Pat Shingleton for Oct. 15, 2012

English King John “Lackland,” King Henry II’s favorite son, received his nickname because his father had no land to give him. As noted in a previous column, John, the younger brother of King Richard the Lionhearted, tried to overthrow his brother. Returning from the Crusades in 1194, Richard forgave his brother but John was condemned by the country’s barons because of taxes. In 1215, they presented a resolution, constructing the Magna Carta, which he signed but didn’t embrace. Retreating from an invasion by Prince Louis of France, John and his entourage crossed the Wash, in East Anglia. This treacherous tidal mud flat incurred an unusually high tide, washing away his treasures including the crown of jewels. Because of the flood, King John died of dysentery in October 1216. Fastcast: Comfortable.