The Magna Carta, also known as "The Great Charter" is one of the most well known political documents. It was originally written to establish a law that must be followed by all of the land, including the King himself. At the time the ruler of England was King John (1199-1216). He is widely recognized by historians as being one of the worst Kings to ever rule England. He heavily taxed the barons of the land for his own wealth. If the Barons failed or were unable to comply, the King would seize their land and all their assets.
King John also had a rivalry with the church, and he was actually excommunicated by Pope Innocent III in 1209. With so much hatred from his own kingdom and the church, a revolution was bound to happen. In 1213 a group of the Barons and Archbishop Stephen Langton and the papal legate had a meeting to discuss the grievances brought upon them by the King. Finally in 1215 the Barons and King John met and during their discussion, a dilute arose and King John refused to meet the demands of the people. The barons took back their oath once sworn to the King and took over the city of London. King john was now forced to negotiate. In June 1215 the Barons and King John met at Runnymede on the Thames, near Windsor. They discussed the issues and this resulted in the "Articles of the Barons." After a few more discussions between the Barons the King and Archbishop, the Magna Carta was created. Containing 63 clauses of which only 3 remain still in law.
1215 Magna CartaSigning of the 1215 Magna Carta with King John
However, this version of the Magna Carta was short lived. King John did not comply with the 63 causes previously agreed upon. The Barons refused to give up the City of London until King John implemented these laws. A civil war broke out. The war ended abruptly with the death of King John in 2016. King Henry III assumed the throne at the age of 9. A new version of the Magna Carta was issued in his name in 1216. Then later in 1225. The Magna Carta is famous mostly for clause 39 in the document that "No free man is to be arrested, or imprisoned, or disseised, or outlawed, or exiled, or in any other way ruined, nor will we go against him or send against him, except by the lawful judgment of his peers or by the law of the land." This is still a part of British law today and also majorly influenced the American Bill of Rights "no person shall . . . be deprived of life, liberty, or property, without due process of law." It established the basis for being innocent until being proven guilty and that all people have the right to a fair judicial trial before being punished, deprived, or sentenced to anything. The magna Carta played a major role in establishing human rights.
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