII) invaded England during the reign of King John at the request of the English barons.1

Following the signing of the Magna Carta in 1215, the peace between King John and his rebellious barons quickly collapsed. John appealed to Pope Innocent III, who took the king's side and declared the charter unworkable. As civil war resumed, the barons sought external support to challenge John’s rule and invited Prince Louis to England to take the throne. This invasion significantly weakened John’s position during the conflict, though the war remained undecided at the time of John's death in 1216.1