MAGNA CARTA, 1215

 

YOU CAN FIND THE ORIGINAL SHOWN ABOVE
AT THE BRITISH LIBRARY IN LONDON.

Magna Carta is Latin for Great Charter. As Encyclopedia Columbia states, Magna Carta is the most famous document of English constitutional history.

This document was written in Latin and sealed by King John of England in the year 1215.

What makes Magna Carta so special? It holds the king accountable to the law.

Here you can explore the original document.

Here you can read the full English translation of Magna Carta, 1215.

WHY WAS IT WRITTEN?
Magna Carta was written to prevent misuse of power by the king. Obviously, King John wouldn't have come up with stuff like that himself. Why did he approve of it anyway?

WHAT'S THE BACKGROUND STORY?
King John owned land in France and the French wanted it back. After waging war with John, they succeeded for the most part. Having lost this war, John made life a little harder for his subjects, for example by demanding very high taxes and by allowing his deputies to treat the people arbitrarily.

In January 1215 a group of English barons had had it. They demanded a guarantee for fair treatment from and by King John. To show that they were serious, the barons armed themselves and captured London in May 1215.

Thus threatened with civil war, King John reasoned correctly that negotiating was the idea of the day and met with the barons at Runnymede, a meadow by the River Thames, between Windsor and Staines.

Here is some info on Runnymede, which is now in the county of Surrey. If you visit Runnymede today you'll find this little memorial erected by the American Bar Association.

On June 15, 1215, a draft, called the Articles of the Barons, was agreed upon and sealed by King John. The next few days were spent on refining the rough copy. On June 19, 1215, the final document, the Magna Carta, was completed.

IN A NUTSHELL, WHAT'S MAGNA CARTA SAY?
Magna Carta's content is a preamble and 63 clauses.

The clauses can be divided into nine groups, regarding: 1. church; 2. feudal law; 3. feudal law - subtenants; 4. towns, trade, merchants; 5. reforms of law; 6. behavior of governmental officials; 7. royal forests; 8. immediate issues, e.g. dismissal of John's foreign mercenaries; 9. ensuring the king is acting according to this agreement.



WHAT IMMEDIATE EFFECT DID MAGNA CARTA HAVE?
The barons were pleased and renewed their oath of allegiance to the king the same day Magna Carta was agreed upon (June 19, 1215.) However, as soon as everybody got back home King John at once turned to the Pope and asked to revoke the agreement.

The Pope took sides with the king and the barons were outraged. Civil war, some call it The First Barons' War, broke out the same year when the French sent some knights over in support of the English barons and to tell John what they thought of him. The First Baron's War was fought 1215 - 1217.

King John died in 1216 and that same year amendments in Magna Carta were made and the document was reprinted in the name of John's son Henry III. Further changes were made in 1217 and 1225.

However, Magna Carta was not as big a deal as it became to be to future generations. How so?

WHAT IMPORTANCE DOES MAGNA CARTA HAVE IN HISTORY?
Magna Carta became the symbol against oppression, the symbol of the constitution over the king. And as oppression always has been of concern whenever people had power over people, Magna Carta became famous.

Magna Carta influenced future law and constitution making, such as the Petition of Right (England, 1628), the Habeas Corpus Act (England, 1679), and the Bill of Rights (United States, 1791). The 1225 version of Magna Carta was integrated into British statue law.
 

HOW MANY COPIES OF THE ORIGINALS ARE THERE?
There are four existent copies of the original Magna Carter of 1215. Each copy differs a little in size, shape, and text. Two of these copies are at the British Library in the British Museum in London. Another one is at Lincoln Cathedral and the other one is at Salisbury Cathedral. It is not known how many copies of the 1215 version were made.

Re-issues were made in 1216, in 1217, in 1225 in 1264 (all by Henry III) in 1297 (by Edward I). At Durham Cathedral are versions from 1216, 1217, and 1225.

THE ONLY MAGNA CARTA PERMANENTLY RESIDING IN THE UNITED STATES
The only Magna Carta permanently residing in the US is a 1297 (Edward I) version. It is stored at the National Archives and you are welcome to visit it. Here's the website.