Magna_Carta

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1140L
Magna Carta
Date: 2022
From: Gale In Context Online Collection
Publisher: Gale, part of Cengage Group
Document Type: Work overview
Length: 1,178 words
Content Level: (Level 4)
Lexile Measure: 1140L
About this Work

Title: Magna Carta (Historic document)
Genre: Historic document
Full Text:
The Magna Carta is an important historical document that It was signed into law in 1215 by England ’s King John (1166–1216) to
avoid a civil war with his kingdom’s angry nobles. The Magna Carta, which means “Great Charter” in Latin, was essentially the first
written constitution in European history . Among its provisions, the document set limits on the powers of the monarch, setting a rule of
law and said the king must obey it. However, the king had the Magna Carta annulled a few weeks after it was written. Although the
Magna Carta was technically a failure at the time, it built the foundation for England’s common law. It also went on to inspire the
American “Founding Fathers” when they were crafting the new laws of the United States.
Critical Thinking Questions

How did the structure of medieval society lead to the conflict between King John and his barons ?
Why do you think the Magna Carta’s provision stating that everyone had rights under the “law of the land” became so
influential?
Give an example of how the Magna Carta has had an impact on the modern laws of the United States.
Background
From about the ninth to the fifteenth centuries, medieval society in Europe was built around the feudal system, which was based on
the exchange of land for loyalty and service. The king was at the top of feudal society and technically owned all the land in his nation
or kingdom. The king granted land to wealthy nobles known as barons. They held complete control over these territories. However, in
return had to promise to obey the king, pay him rent for the land, and provide him with military aid when called upon.
In 1199, King John took over the throne of England after the death of his brother Richard I (1157–1199). By all accounts, John was
the worst king in English history . He was cruel and mismanaged his kingdom so badly that he nearly bankrupted England. John
spent so much money fighting in France that he was forced to lean on the barons for additional revenues. John’s military excursions
were mainly failures. He made the barons pay for campaigns that resulted in the loss of royal lands in France.
At the same time, John also instigated a conflict with the Catholic Church. He refused to acknowledge the pope’s appointment of
Stephen Langton (1150–1228) as Archbishop of Canterbury. As a result, the pope excommunicated John in 1209 and later declared
that he had lost the right to be king. Because the Church’s power was unquestioned in medieval society, John was forced to give in
and accept Langton as bishop.
Limiting the King’s Power

The situation reached a breaking point in 1214 when John lost another battle in France. He then demanded more money to fund
another campaign. By this time, England’s barons had had enough. In 1215, an armed group led by Robert FitzWalter (1180–1235)
marched on London. Seeking to avoid an all-out civil war, Langton negotiated with the barons to hammer out a peace treaty and
demanded the king’s signature. King John had no other options but to agree to the terms. On June 15, 1215, he officially signed the
document in a field at Runnymede on the River Thames near London.
The document was known as the Magna Carta. It included sixty-three provisions that increased the rights of the barons and limited
the those of the king. Many of the provisions dealt with specific grievances the barons had with the king. For example, the barons had
to pay taxes when a daughter married and when a widow or son inherited property. However, one of the provisions in the Magna
Carta became famous. It stated that no “free man” could be stripped of his land, possessions, or rights without first being judged by
his “equals or by the law of the land.” In other words, the provision established the right to a fair trial and forced the king to abide by
the rule of the law. The king could no longer impose taxes or seize lands unless he did so within the law and first gained the
approval of the barons.
The Magna Carta is the first written constitution among the nations of Europe, but its immediate goal was to end John’s abuses of
power and prevent a civil war between the barons and the king. In that respect, it was a failure. John despised the terms of the
agreement and only signed the document under threat from the barons. A few weeks after the signing, John sent word to the
pope—with whom he was now on better terms—asking him to invalidate the Magna Carta. The pope agreed and annulled the
agreement in September 1215, which set off a civil war with the barons.
The war lasted until October 1216 when John died suddenly from dysentery. His son, nine-year-old King Henry III (1207–1272),
assumed the throne and signed a revised Magna Carta to gain the support of the barons. Further revisions of the document were
made in 1217 and 1225. The version that version entered into the records of Parliament was created in 1297.
Fast Facts
Four copies of the original 1215 Magna Carta survive today. One is housed at Lincoln Cathedral in northern England, one at
Salisbury Cathedral in southwestern England, and two at the British Library in London.
Since the nineteenth century, King John has often been portrayed as the villainous king in the legends of Robin Hood.
In addition to its political demands, the Magna Carta established standard measurements to be used for wine, ale, corn,
cloth, and other goods.
Lasting Impact
Many of the provisions of the Magna Carta were specific to the time and circumstances of its signing. For example, its statutes only
pertained to the barons and other nobles. They did little to ensure rights for most of the population. Some provisions also became
outdated. These included rules concerning scutage, which is the payment of taxes in lieu of sending military aid to the king. As a
result, sixty of the document’s original sixty-three provisions have been repealed over the centuries. Of the three that remain part of
English common law, one deals with the rights of the English church and the other concerns the rights of London and other large
towns.
However, the third remaining provision concerning the right to seek justice under the “law of the land” became one of the
foundational pillars of English law. In the fourteenth century, British Parliament interpreted the provision as guaranteeing the right to a
trial by jury. However, in the seventeenth century, it was seen as granting citizens individual liberties. In the eighteenth century,
colonial Americans, then subjects of Great Britain, looked upon the statute as one of the justifications for revolution. When they
achieved their independence, the Founding Fathers of the United States built that ideal into the US Constitution and the Bill of Rights.
The Fifth Amendment to the Constitution even uses language that is very similar to the original Magna Carta. It states, in part, that
people cannot be “deprived of life, liberty or property without due process of law.”
Full Text: COPYRIGHT 2024 Gale, part of Cengage Group

Source Citation (MLA 9th Edition)
"Magna Carta." Gale In Context Online Collection, Gale, 2022. Gale In Context: Middle School,
link.gale.com/apps/doc/QHXXQM338562367/MSIC?u=idbsj&sid=bookmark-MSIC&xid=03a30400. Accessed 24 Nov. 2024.
Gale Document Number: GALE|QHXXQM338562367

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About this Work

Critical Thinking Questions

Limiting the King’s Power

Full Text: COPYRIGHT 2024 Gale, part of Cengage Group

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