King John and The Magna Carta High School History 2.31 King John and The Magna Carta

The Magna Carta or The Great Charter Magna Carta, or ‘The Great Charter’, is one of the most famous and influential documents in the world. The Magna Carta was an agreement between King John and a group of English barons in response to years of his misrule and excessive taxation. Originally issued by King John of England as a practical solution to the political crisis he faced in 1215. The Magna Carta established for the first time the principle that everyone, including the king, was subject to the law.

King John John was the king of England from 6 April 1199 until his death in 1216. John was not very successful in his military campaigns abroad nor in the way he ruled over his people. His constant demands for more money and men angered the barons and heaped persecution on the peasants. By 1204, John lost his land in northern France. In response to this, John introduced high taxes without asking the barons. This was against feudal law and accepted custom.

King John is excommunicated. John made mistakes in other areas as well. He angered the Roman Catholic Church. In response to John's behavior, the Pope banned all church services in England in 1207. In 1209, John had been excommunicated in a dispute over the appointment of the Archbishop of Canterbury. He had used this as an excuse to confiscate church property and sell it back to his bishops at a profit. England had for some years owned land in France. The barons had provided the king with both money and men to defend this territory. Traditionally, the king had always consulted the barons before raising taxes (as they had to collect it) and before demanding more men for military service (as they had to provide the men).

King John and the Barons King John eventually accepted the power of the Catholic Church in 1214 but suffered military defeat in an attempt to regain his territory in northern France. King John returned to London, again demanding more money from taxes but this time the barons were not willing to listen. Instead, they rebelled against his power. By the spring of 1215, the barons captured London. They did not defeat King John entirely but both sides were willing to discuss matters. The result was the Magna Carta. It promised laws that were just and fair. It stated that everyone should have access to courts and that no freeman would be imprisoned or punished without first being given the opportunity to the legal system.

What is the influence of the Magna Carta? The Magna Carta began as a practical solution to the political crisis King John faced in 1215. It was an attempt at a compromise with the Barons. It established for the first time the principle that everybody, including the king, was subject to the law. Today the Magna Carta remains a symbol of liberty and the cornerstone of the British constitution. Its language and meaning are found in the following documents: The United States Bill of Rights (1791) The Universal Declaration of Human Rights (1948) and the European Convention on Human Rights (1950).

Discuss the following Discuss the principles on the following slides with laws from the Magna Carta. Discuss why they were important to the peasants during the time of King John and why they are important today? How are they relevant to you? Why would you want to continue or discontinue their use?

Discuss the 39th Clause Most of the 63 clauses granted by King John in the Magna Carta deal with specific grievances relating to his rule. Buried within them are a number of fundamental values that both challenged the autocracy of the king and proved highly adaptable in future centuries. Most famously, the 39th clause gave all ‘free men’ the right to justice and a fair trial. Why was this important to the people in King John’s day? How does this relate to you today?

What does it say? What does it mean? Clauses 39 and 40, forbid the sale of justice and insist upon due legal process. From this came the principle of habeas corpus. (the accused are not to be held indefinitely without trial or proof.) The idea of the right to trial by jury of the accused person’s peers. Even the presumption of innocence pending conviction can be traced back to the provisions of Magna Carta clause 40.

Clause 14 Clause 14 of the 1215 Magna Carta introduced the idea of no taxation without representation. Why is this important to us today? How is this represented in our government?

Free navigation on English rivers Clause 33 of Magna Carta, still law in England until as recently as the 1960s, demanded the removal of all fish-weirs from the Thames, the Medway and all other rivers of England. Fish-weirs were large V-shaped structures, generally built of wooden stakes, into which fish might swim but from which they could not escape. Since weirs slowed the flow of water, they led to silting and in due course the closure of waterways vital to London’s trade. In this way the extensive use of fish-weirs represented the denial of free navigation. Viewed as a public asset, the freedom of navigation remains, even today, a hotly disputed principle and remains one of Magna Carta’s most frequently cited clauses. Why is this so important?

Standardization of weights and measures Clause 35 of Magna Carta demanded standard weights and measures for grain, wine, beer and cloth. England in 1215 was an economically buoyant land. New towns and new markets proliferated, driven by the continental demand for English wool. For trade to flourish, commercial confidence was essential. To secure this, buyer and seller had to work according to universally agreed measures. The idea that fixed weights and measures was most eagerly adopted in the constitutions of the newly fledged colonies of North America. After 1776, the same principle reappeared in the Constitution of the United States. Why is this necessary for the common good? Why did the colonists use this law?

Reason and Relate Discuss the following scripture: Section 101: 78 That every man may act in doctrine and principle pertaining to futurity, according to the moral agency which I have given unto him, that every man may be accountable for his own sins in the day of judgment. 79 Therefore, it is not right that any man should be in bondage one to another. How does this relate to the Magna Carta? What is the application to your own life?